The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB 100k, scheduled for April 25 in the American River canyons east of Sacramento, has become one of the most significant races on the US ultrarunning calendar. The reason is simple: the top three male and female finishers earn Golden Tickets — direct entry to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the most prestigious and oversubscribed ultramarathon in the world.
The course is a demanding out-and-back that starts at China Wall Trailhead and takes runners through Eldorado Canyon, up the Western States Trail to Deadwood and the Swinging Bridge, and on through Foresthill to downtown Auburn. The route features approximately 13,000 feet of elevation gain and 17,000 feet of descent, with terrain that ranges from exposed ridgeline to shaded single-track along the American River. The 20-hour cutoff is generous by 100k standards, but the course's cumulative vertical and technical descents ensure that finishers earn their result.
Beyond the Western States connection, Canyons has grown in stature as a UTMB World Series event, offering qualifying points for the UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix. This dual significance — as both a domestic Golden Ticket race and an international qualifier — draws a field that mixes American trail specialists with international runners chasing UTMB Index points. The result is a race that sits at the intersection of the two dominant forces in global ultrarunning.
The 2026 edition arrives at a time when American ultrarunning is experiencing a surge in competitive depth. The performances at Black Canyon earlier this year, where Hans Troyer and Jennifer Lichter both set course records, demonstrated that the top end of the domestic scene is producing runners capable of world-class results. Canyons will provide another data point, and the Golden Ticket stakes ensure that the front of the race will be fiercely contested from the gun.