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The Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail race in Austria and the Thyon-Dixence contest in Switzerland were two chances for top runners to test their fitness ahead of next week’s big Sierre-Zinal event. The Skyrunner World Series was back in the U.S., too.
The race was again part of the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS). The race on a 24.5-kilometer course with 1,600 meters of climbing. That’s just over 15 miles in distance and 5,200 feet of climbing.
Men
Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) has largely been unbeatable the last couple of years but has been second and fourth in his last two races, the Broken Arrow 23k and Quebec Mega Trail 30k. Elazzaoui is back on top now, though, and he won this one a little differently than most of his other victories. Elazzaoui went to the lead early, had the race’s fastest climb, and was already over a minute in front at the 23k split. He ultimately finished over two minutes faster than everyone else in 2:08. There have been four GTWS races so far this year, and Elazzaoui has won three of them.
Second- and third-place Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) and Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) held their positions for all of the race’s second half and finished in 2:10 and 2:13.
With over four minutes between race winner Elazzaoui and third-place Kipngeno, it was one of the more spread-out men’s podiums among GTWS races.
The 2026 Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail men’s podium (left to right): 5. Ezekiel Rutto, 2. Michael Selelo Saoli, 1. Elhousine Elazzaoui, 3. Patrick Kipngeno, 4. Nashon Kiplimo. Photo: GTWS/Koastal Forest
The top 10 men were:
Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 2:08:44 Michael Selelo Saoli (Kenya) – 2:10:56 Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 2:13:09 Nashon Kiplimo (Kenya) – 2:13:31 Ezekiel Rutto (Kenya) – 2:14:54 Joey Hadorn (Switzerland) – 2:15:50 Christian Allen (U.S.) – 2:16:30 Alain Santamaría (Spain) – 2:17:10 Ephantus Njeri (Kenya) – 2:17:41 Lluís Puigvert (Spain) – 2:20:08Women
At 7k into the women’s race, Mădălina Florea (Romania), Ruth Gitonga (Kenya), and Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) were together in the lead, and then Florea gassed it over the next uphill kilometer. At the 18k checkpoint, Gitonga was 11 seconds back and Chepkirui further afield.
Florea cruised to a four-plus minute win in 2:32, and Gitonga stayed second in 2:36. Naomi Lang (U.K.), the 2025 race winner, had the race’s fastest downhill to finish third in 2:36.
2026 Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail women’s podium (left to right): 5. Miriam Chepkirui, 2. Ruth Gitonga, 1. Mădălina Florea, 3. Naomi Lang, 4. Barbora Bukovjan. Photo: GTWS/Koastal Forest
The top 10 women were:
Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 2:32:16 Ruth Gitonga (Kenya) – 2:36:36 Naomi Lang (U.K.) – 2:36:47 Barbora Bukovjan (Czech Republic) – 2:38:59 Miriam Chepkirui (Kenya) – 2:43:17 Axelle Genoud (Switzerland) – 2:44:09 María Fuentes (Spain) – 2:45:27 Mădălina Amariei (Romania) – 2:45:36 Renée Cardinaals (The Netherlands) – 2:47:58 Theres Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 2:48:34The next Golden Trail World Series race is next weekend’s Sierre-Zinal event in Switzerland.
Thyon-Dixence – Valais, SwitzerlandIt was the 43rd year for the 16k race. Historically, it’s been a tune-up for the next weekend’s Sierre-Zinal.
Men
Every year for the last four years, Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) has been at Thyon-Dixence. He won in 2023, was second in 2024, won in 2025, and won this year too. Kiriago finished in 1:09, and Kenya swept the men’s podium.
Kevin Kibet (Kenya) was second in 1:10, and Paul Machoka (Kenya) was third, also in 1:10. Machoka was second in 2025 and won in 2024.
Kiriago and Machoka are both expected at next weekend’s Sierre-Zinal prize fight.
The top ten men were:
Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 1:09:24 Kevin Kibet (Kenya) – 1:10:05 Paul Machoka (Kenya) – 1:10:57 Jorge Luis Castro Huaman (Peru) – 1:11:59 Josphat Tuei (Kenya) – 1:12:24 Jonathan Castillo (Colombia) – 1:12:41 Martin Nilsson (Sweden) – 1:14:40 John Kariuki (Kenya) – 1:16:07 Ahmed Ayyoub (Morocco) – 1:16:18 Loris Pellaz (Switzerland) – 1:17:12Women
It’s her first year trail running but Jedidah Sang (Kenya) scored a three-plus-minute win over Valentine Rutto (Kenya), and she’s racing Sierre-Zinal next week too. Sang ran 1:24 to Rutto’s 1:27, and Lucy Wainaina (Kenya) was third in 1:29.
