The Top Trail Races for Your Next Adventure

Eljay Briss. Melissa Cruz. Tim Ferrar and Kyle Johnson. Scott Kumner. David Jaewon Oh. Felix Mynt. Olumide Olamigoke Jr. Run Rabbit Run. Courtesy of Hobbiton Movie Set Tours.4 min readWelcome to the Wild World of Trail Running! We're diving deep on the races, training tips, and gear you need to know to get outside off paved roads to run a whole new way. Click here for more stories about the trail explosion.TRAIL RUNNING OFFERS a huge range of experiences. Want to run far? Events often stretch up to (and beyond) 100 miles. Less focused on distance? There are 5K jaunts, too. Looking to lose yourself in nature? Take your pick from races staged in forested national parks, deserts, and epic coastline vistas. You can embrace your competitive side and strive to qualify for one of the major endurance events, which offer only hundreds of bibs to thousands of hopefuls, or you can hit the paths looking to make friends and have fun at social-first runs designed to foster community.No matter what your preference, there’s a trail race for you. We’ve selected some of our favorites, from the top competitions in the world to some little-known runs focused on getting more people outside paved roads for the first time. Some of these events require qualification or invites to participates, and others are welcome to all comers. There’s a wide, wild world of trail out there. You just have to find the right place for you.Felix MyntMH senior editor Brett Williams on the UTMB’s MCC course in 2026.Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB)​CONSIDERED BY MANY to be the pinnacle of trail running, UTMB a multi-day trail series held annually at the end of August in Chamonix, France, with race courses stretching through the Alps to Italy and Switzerland, too. The week is capped by its main event, the 174 kilometer (108 mile) namesake race, but pros and enthusiasts alike take on distances ranging from 15 kilometers (the YCC for youth runners) to the team-based technical challenge of the 300 kilometer (186 mile) PTL. I ran the MCC, the 40 kilometer (24.9 mile) entry-level race from Switzerland to Chamonix, and it was incredible.Tim Ferrar and Kyle JohnsonMH Trail Tested contributor Jack Espy finishing the Leadville 100 in 2026.The Leadville Trail 100 Run​OFTEN REFERRED TO as simply “Leadville,” this Colorado 100-miler is all about altitude. The “Race Across the Sky” traverses the Rocky Mountains and climbs to peaks of 12,500 feet. MH Trail Tested contributor Jack Espy took on the race this year, and was able to depend on his training, determination, and top-notch gear to get him to the finish.Olumide Olamigoke JrCreator Tommie Runz after finishing The Speed Project’s LA to Vegas run solo in 2025.The Speed Project​DEFINITELY THE MOST online of any of these events, The Speed Project combines social media hype with real grit for unsanctioned races across massive distances. Selected teams or individuals (as of now, the series is invite-only) take on contests to see who can get from Point A to Point B fastest, with no formal course markers to follow or aid stations to count on for support. Initially staged on the roughly 340-mile route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, races have also been held in the French Alps and Chile’s Atacama Desert.Courtesy of Hobbiton Movie Set Tours​Middle-earth Halfling Marathon​IF THERE’S AN official sport of The Lord of the Rings, it would be trail running (unless you count the orc-slaying contest of The Two Towers and The Hobbit’s line about Bilbo’s ancestor inventing golf). The stories of these iconic films only start when their characters take a long journey on-foot—and you can do that yourself, running through the New Zealand landscapes captured in Peter Jackson’s films. The Hobbiton Movie Set, now a major tourist attraction, stages run and walk events at 21.1 km (13.1 miles) or 11.1 km (6.9 miles). Costumes are optional.David Jaewon OhWe Out Here Trail Festival​THIS SEATTLE-BASED event was first held in 2025 after being started by Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC) co-founder Alison Mariella Désir and trainer Aaliyah Earvin to make the trail running world more open and accessible for all kinds of athletes from all kinds of backgrounds. Runners could take on courses ranging from 1.9 miles to two hours, taking the intimidation factor that comes with ultras out of the equation.Courtesy Western States | Hilary YangThe Western States Endurance Run​The Western States Endurance Run is one of the premiere ultra trail races in the United States and lays claim on the title of the oldest 100 mile trail race in the world. Staged between Olympic Valley and Auburn, California since 1974, WSER has become a bucket list event for qualified trail junkies, who enter an increasingly competitive lottery for a shot at one of the prized belt buckles for finishing in under 24 or 30 hours.Scott Kumner​Badger Trail Races​PODCAST TEN JUNK Miles leans into the tight-knit community aspect of the trail world with this Wisconsin-based race series. Endurance mavens can choose from six different distances for the two-day event, ranging from half-marathon all the way up to 100 miles—and have a shot to qualify for the prestigious Western States and Badwater 135, too.Eljay Briss​Black to the Trails​TRAIL RUNNING IS growing in the UK, too—and this “carnival of trail” started by Black Trail Runners is aiming to expand its popularity (and accessibility) even more with athletes from historically marginalized communities. Races range from 1k up to 10k, and runners under 16 participate for free.RUN RABBIT RUN​Run Rabbit Run​ARE YOU AN elite athlete looking to break it big? The Colorado-based event offers the biggest prize purse in the ultra trail world for winners of a 100-mile race ($100k for both men’s and women’s top finishers). But the race isn’t just for pros; it started in 2007 as a charity race and still donates to organizations in northern Colorado. There’s also a 50-mile run, capped at 200 entrants.Melissa Cruz​Trailfest​IF YOU’RE A national parks fanatic, Trailfest is the event for you. Taking place over three days in the American Southwest, the courses run through Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Antelope Canyon with distances ranging from 10 to just under 16 miles. It’s not just racing, either; the event offers a festival atmosphere with a basecamp to host planned activities, meals, and camping.Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men's Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.