Trail Running & Running Weekly Recap: 14–20 April 2026

Image : UTMB

The week that Boston made history. But while the road from Hopkinton dominated headlines, there was plenty happening on the trails too — from the jungles of Mexico to the mountains of Spain, and a Norwegian trail runner who swapped his mountain legs for 42km of tarmac.

The Week's Biggest Story: Korir Shatters Boston

Monday's 130th Boston Marathon was simply one of the greatest days in marathon history. Kenya's John Korir smashed the Boston course record with a time of 2:01:52 — the fifth-fastest marathon of all time — obliterating the previous Boston record of 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai way back in 2011. It was Korir's second consecutive Boston title, making him and his brother Wesley (2012 winner) the only siblings to have each won the race.

The men's podium came down to a sprint for second, with Tanzania's Alphonce Felix Simbu just outrunning Kenya's Benson Kipruto, both crossing in 2:02:47 and 2:02:50 respectively. American Zouhair Talbi was fifth in 2:03:45.

On the women's side, defending champion Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) was all alone over the final miles, winning in 2:18:51 — a comfortable minute ahead of Loice Chemnung in second. Kenya swept the top four women's spots, with Mary Ngugi-Cooper third in 2:20:07. American Jess McClain finished fifth in 2:20:49, setting a new American women's record at Boston.

In the wheelchair races, Swiss legend Marcel Hug claimed a record ninth Boston title, while Britain's Eden Rainbow-Cooper took her second women's wheelchair crown.

It was also a special week for the trail running community in Boston. Swedish-born trail runner Petter Engdahl, based in Norway, made his marathon debut in the elite field — bringing a résumé of mountain and ultra wins including top-5 finishes at OCC and the Trail World Championships long trail. A bold first step on the road for one of Europe's most exciting mountain runners.

Puerto Vallarta by UTMB — Canada Comes Through in the Heat

The fourth edition of Puerto Vallarta by UTMB ran April 16–18 across the Sierra Madre mountains and tropical jungle to a finish on the iconic Malecón beachfront, drawing around 1,800 runners and recording the event's highest ever female participation at 35%.

In the flagship Hikuri 81K, Canadian Mandy Currie, 36, from Saskatoon, won the women's race in 12:01:35 under brutal conditions — over 3,900 metres of elevation gain, temperatures of 28°C, and humidity close to 88%. With the victory, Currie earns direct entry to the CCC 100K in Chamonix in 2027.

On the men's side of the Hikuri 100K, Colombia's Julián Vinasco Marín won in 10:10:29, with Júpiter Carera Casas second in 10:23:52. Canada's Arden Young took the women's 100K in 11:53:51. In the Wixárika 100M, Peru's Remigio Huaman Quispe won the men's race in 16:20:20, with American Alyssa Clark taking the women's in 21:38:51.

Penyagolosa Trails — Spain's Mountain Classic Delivers

In Spain's Castellón region, the Penyagolosa Trails CSP — a 106km race with 5,600 metres of climbing — served as a highlight of the European weekend. Romania's Raul Butaci won a tight men's race by just 42 seconds over Spain's Julen Calvó, both finishing in 10:41. Spain's Gemma Arenas dominated the women's race in 13:43, with Emily Dixon (UK) second in 14:07.

The shorter 60k MiM race saw Spain's José Fernández edge out American Dakota Jones in 5:15 and 5:17. The women's winner was Norway's Sara-Rebekka Færø Linde in 6:23 — a name to watch as the European mountain season opens up.

Mountain Running World Cup — Portugal Opens the Season

The 2026 Mountain Running World Cup season opened in central Portugal with the São Brás Cross — a 10.9km classic up-and-down course with 628 metres of climbing. Kenya's Michael Selelo Saoli won the men's race in 42:22, holding off Britain's Andrew Douglas who finished second in 43:37. In the women's race, Kenya's Ruth Gitonga blasted the downhill second half to win in 49:12, outrunning defending World Cup champion Scout Adkin (UK).

Ashley Paulson Does It Again — on a Treadmill

In a side story that raised eyebrows in the best possible way, Ashley Paulson ran 100 miles on a treadmill at the Boston Marathon Expo — starting at 3:46 a.m. — in 12:47:10. That's 7:40-per-mile average pace, and it set a new women's treadmill 100-mile world record, breaking the previous best of 14:15:08 set by Hungary's Edit Bérces back in 2004. Paulson, who set the overall women's 100-mile world record on the roads in February with 12:19:34, is becoming the defining figure in women's ultrarunning this year.

Looking Ahead

The spring calendar accelerates from here. The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB in Auburn, California, on April 24–25 is the final major Western States 100 Golden Ticket race before June, with the full Golden Ticket class now almost complete. The Skyrunner World Series heads to Asia for the Penang Skyrace on April 26. And Cocodona 250 Mile looms large in May, where Courtney Dauwalter and Rachel Entrekin are set for their long-awaited rematch.