The scoreboard’s completely full with racing from Croatia to California. Let’s jump right in.
You can also check out our race coverage from earlier in the week:
Gorge Waterfalls – Cascade Locks, Oregon
30k
The three-day event opened on Friday, April 11 with the short course race.
Anna Gibson ripped through the waterfalls in 2:14, finishing second overall and clipping three minutes from Rachel Drake’s year-old course record. Next up for Gibson is the June 1 U.S. Mountain Running Championships at the Sunapee Scramble in New Hampshire. Camila Noe and Kristen Schindler were second and third in 2:22 and 2:30.
Men’s winner Nicholas Lightbody (Canada) came through in 2:08, and Joshua Taylor and David McKay were next in 2:16 and 2:17, respectively.
100k
The first two women and men each earned automatic spots on the U.S. team that will compete in the Trail World Championships – Long Trail race in September in Spain.
Shea Aquilano was the daylong leader in the women’s race and ran to a 9:14 finish. Aquilano will get a chance to improve on her 33rd-place finish at the 2023 Trail World Championships – Long Trail race in Austria.
Jade Belzberg (Canada) and Klaire Rhodes ran 9:27 and 9:34 for second and third. With Belzberg competing for Canada at the Trail World Championships, all three of the podium getters are expected to race in Spain in September. All three all ran under Hannah Allgood’s 2022 course record too.
The first 10 women were:
- Shea Aquilano – 9:14:49
- Jade Belzberg (Canada) – 9:27:39
- Klaire Rhodes – 9:34:25
- Robyn Lesh – 9:45:14
- Lea Mulligan – 9:52:47
- Addie Bracy – 10:20:11
- Corinne Shalvoy – 10:29:39
- Brittany Peterson – 10:31:48
- Jennie Yeaman – 10:41:45
- Mercedes Vince – 10:48:17
The first four men all beat Jim Walmsley’s 2017 course record. At the top, Adam Peterman pulled away in crunch time for a 7:59 first-place finish. Upstart Tracen Knopp hung tough for second in 8:05, and Philip Royer was a surprise third-place finisher in 8:19.
The first 10 men were:
- Adam Peterman – 7:59:30
- Tracen Knopp – 8:05:16
- Philip Royer – 8:19:30
- Jeff Colt – 8:20:12
- Ryan Sullivan – 8:28:18
- Matt Seidel – 8:38:41
- Blake Slattengren – 8:40:11
- Anthony Williams – 8:44:59
- Avery Collins – 8:58:48
- Dylan Humberger – 9:09:11
50k
The three-day event wrapped up with Sunday’s point-to-point 50k. Sarah Allaben was victorious in 4:38, and Taylor Bacon and Kristina Randrup podiumed in 4:46 and 4:52.
Joshua Potvin was three minutes better than Liam Meirow in the men’s race, 3:49 to 3:52, and Adam Loomis ran 4:07 for third.
Desert Rats by UTMB – Fruita, Colorado
The event took place in far western Colorado on trails overlooking the Colorado River.
The start of the 2025 Desert RATS 100k. Photo: Glen Delman for Desert RATS Trail Running Festival by UTMB
100k
Lotti Brinks was way out front in 9:25. Emilie Mann (Canada), last year’s Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile winner, was second in 10:21, and Geneviève Asselin-Demers (Canada) took third in 10:31.
The first two men battled only six minutes apart. Alex Johnson scored the win in 8:57 and Tyler D’Arcy was right there in 9:04. Third-place Corey Kallembach ran 9:23.
50k
Alison Baca soared through the women’s run in 3:57. That was good enough for third overall too, and it comes two months after Baca won the Black Canyon 50k. Ashley Brasovan and Sophie Linn ran next in 4:10 and 4:24.
Brian Whitfield outdid the men’s group with a 3:35 finish. He’s got the Broken Arrow Skyrace 46k next. Grant Colligan and Austin Anderson were second and third in 3:49 and 3:57.
21k
The event’s 12-mile race might’ve been its most competitive. Tabor Hemming nabbed the women’s win in 1:36. Janelle Lincks was second in 1:39, and Sydney Petersen was third in 1:40. Alison Rudy and Molly Olsen were next to finish in 1:43 and 1:47.
