Chasing Trails: 2026 Trail Highlights So Far

Sarah Webster © Centurion Running

Is 2026 the year that we’re watching trail racing for the women first and foremost? I sure hope so. This far, we’ve had a new British 100-mile record, some fantastic performances from the Pennine Way to the Cornish Coast and Eryri National Park, not to mention the FKTs set across the country and in the Alps. Meanwhile, the stage is being set for a big finale at the UTMB World Series in Chamonix… Here’s a look back on some stories and achievements that caught our eye this year. 

- Kate, Founder & CEO

A Year Filled With Female Racing Success

One of the outstanding themes of this year’s trail running so far has been the amazing success female athletes have had, whether racing or taking on individual challenges. It’s been an inspiring watch and certainly a massive contributor to improving how visible women are on the trails and how welcome the sport is to women of all abilities.

January began with Anna Troup returning to the Winter Spine Race and claiming a fourth victory on the Pennine Way after having won the Summer edition three times before. Fiona Horsfield and Sophie Grant joined her on the podium. Only seventeen women reached that finish line - absolute warriors! 

We then saw the Arc of Attrition kick off in Cornwall, where Norway’s Anne-Sofie Pollestad took the win in 22:28:24 and Charlotte Fisher was second, followed by Hannah Rickman. Charlotte would go on to then place second at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB 100-miler… a great first part of the year for her as she prepares to line up in Chamonix for the big tour of Mont Blanc in a matter of days now. The women’s UTS 100-miler podium was completed by Rachel Sergeant.

In more racing news, Sarah Webster set down a new marker for the British female trail record in the 100-mile category. She ran a mind-blowing 14:27:34 at the South Downs Way 100 in June, in the middle of a heatwave. Sarah was sixth overall, followed on the podium by Maryline Nakache and Robyn Cassidy. 

Of course, let’s not forget the men. In the Winter Spine, the win went to relentless Sébastien Raichon after a race of attrition that saw many front runners drop out in cruel weather. James White and James Hargreaves completed the podium.

Hugh Tibbs won the 100-miler at the Arc of Attrition, followed by Simon Withers and Sam Skinner. You can read our story from the Arc here. 

At UTS 100, Benat Marmissolle set a new course record, winning in 21:59:51, followed by Joaquin Lopez and Franco Colle. 

Finally, the South Downs Way champion was David Green, with Matthew Hammerton and Hugh Tibbs on the podium.

Great work to everyone!

And let’s not forget we also just followed the Summer Spine, where Jenny Hartley and Ed Payne got their wins. Read more on our blog. 

FKTs We Loved

We said the women set amazing records away from race routes, too, and there are three achievements that stand out in particular at the time of writing, of which two on British soil. 

Trish Patterson ran the National Three Peaks Challenge, setting a new record of five days and 21 hours supported. The challenge consists of covering anywhere between 425 and 450 miles (c. 725 km), climbing the top 3 highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales. Trish ran between the trailheads, working against sleep deprivation, boosted by support from people she crossed along the way. She had originally set a fastest known time (FKT) on this route in 2022, taking 8 days, 17 hours, 42 minutes. Imo Boddy improved on that time in 2024, setting a benchmark of 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes. Congratulations to Trish for lowering that time and showing how much she could improve on her own performance as a 41-year old mum of two!

Also in the UK, Germany’s Katharina Hartmuth ran a fantastic Bob Graham Round in the Lake District, setting a new record female finishing time of 14:11:58. She took 22 minutes off Beth Pascall’s 2020 time, running 66 miles clockwise across the 42 peaks. A technical feat where “the entire day was a highlight” according to Katharina, thanks to good weather conditions but also perfect execution from an accomplished runner. She also holds the women’s supported FKT on the Austrian 48-mile Stubaier Hohenweg route and has most notably been on the UTMB podium twice (2nd in 2023, 3rd in 2025) and placed third at Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run twice (2024, 2025). 

