An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
Ann Trason is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She set 20 world records during her career. Her world record of 5:40:18 at the 50 mile distance, set in 1991, was unbeaten until 2015. As of her induction into the Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in 2020, she was considered by many to be the most successful female ultrarunner of all time.
The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100 or Western States, is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. Western States is the oldest and one of the most competitive ultramarathons in the United States, and is administered by the nonprofit Western States Endurance Run Foundation.
The Leadville Trail 100 Run is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climbs and descends 15,600 feet (4,800 m), with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,620 feet. In most years, fewer than half the starters complete the race within the 30-hour time limit.
The Bear 100 Mile Endurance Run is a 100 mile ultramarathon that traverses the Wasatch and Bear River Ranges west of Bear Lake, from Logan, Utah to Fish Haven, Idaho. With 21,986
The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning is a set of four of the five most prestigious and oldest 100-mile races contested in the United States, comprising the Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run in Virginia, the Western States 100 in California, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run in Vermont, the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in Utah. A small number of people manage to complete four in one calendar year.
Hal Koerner is an American distance runner specializing in ultramarathon running. He is the owner of a specialty running store, Rogue Valley Runners, located in the mountainous Southern Oregon town of Ashland. He is one of the subjects of JB Benna's feature-length documentary "Unbreakable: The Western States 100".
Karl Meltzer is an ultrarunner and ultrarunning coach based in Sandy, Utah. Meltzer has won more 100-mile ultramarathons than any other ultramarathoner, and has held speed records at major U.S. trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pony Express Trail. Meltzer's trail runs have been featured in news outlets from Ultrarunning.com to NBC Sports. Meltzer has been a professional ultramarathoner since 1999, and a coach since 2007.
Dave (David) Mackey, born November 22, 1969, is an American ultra runner and adventure racer who lives in Boulder, Colorado. Mackey has set course records at many significant national ultra-distance trail running races, and spent several years adventure racing nationally and internationally. He is a physician assistant in emergency medicine.
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner, scientist, coach, public speaker, and a four-time International Ultrarunner of the Year. She is known for running with her hair down, a big smile, and eating tacos to fuel ultras.
Tom Green is an ultra-runner and the first man to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. He earned this distinction when there were only five 100-mile trail races in the United States.
Tony Migliozzi from North Canton, Ohio is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner.
Junko Kazukawa is a Japanese-born ultrarunner who currently lives in Denver, Colorado, U.S. A two-time breast-cancer survivor, Kazukawa competes in marathon, ultramarathon and cycling events. She was the first person to complete the Leadville series and the Ultrarunning Grand Slam in a single year.
Courtney Dauwalter is an American ultramarathon runner and former teacher. In 2023, Dauwalter became the first athlete ever to win Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and the UTMB, three iconic 100-mile races, in the same year.
Jim Walmsley is an American long-distance runner. An ultra-trail specialist, his wins include the JFK 50 Mile in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lake Sonoma 50 in 2016 and 2018, the Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2017, and the Western States 100 in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He holds several course records, including the Western States 100, set in 2018 and further improved by 21 minutes in 2019. In 2023, he became the first American man to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
Gary Cantrell, known as Lazarus Lake, is an endurance race designer and director. His races include the Barkley Marathons, Big's Backyard Ultra, the Barkley Fall Classic, Vol State 500K, A Race for the Ages, the Last Annual Heart of the South, and the Strolling Jim 40. In 2018, Lake covered the United States on foot, starting in Rhode Island and ending in Oregon.
Kami Semick is an American ultramarathon runner based in Bend, Oregon who was a two-time UltraRunner of the Year and USATF’s Ultra Runner of the Year in 2009 and 2010. She ran collegiately with the University of Alabama and transitioned to ultramarathons in her 30s and came in second with a time of 4:54 in the Siskyou Out Back 50k, second in 4:54. Her ultra career went on to include five wins at the Miwok 100K Trail Race, a fourth place finish at the 2006 Western States 100, first female and third overall at the 2010 Vermont 100. Internationally, she won the 2009 IAU 100K World Cup in Belgium, the IAU 50K World Championship in Gibraltar and was involved with the creation of the North Face Tea Horse Trail Running Expedition.
John Wade Kelly is an American endurance athlete who specializes in ultrarunning.
Javelina Jundred is a 100 mile (160 km) ultramarathon held at McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Founded in 2002, it is one of the most popular ultramarathons in the United States, with over 850 runners as of 2023. The course also hosts shorter distances including a 100 kilometres (62 mi) and a 31 kilometres (19 mi) race. The race is named for the javelina.
United States 