Eli Hemming won for the men in 1:19, and Taylor Stack was a minute better than Coleman Cragun for second. Stack and Cragun ran 1:22 and 1:23. Jeshurun Small and Devin Pancake were fourth and fifth in 1:26 and 1:27.
Runners on the course at the 2025 Desert RATS by UTMB. Glen Delman for Desert RATS Trail Running Festival by UTMB
Penyagolosa Trails – Castellón, Spain
CSP 106k
The longtime event’s long race went 66 miles and with over 18,000 feet of climbing in far eastern Spain.
The first three women gapped the fourth-place finisher by over an hour, but it was close at the top. Elisabeth Ríos (Spain) and Mercedes Pila (Spain) ran together for most of the day and Ríos waited a few seconds at the finish for the two to cross together in 14:03. Maria Isabel Fuentes (Spain) was third in 14:25.
Elisabeth Rios (left) and Mercedes Pila shared the women’s win at the 2025 Penyagolosa Trails CSP. Photo: Penyagolosa Trails/Juanjo Lavernia
Just 13 minutes separated the men’s podium on the long course. Ivan Calvo (Spain) led the group in 11:01, and Hirokazu Nishimura (Japan) and Arnau Segui (Spain) finished in 11:09 and 11:14.
Ivan Calvo, the 2025 Penyagolosa Trails CSP men’s winner. Photo: Penyagolosa Trails/Juanjo Lavernia
MIM 60k
This one was a pretty aggressive course too, totaling almost 11,000 feet of climbing in 37 miles.
It was an all-Spanish women’s podium with Inés Astrain beating Gemma Arenas and Mireia Pons for the top spot. The three women finished in 6:07, 6:27, and 6:30, respectively. Astrain broke Laia Cañes’s event record that had stood since 2016.
Inés Astrain, the 2025 Penyagolosa Trails MIM women’s winner. Photo: Penyagolosa Trails/Juanjo Lavernia
José Ángel Fernández (Spain) won for the men ahead of Abel Carretero (Spain) and Miguel Arsenio (Portugal). The race winner ran 5:14 and the next two ran 5:20 and 5:24. It was Fernández’s third straight win.
José Ángel Fernández, the 2025 Penyagolosa Trails MIM men’s winner. Photo: Penyagolosa Trails/Juanjo Lavernia
Istria by UTMB – Umag, Croatia
The event’s five race distances brought 2,500 runners to Croatia’s northwestern peninsula.
168k
The long course went for 105 miles and with 21,620 feet on a point-to-point course.
Ivana Siric won the women’s race for the host country in 22:59. Maja Bonačić (Croatia) and Lenka Hiklová (Slovakia) scored next in 24:11 and 24:18.
The lead men were pretty spread out. Alex Westenberger (Germany) won in 18:09. Croatian runners Pavel Kruljac and Matija Meštrić were second and third in 19:24 and 20:48.
110k
The first four women took the course in under 13 hours with Nicol Guidolin (Italy) winning in 12:17. Alena Pabortsava (Russia) and Julie Lesage (Canada) came next in 12:33 and 12:45.
Zan Zepic (Slovenia) zipped through the course for the men in 9:56. Martin Halasz (Slovakia) and Tomasz Kik (Slovakia) hit the podium in 10:38 and 11:04.
Mad City Ultras – Madison, Wisconsin
The event is a longtime home of the USATF 100k Road National Championships, but instead hosted the USATF 50k Road National Championships this year. The shorter of the two races then delivered the more competitive field.
100k
Amber Arvidson was hours ahead in the women’s race in 8:17. That was good for third overall. Men’s winner Martin Erl finished in 7:14.
50k
For both the women and the men, you had to be a 50-mile world record holder to win here.
Courtney Olsen edged out Sophie Seward for the women’s crown. The two ran 3:16 and 3:17 and were 50 seconds apart. The mark bettered Olsen’s 3:19 former personal best from 2019. Lindsay Prescott was third in 3:20. Less than 10 minutes separated the first five women.
