Canyons Endurance Runs
Auburn, United States • 23-25 Apr 2026
About the event
The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB is an event in the historic gold-rush town of Auburn, California. It takes place in the northern California foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. The event is described as taking you back to the birthplace of mountain ultra-trail running.
The races
The event includes four race distances:
- 100M (161 km) with an elevation gain of 5550 m+
- 100K (100 km) with an elevation gain of 3750 m+
- 50K (50 km) with an elevation gain of 1700 m+
- 25K (25 km) with an elevation gain of 850 m+
Each distance awards "Running Stones" (1-4 depending on the distance) as part of the UTMB World Series system. The courses use sections of the iconic Western States Trail.
Event details
The Canyons 100K distance is a Western States Endurance Run Golden Ticket race, where the top three female and male finishers earn direct entry to that event. The event is also a qualifier for the UTMB World Series Finals and the Western States Endurance Run.
Participants will run on trails used by prospectors over 150 years ago, passing through historic gold rush settlements. The course includes the river crossing at Rucky Chucky, and locations like Devil’s Thumb and Swinging Bridge. The town of Auburn, where the event finishes, is known as the "Endurance Capital of the World™".
The event is part of the UTMB Cares US initiative, which supports environmental clean-up and restoration of the Western States Trail through grant funding and volunteerism. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.