Happy summer! While autumn is often referred to as “marathon season,” summer is definitely “trail season,” with no shortage of new and increasingly popular mountain running events. Right about now, the alpine snow starts clearing, and higher elevations become a playground for runners, hikers, and mountain bikers. From short but intense uphill “VKs” to 200-mile ultras, everyone can find a home in the trail community.
- June 26 Wallowa Skyrace Joseph, OR
- July 5 Hellz Bellz Marathon, 50K, 50 Mi Yacolt, WA
- July 24 Standhope Ultra Challenge 100M, 60K & 30K Sun Valley, ID
- August 8 Larrabee Lakes Trail Run 12K, 25K, 50K Bellingham, WA
- August 21 Ragnar Trail Rainier Crystal Mountain, WA
- September 11 Mendocino Running Festival 10K, Half-Marathon, 12-hour, 6-hour Mendocino, CA
- September 13 Mt. Spokane Trail Run 5K, 10K, 25K Spokane, WA
This past weekend undoubtedly signaled the beginning of the trail season with Tahoe’s Broken Arrow Skyrace, a three-day series offering $150,000 in prize money. If you thought trail running is synonymous with long, slow, not-so-exciting-to-watch ultra events, then check out the replays of Broken Arrow’s 5.8K Ascent and 23K speed-fest.
2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace: Ascent
2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace: 23K
This coming Saturday marks the 53rd Western States Endurance Run - the world’s oldest 100-mile race, and arguably the most competitive (at least in the U.S.). iRunFar always does a fantastic job of covering the event, including introducing us to the front-runners in short pre- and post-race interviews.
2026 Western States 100 Men’s Preview
2026 Western States 100 Women’s Preview
Trail Sisters is hosting their 8th Western States Women’s Panel on Thursday before the race, which they "created in 2018 to bring more awareness and celebration to women trail and ultra runners, and their stories on and off the trail. We believe that sharing stories and experiences helps to inspire others, while bridging the gap in relatability and what is possible!” Tune in live on June 27th at 11 am (PST).
Why is trail running gaining so much popularity lately? If you ask me, the pure escape from everyday, modern life (i.e, cars!) is probably one of the biggest draws. Losing yourself in nature has mental benefits I can’t find anywhere else, and I do enjoy the unique physical challenges of pushing up steep climbs while navigating roots and rocks, sometimes worried about getting lost... and of course just coming home satisfyingly dirty. A panel at the 2025 TRE (The Running Event) suggested some other factors, including expanded product lines from established labels and an emerging culture from new running brands.
TRE 2025 Reveals Key Insights on the Booming Trail Running Market
Additionally, Seth LaReau, author of Trail Waves, takes a deep, data-driven look at how trail running is expanding in this fascinating Substack post.
Is Trail Running Actually Growing? Here's What the Data Says.
