Race list
Ultra Classics
Curated races whose main distance is 50K or longer, each with a note on what it is known for.
Races on this list
| Race | Place | From the list |
|---|---|---|
| The Cowtown (Marathon, Ultra, Half, 10K & 5K) | Fort Worth, Texas | #1 · Distances: Ultra (50K), Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K · Field: 29,000 · USATF-certified; Boston qualifier (marathon); Fort Worth's premier running event and one of Texas' largest multi-distance weekends, with runners from all 50 states. |
| All Day Running Co. Clearwater Marathon & Running Festival | Clearwater, Florida | #2 · Distances: 50K, Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 5K · Field: 3,000 · Boston qualifier; scenic Gulf-coast course near America's top-rated beach |
| Silver Falls Trail Runs | Silverton, Oregon | #3 · Distances: 50K, Marathon, Half, 7 Miler · Field: 2,500 · Waterfall trail race |
| The Rut Mountain Runs | Big Sky, Montana | #4 · Distances: 50K, 28K, 21K, 11K, Vertical KM · Field: 2,500 · Internationally renowned mountain ultra/trail race; routinely sells out; former US Skyrunning championship venue |
| Don't Fence Me In Trail Run | Helena, Montana | #5 · Distances: 50K, 25K, 12K, 5K · Field: 2,000 · One of Montana's largest trail races; benefits Prickly Pear Land Trust |
| Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Runs | Sheridan, Wyoming | #6 · Distances: 100 Mile, 52 Mile, 50K, 32 Mile, 30K, 18 Mile, 8 Mile · Field: 1,500 · Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 qualifier; one of the most difficult mountain ultras in the US; routinely sells out with waitlists |
| Go Short Go Long Go Very Long | Tulsa, Oklahoma | #7 · Distances: 50K, 25K, 10K, 5K · Field: 1,500 · Ultra/trail event |
| Maah Daah Hey Trail Run | Medora, North Dakota | #8 · Distances: Ultra, Marathon, Half, 10K · Field: 1,500 · Destination trail race |
| Trail Festival at Pineland Farms | New Gloucester, Maine | #9 · Distances: 100K, 50K, 25K, 15K, 10K, 5K, Sunset 5K, 24-hour solo/team, Kids' Fun Run · Field: 1,500 · One of New England's premier trail running festivals; USATF/ATRA-affiliated trail events |
| Anchorage RunFest (Humpy's Marathon) | Anchorage, Alaska | #10 · Distances: 49K Ultra, Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 5K, Mile · Field: 1,400 · Half marathon rated among the best in the nation; Humpy's Marathon named best Boston qualifier in Alaska; 30th anniversary in 2026 |
| McDowell Mountain Frenzy | Fountain Hills, Arizona | #11 · Distances: 50 Mile, 50K, 25K, 10 Mile, 5 Mile · Field: 1,200 · Typically the largest event in Aravaipa's Desert Runner Trail Series by total participants |
| HOKA Bandera Endurance Trail Race | Bandera, Texas | #12 · Distances: 100K, 50K, 25K · Field: 1,000 · Iconic Texas Hill Country ultra; Western States qualifier |
| Javelina Jundred | Fountain Hills, Arizona | #13 · Distances: 100 Mile, 100K, plus Jackass Night Trail Run distances · Field: 1,000 · Western States 100 qualifier and Golden Ticket race; one of the most famous and festive ultras in the country |
| Black Canyon Ultras | Mayer, Arizona | #14 · Distances: 100K, 60K, 50K · Field: 800 · HOKA Golden Ticket race and Western States 100 qualifier; a premier early-season ultra |
| Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival | Kirkland, Washington | #15 · Distances: 50K (solo/pair/relay), 15 mi, 10 mi, 5 mi · Field: 800 · Seattle Running Club's signature winter trail festival |
| Leadville Trail 100 Run | Leadville, Colorado | #16 · Distances: 100 Miles · Field: 800 · Iconic 'Race Across the Sky' ultramarathon, held annually since 1983 |
| Sinks Canyon Rough and Tumble | Wyoming | #17 · Distances: 50K, 25K, 10K · Field: 800 · Mountain trail event |
| Coldwater Rumble Trail Runs | Goodyear, Arizona | #18 · Distances: 100 Mile, 52 Mile, 50K, 20 Mile, 10 Mile, 4 Mile · Field: 700 · Popular early-season Aravaipa Desert Runner Trail Series event |
| Habanero Hundred | Cat Spring, Texas | #19 · Distances: 100 Mile, 100K, 100M Relay, plus shorter distances · Field: 700 · Billed as 'Texas' hottest trail race'; one of the largest trail races in the state |
| Old West Trail Runs | Wyoming | #20 · Distances: 50K, Marathon, Half, 10K · Field: 700 · Destination trail race |