The top ten women were:
Jedidah Sang (Kenya) – 1:24:20 Valentine Rutto (Kenya) – 1:27:48 Lucy Wainaina (Kenya) – 1:29:30 Ginary Fernanda Camargó Triana (Colombia) – 1:31:41 Lucero Chocca (Peru) – 1:34:12 Ivana Iozzia (Mexico) – 1:36:35 Eloïse Kurmann (Switzerland) – 1:39:54 Clara Masserey (Switzerland) – 1:41:54 Lea Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 1:42:19 Souad Ait Salem (Algeria) – 1:43:01 Beast of Big Creek – Hoodsport, WashingtonThe race marked the return of the Skyrunner World Series to the U.S., and it was the only series race in North America this year, too. It was also the second race in the year’s Skyrunner USA Series. It all happened on a 22k course with 1,600 meters of climbing on the slopes above Lake Cushman. That’s almost 14 miles and 5,200 feet.
Men
Veteran Skyrunner Morgan Elliott gave the host country a win in 2:05. It was Elliott’s first Skyrunner World Series race win and his second victory in this year’s national series. Elliott earlier won the Whiteface Skyrace.
José Manuel Quispe (Peru) was a minute better than Daniel Antonioli (Italy) for second in 2:09 and 2:10. It was Quispe’s first defeat after four world series race wins to start the year.
Morgan Elliott, 2026 Beast of Big Creek men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
The men’s top five was:
Morgan Elliott (U.S.) – 2:05:27 José Manuel Quispe (Peru) – 2:09:42 Daniel Antonioli (Italy) – 2:10:45 Jackson Cole (New Zealand) – 2:12:11 Beñat Albisu (Spain) – 2:18:02Women
Eva Pannone (U.K.) got out front in the women’s race and won in 2:32, but it was close behind her. The second- through sixth-place women were just over three minutes apart.
Natalie Beadle (U.K.) escaped the chase group for a second-place 2:35 run, and Claudia Corral (Spain) was third in 2:36.
Eve Pannone, the 2026 Beast of Big Creek women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
The women’s top five was:
Eve Pannone (U.K.) – 2:32:50 Natalie Beadle (U.K.) – 2:35:13 Claudia Corral (Spain) – 2:36:15 Carmen Graves (U.S.) – 2:36:58 Kalie McCrystal (Canada) – 2:37:25Full results (when available).
The next Skyrunner World Series race is the August 21 Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme race in Switzerland.
Fletta Trail – Malonno, ItalyPizTriVertical
Less than a minute separated the first three men on the first day’s VK. Henri Aymonod (Italy) beat Andrea Elia (Italy) and Elija Kariuki (Kenya) to the top with 33:18, 33:27, and 33:54 on the clock.
The women’s race wasn’t as close as Francesca Ghelfi (Italy) got to the high-point finish over two minutes faster than defending champ Andrea Mayr (Austria). Benedetta Broggi (Italy) was third, and the group finished in 38:32, 40:38, and 41:49, respectively.
Fletta Trail
The next day’s 21k race saw Kariuki come back to win in 1:26. Tom Spencer (U.K.) and Michael Galassi (Italy) were second and third in 1:29 and 1:30. Kariuki was second a year earlier.
Gloria Chebet (Kenya) scored the women’s win in 1:45 ahead of Arianna Del Pino (Italy) and Fabiola Conti (Italy). Del Pino and Conti ran 1:47 and 1:48, with 23 seconds between the two. It was a repeat win on this course for Chebet.
Badwater 135 Mile – Death Valley, CaliforniaThe one-way, net uphill road race through Death Valley started on Monday, July 27. Both men’s and women’s course records were broken.
Men
Max Jolliffe was 27 minutes behind Tamás Bódis (Hungary) at mile 58, and at mile 122, he was still six minutes behind the men’s leader. It all changed over the race’s final 13 uphill miles, though, and Jolliffe won in 20:53. It was 39 minutes better than a men’s record that had stood since 2019. Bódis finished second in 21:34. Ivan Penalba (Spain) was third in 21:57. He was second last year and third in 2024.