The top five men all ran under three hours. Charlie Lawrence outpaced the group with a 2:49 finish, and Jeffrey Seelaus and Adam Vadeboncoeur both ran 2:53 and only 13 seconds apart. Fourth-place Ryan Root ran 2:53 too and was only four seconds behind Vadeboncoeur. Lawrence’s time ranks among the top-10 fastest Americans ever.
Lake Sonoma – Healdsburg, California
50 Mile
Tara Dower’s road to the Western States 100 runs through Lake Sonoma. Dower was out front in 7:36, and Jane Maus and Robyn Mildren ran 7:54 and 8:07 for second and third. The three women earned $1,250, $750, and $500 in prize money.
The men ran it really close. Stephen Kersh beat Ryan Raff and Chris Myers to the line in 6:50. Raff and Myers were in at 6:52 and 6:53.
Marathon
Lindsay Allison went sub-4 with a 3:46 winning time. Selena Langner and Nicole Valentine were second and third in 4:01 and 4:05. The marathon paid prize money too with $3,000 being split among the women’s and men’s podiums.
As in the men’s 50 miler, just three minutes separated the first three men. Dan Jones (New Zealand) edged out Ryan Becker and Sven Koch with the three finishing in 3:02, 3:04, and 3:06.
Additional Races and Runs
Marathon des Sables Legendary – Morocco
There’s a few different Marathon des Sables series races now, but this is the OG and it went for six self-supported days and 250k through the desert. Maryline Nakache (France), the race’s 2023 winner, used a strong long stage on day four to put a big gap on Aziza El Amrany (Morocco), the race’s 2024 winner. Nakache went on to total 23:57 and regain the championship crown, and El Amrany was pushed to second in 25:36. Tomomi Bitoh (Japan) was third in 29:38. For the men it was again Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) and Mohamed El Morabity (Morocco) at the top. Rachid won in 20:55 and Mohamed was second in 21:00. It was Rachid’s 11th win here, all since 2011. Ahmed Ouikhalfen (Morocco) was third in 22:27. Full results.
Maryline Nakache of France finishing Stage 4 of the 2025 Marathon des Sables, on her way to a second win of the event. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Florent Fournier
Morocco’s Rachid El Morabity, 2025 Marathon des Sables men’s champion, on his way to a record 11 wins at the event since 2011. Photo: Marathon des Sables/Ian Corless
Andes Skyrace – Santiago, Chile
Four races in four weeks, the Skyrunner World Series comes at you fast. This one went 35k on a loop course that totaled 3,500 meters of climbing. That’s 22 miles and 11,500 feet and all at high altitude. Blanca Llumiquinga (Ecuador) scored an upset win over Anastasia Rubtsova (Russia), 6:07 to 6:09. Rosalia Zegarra (Peru) was third in 6:36. The men went down to the buzzer. Damien Humbert (France) was two seconds better than Jose Manuel Quispe (Peru), both in 5:11. Joel Pumacayo (Peru) was third in 5:12. Series regulars Frederic Tranchand (France), Manuel Merillas (Spain), and Abraham Hernandez (Mexico) were back in fourth, fifth, and seventh in a surprisingly competitive men’s group. Full results (when available).
XTERRA Trail des Balcons d’Azur Mandelieu – Mandelieu la Napoule, France
It was the year’s 11th XTERRA Trail Run World Series contest with 47k and 23k races at the Trail des Balcons d’Azur event. It was all French runners in the top spots. Marion Joly Testault and Benoît Galli won the long course in 4:48 and 4:04. Alexia Serpantié and Jenny Hausmann tied at the front of the women’s half marathon in 2:02, and Benjamin Berkoukchi won the men’s race in 1:40. Full results.
Peterson Ridge Rumble – Sisters, Oregon
The race had three distances. Ashley Nordell and Evan Moreau went 5:32 and 4:50 on the 40-mile course, and Felice Kelly and Alex Fierar championed the marathon in 3:40 and 3:38. Grace Perkins and Kyle Bodnyk were best in the 20 miler in 2:30 and 2:13. Full results.
Whiskey Basin Trail Runs – Prescott, Arizona
Rachel Entrekin and Jordan Bramblett won the 91k race in 9:07 and 8:02. Full results.
Call for Comments
That was a lot, but there’s a lot more that happened too. Tell us about it in the comments.