| Crown King Scramble | Crown King, Arizona | #21 · Distances: 50K, 25K, 8K · Field: 600 · A classic, much-loved Aravaipa point-to-point climb to a historic mining town |
| Indiana Trail 100 Run | Albion, Indiana | #22 · Distances: 100-mile trail ultra · Field: 600 · Western States 100 qualifier; Indiana's premier ultramarathon; non-profit event with net proceeds returning to Chain O'Lakes State Park; typically sells out with a waiting list |
| Mid Mountain 50K (Triple Trail Challenge) | Park City, Utah | #23 · Distances: 50K (also part of the Triple Trail Challenge) · Field: 600 · Signature Park City mountain trail race; caps the Triple Trail Challenge series |
| PHUNT 25K/50K Trail Race | Elkton, Maryland | #24 · Distances: 50K, 25K · Field: 600 · Popular Fair Hill winter trail race |
| Salem Lake Frosty Fifty | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | #25 · Distances: 50K, 50K Relay, 25K, 12.5K, 5K · Field: 600 · Long-standing NC winter trail ultra |
| Smith Rock Ascent | Terrebonne, Oregon | #26 · Distances: 50K, 15 Mile, 4 Mile, Kids Fun Run · Field: 600 · UTMB World Series qualifier; one of central Oregon's premier scenic trail races |
| Jemez Mountain Trail Runs | Los Alamos, New Mexico | #27 · Distances: 50 Mile, 50K, 15 Mile · Field: 500 · Long-established Western ultra; well-reviewed on RaceRaves and a regional classic |
| Oregon Cascades 100 | Bend, Oregon | #28 · Distances: 100 Mile, 50 Mile, Trail Ultra · Field: 500 · Destination ultra in the Oregon Cascades. |
| Vermont 100 Endurance Race | West Windsor, Vermont | #29 · Distances: 100 Mile, 100K · Field: 450 · One of the original 100-mile ultras and part of the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning; only US ultra where runners race alongside horses; Western States qualifier |
| Vermont 50 | Brownsville, Vermont | #30 · Distances: 50 Mile, 50K · Field: 450 · One of the oldest combined ultra-run and mountain-bike events in the US; major fundraiser for Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports |
| Black Hills 100 | Sturgis, South Dakota | #31 · Distances: 100 Mile, 50 Mile, 50K, 30K · Field: 400 · Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 qualifier; premier Black Hills ultramarathon on the Centennial Trail |
| Frisco Railroad Run | Willard, Missouri | #32 · Distances: 50 Mile, 50K, Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K · Field: 400 · USATF-certified; marathon is a Boston Qualifier |
| Frozen Gnome 50K & 10K | Crystal Lake, Illinois | #33 · Distances: 50K, 10K · Field: 400 · Challenging Chicago-area winter trail race |
| Land Between the Lakes Trail Runs - The Great American Trail Race | Grand Rivers, Kentucky | #34 · Distances: 50 Mile, 60K, Marathon, 23K · Field: 400 · Well-reviewed Western Kentucky trail ultra/marathon on the scenic Canal Loop |
| Mississippi Trail 50 (MS50) | Laurel, Mississippi | #35 · Distances: 100 Mile, 50 Mile, 50K, 20K · Field: 400 · One of the oldest trail ultras in the South (founded by ultrarunner Carl Touchstone); routinely sells out |
| Twisted Branch Trail Run | Naples, New York | #36 · Distances: 100K Trail Ultra · Field: 400 · Point-to-point 100K in western New York. |
| Holiday Lake 50K++ | Appomattox, Virginia | #37 · Distances: 50K (with bonus miles) · Field: 350 · First race of the Lynchburg Ultra Series |
| Heartland 100 Ultramarathon | Cassoday, Nebraska | #38 · Distances: 100-mile ultra · Field: 300 · Western States 100 and Hardrock 100 qualifier; classic Midwest prairie ultra run almost entirely on remote gravel roads |
| Running with the Devil | Las Vegas, Nevada | #39 · Distances: 100K, 50-Mile, 50K, Marathon, Half, 10K, 5K · Field: 300 · Notorious as one of the hottest road races in the US; extreme desert-heat challenge |
| Frozen Sasquatch Trail 50K/25K | Charleston, West Virginia | #40 · Distances: 50K, 25K · Field: 250 · 16th annual; WV Mountain Trail Runners season opener |
How this list is chosen
The listing's first-named distance is 50K or more; the note is the curated listing's own rankings text.
Using this list
Open Ultra Classics in the race finder to search it by race or place, narrow it to one state, sort it, or save all 40 races to your plan. Each race has its own page with its next date, distances, registration and course details.