Trail Running Weekly Recap: 23–29 March 2026
The last week of winter — and first of spring — delivered one of the most dramatic weekends of the trail running year so far, from sun-soaked Tuscany to the forests outside Paris, and from the Appalachian ridge to the California coast.
Photo : Ecotrail Pars
The Story of the Week: Dauwalter Does It Again — in Chianti
If there's one image that defined the week, it's Courtney Dauwalter surging through the Italian countryside in the dark, reeling in two runners she had no business catching.
Heading into the final 15k of the Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB 120k in Tuscany — a Western States 100 Golden Ticket race — Dauwalter was third and nearly four minutes back of race leader Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway), with Rachel Entrekin (USA) sandwiched between them. What followed was pure trail running theatre: Dauwalter passed them both and crossed the line in 11:31, with Kaspersen second in 11:33 and Entrekin third in 11:38. The margin of victory was just two minutes over 120 kilometres — and it all happened in the final stretch.
The result was especially significant for Entrekin, whose multi-year ultra win streak came to an end on the Chianti podium. Both Dauwalter and Entrekin are set to meet again in six weeks at the Cocodona 250 Mile, where Entrekin is the two-time defending champion.
The men's race was equally gripping. Thomas Cardin (France) broke away between the 74k and 86k checkpoints and went on to win in 9:58, with Andreas Reiterer (Italy) taking second in 10:06 and Vincent Bouillard (France) — last year's UTMB champion — finishing third in 10:06:52, just over 30 seconds back. Reiterer declined his Golden Ticket to Western States as he and his wife are expecting their second child around the June race date, while Bouillard accepted his with enthusiasm.
The Chianti weekend also produced standout results across other distances. In the 75k, Andrzej Witek (Poland) won the men's race in 5:39, while Elísa Kristinsdóttir (Iceland) pulled off an upset in the women's race, crossing in 6:22 ahead of Judith Wyder (Switzerland). In the 46k on Sunday, Francesco Puppi (Italy) bounced back from dropping out of last month's Black Canyon 100k to win in 3:09, with Ida Amelie Robsahm (Norway) taking the women's honours in 3:39.
Paris Goes Trail: The EcoTrail Delivers an Iconic Weekend
The Salomon EcoTrail Paris brought urban trail racing to the French capital across the weekend of 22–23 March, with races finishing on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. In the flagship 120k, Corentin Play (France) and Anne Luksengård Mjelva (Norway) topped the results in 8:55 and 11:28. The 80k was won by Pierre Fossard (France) and Anna Carlsson (Sweden) in 5:39 and 6:46. In the 47k, Remi Thivolle (France) and Canadian star Marianne Hogan crossed first in 2:59 and 3:21.
Now in its eighteenth year, the EcoTrail Paris is established as one of Europe's most distinctive urban trail events, routing runners through the state forests of Versailles, Meudon, and Chaville before delivering them to one of the world's most famous finish lines.
North America: Spring Racing in Full Swing
The weekend of 22–23 March was one of the busiest of the North American ultra calendar. In Washington state, the 32nd edition of the Chuckanut 50k drew 522 finishers. Will Murray topped the men's field in 3:33:54 — the seventh-fastest time ever on the course — with Noah Dusseau and Dylan Flewelling close behind. Andrea Lee won the women's race in 4:19:55, with 2025 champion Jade Belzberg second in 4:22:37, running five seconds faster than her winning time from a year ago.
In Maryland, the 36th HAT Run 50k saw Patrick Blair win the men's race in 3:58:49 and Caroline Bauer take the women's title in 4:52:12 from a 230-strong field.
Out west in Marin County, California, The Big Alta held its inaugural 100k, with Kellen Blumberg winning the men's race in 8:18:28 and Robyn Lesh topping the women's field in 9:45:34.
Heading into the mountains of North Carolina, the Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50-mile saw Devon Brodmyer and Leah Nicholson take the top spots in 8:17:27 and 10:06:33, with Nicholson placing sixth overall — an impressive result on one of the region's more demanding courses.
Looking Ahead
The trail running calendar rolls on quickly. The next Skyrunner World Series race, the Calamorro Skyrace, is set for April 11 in Spain, and the rescheduled Puerto Vallarta by UTMB drops in on April 16–18. And somewhere in Arizona, Courtney Dauwalter is already preparing to defend her status at Cocodona. Spring is just getting started.