Women
Women’s 100-mile world record holder Ashley Paulson was targeting a sub-20-hour finish and led the first 72 miles, but ran into trouble late. Carmen Maria Perez (Spain) passed her between miles 72 and 98 and went on to win in 21:05. Perez was less than 12 minutes behind men’s winner Jolliffe and finished second overall. Perez broke Paulson’s former course record from 2023 by 39 minutes, nearly the same record improvement that Jolliffe achieved. Paulson finished second in 24:59, and third-place Micah Morgan came in at 26:32.
[Ashley Paulson served a six-month doping sanction in 2015 and 2016 due to a doping violation in triathlon for a positive test for ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), from a contaminated supplement.]
Additional Races and RunsKrkonošská 50k – Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic
The race was the Czech trail national championships, but Andrzej Witek (Poland) won for the men, and Petra Pastorová won the women’s race for the host country in 5:04. Full results (when available).
Quito Trail by UTMB – Quito, Ecuador
The event had two ultra distances. Both Joaquín López (Ecuador) and María-Mercedes Pila (Ecuador) won their 80k races by over an hour in 8:12 and 10:36, and 50k winners Camilo Navas (Ecuador) and Martha Pesantez (Ecuador) finished in 5:08 and 6:26, respectively. Full results.
Gauja Trail by UTMB – Cesis, Latvia
This one, too, had two ultra distances. Kamil Poczwardowski (Poland) and Ivita Sale (Latvia) won the 100k in 7:45 and 9:30, and Miguel Benitez (Spain) and Dominika Stelmach (Poland) were the fastest in the 50k in 3:40 and 4:38. Full results.
Canadian Death Race – Grand Cache, Alberta, Canada
The long course was 118k (73 miles) across three big mountain summits. Samuel Dickie and Mandy Currie won in 13:25 and 15:10. Full results.
Waldo 100k – Oakridge, Oregon
The longtime race had Anthony Fagundes and Jennifer Schmidt as winners in 9:29 and 10:46. Schmidt was only four minutes in front of a fast-closing Madalyn Nones. The loop-style course went from the Willamette Pass Ski Area around Waldo Lake. Full results.
Anthony Fagundes, the 2026 Waldo 100k men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Jennifer Schmidt, the 2026 Waldo 100k women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Volcanic 50 – Cougar, Washington
The 50k race ran a big loop around Mount Saint Helens. Matthew Bigman and Sarah Allaben won in 5:19 and 5:37, and Allaben was second overall. Full results.
Hood Hundred – Mt. Hood, Oregon
Wildfire impacted the traditional race course, and it instead ran as seven loops totaling 100 miles. Race winners Jake Southard and Rachel Hawkins finished in 21:48 and 23:14. Worsening air quality conditions during the event resulted in its cancellation at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday and racers still on the course were stopped at aid stations. Full results.
Skyline 50k – Castro Valley, California
The race dates back to 1982. Nick Reshetnikov and Krista Drechsler won in 3:52 and 4:44, respectively. Full results.
Lean Horse – Custer, South Dakota
The 100-mile race through the Black Hills saw Zane Musgrave and Holly Hirsch win in 17:34 and 19:03. Hirsch was also second overall. Full results.
Zane Musgrave, the 2026 Lean Horse Ultra men’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
Holly Hirsch, the 2026 Lean Horse Ultra women’s winner. Photo courtesy of the race.
El Vaquero Loco 50k – Afton, Wyoming
The race goes for “old school fun in western Wyoming.” Zachary Van Abbema and Briana Ulanowski Smyer were race champs in 5:21 and 6:39, respectively. Full results.
Aspen Backcountry Marathon – Aspen, Colorado
The 50k champs were John Herrick and Juliette Soule in 4:23 and 4:49, and both set new course records. In the marathon, Gil Allgood led the men in 4:35, but the first three overall finishers were all from the women’s race. Brier Youngfleish was first woman and first overall in 4:08. Full results.
Badger Trail Races – Belleville, Wisconsin
The event had six different distances across two days on the Badger State Trail. Sam Skeels and Lindsay Phenix led the 100 miler in 15:30 and 16:33. Thomas Gehin and Andrea Stabelfeldt were tops in the 100k in 9:32 and 10:25, and Rolando Cruz and Charlie Place led the 50 miler in 7:41 and 8:53. Isaac Melin and Leah Koehler won the 50k in 4:19 and 5:16. Full results.
Call for CommentsWhat were you excited about from this weekend?