The third, most recent, and probably most awe-inspiring FKT belongs to Sophie Grant: a mind-blowing overall record for crossing the Alps on the Via Alpina in 28 days, 17 hours, 59 minutes. New Zealander Sophie ran from Trieste in Italy to Monaco on the Mediterranean coast, crossing multiple countries in one of the hottest periods of this year and finishing on the 1st of August. She averaged around 43 miles and 4000 m of elevation per day, covering 1254 miles (2018 km) and 117, 614 metres of ascent in total. All this after having secured a third place at the Winter Spine earlier in January. Absolutely amazing!

Sophie © Zoe Salt

A Special Mention for Rachel Entrekin Breaking Barriers

Away from Europe, we also need to mention a fantastic achievement that shows, yet again, women breaking barriers and setting a brilliant example for us all. Rachel Entrekin ran the Cocodona 250, a non-stop 250-mile race in Arizona, US, in a record-breaking time of 56:09:48. She won the race outright and set the fastest ever finishing time, on just 19 minutes of sleep and a positive, empowering attitude that she later shared, centred around the question “Why not you?”

Rachel used this mantra to keep going through moments of doubt and physical exhaustion. As she mentioned in a post-race interview: “Maybe even especially women, we tend to talk ourselves out of even trying to do things because we think that we’re not qualified or we don’t have the experience or whatever. But why not? Why not try?”

Words to live by!

From European Success to One of Trail Running’s Biggest Races

In June this year, a strong British team took part in the European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia, bringing home some great results. Morven Goodrum was the women’s winner in the Uphill race, with teammate Scout Adkin claiming fifth, Kirsty Dickson 12th, and Hannah Russell 31st. This earned them a team gold medal as well.

Britain claimed the win in the men’s Uphill, too, with Jacob Adkin taking a convincing victory 2 minutes ahead of his competitors. British men would pick up 4th place as a team, with Finlay Grant 11th, Matthew Knowles 23rd, and Tom Spencer 41st. 

Nancy Scott was then second in the Up & Down 13km, while Scout Adkin claimed fourth here. Naomi Lang was 23rd and Elle Twentyman 27th, which earned the senior women a bronze medal in the team rankings. 

In the Under-20 category, Ewan Busfield claimed third in the Up & Down race, leading a bronze medal-winning men’s team made up of Ben Hodson, Lachlan Thomas, and Adam Bentham (12th, 13th, and 18th respectively). 

A couple of months later, we then saw Morven Goodrum and Jacob Adkin run spectacular races at one of the most prestigious competitions in the trail running calendar: the 31km Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland. Part of both the Golden Trail World Series and the World Mountain Running Association series, this fast race features a steep 2000+ m uphill at the start, before passing to a gentler steady incline and a fast, steep descent. This year, the competition was extremely strong here, with the best shorter-distance runners vying for glory. Morven showed her uphill skill taking an early lead, holding on to first place in the women’s race until around the 21-km mark. A fantastic debut which saw her claim third woman behind Madalina Florea and Caroline Kimutai, both seasoned Golden Trail World Series competitors. Morven was just under 90 seconds behind the winning time, finishing in 2:57:15.

In the men’s race, Jacob Adkin claimed an impressive 4th place, as the only top-5 man not from Kenya. A brilliant battle from him as well, leading through the climb, staying in the mix the whole day, and crossing the finish line in 2:30:49. 

Here’s hoping we’ll continue to see more British success like this in the closing races of the season, especially as we head into the UTMB World Series finals at the end of the month!

It’s always tough to pick out the best or most inspiring performances in a season of trail running. This sport brings out so many amazing stories, whether they showcase overcoming adversity, brilliant debuts of new talents, or running for noble causes. For me, this year is firmly under the sign of women on the trails. With the SheRaces trail event in the Surrey Hills encouraging more women onto the start line in July, the inspiring FKTs set by Trish, Katharina, or Sophie, or the astounding grit and strength shown by winners like Rachel Entrekin or Sarah Webster, I am inspired to go back to training myself! And definitely to ask the question, “Why not me?” when it comes to making it across those finish lines - whether they’re at the end of a sanctioned event or set by myself in my own challenges. I cannot wait to see how the year rounds out! 

- Alecsa Stewart