Road Race Management

The world's leading information source for road race organizers and the industry that serves them

UTMBWorld: HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® Hosted 2,500 Runners From 49 Countries for an Epic Weekend of Racing as the Americas 2025 Major

Oct 14, 2025


– Hayden Hawks (USA) and Lin Chen (CHN) earn victories in the 100-mile race; Kellen Blumberg (USA) and Mary Denholm (USA) top the field in the 100km event
 
– Andreu Blanes Reig (ESP) and Makena Morley (USA) earn wins in the 50km race; Tom Nelson (USA) and Clara Caspard (USA) were victorious in the 21km competition; Mike Buenting (USA) and Bria Shannon (CAN) were victorious in the 10km competition

Photo by Vasily Samoylov / HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® – Download
Download:
B-Roll – LINK (Credit: HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB)
Photos – LINK (Credit: Howie Stern/Vasily Samoylov for HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB)
  BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (Oct. 13, 2025) – The HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® returned to Big Bear Lake, California, October 9–11, just a short drive from Los Angeles. The HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® was designated as the UTMB World Series Americas Major for 2025, a special appointment allowing participants to earn double Running Stones toward UTMB World Series Finals qualification. In an exciting weekend update, it was announced that the HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB will also serve as the UTMB World Series Americas Major in 2026 as well. The weekend included 2,500 registered runners from 49 countries competing across five distances: 100-mile, 100km, 50km, 21km, and 10km. Each race traversed diverse desert, subalpine, and semi-arid landscapes, offering runners scenic and challenging routes unique to Southern California. 
 
“We were thrilled to welcome runners from across the globe for a weekend of incredible racing and camaraderie in Big Bear Lake. We’re proud to offer everyone a world-class festival weekend with challenging races full of incredible varying terrain and stunning views as well as family-friendly activities. Whether tackling the 100-mile race, joining for a land acknowledgement ceremony, a shakeout run, or eating at a vibrant local restaurant, runners and their supporters got to experience an epic celebration of trail running and community,” said Race Director Susie Schmelzer. 
 
On Friday, the HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® kicked off the racing as runners took to the 100-mile course. With a time of 16:40:37, Hayden Hawks (USA) took the victory by a little over 20 minutes, quickly followed by second place finisher Joseph McConaughy (USA) who completed the course in 17:01:32. Jhon Barrera (COL) came in third with a time of 17:29:53. In the women’s race, Lin Chen (CHN) stormed to a victory with a finishing time of 19:31:17, while Madison Liechty (USA) placed second with a time of 19:43:59 and Genevieve Harrison (USA) completed the course in third with a time of 20:15:58.
 
The four other competitions took place on Saturday, where runners tackled the 100km, 50km, 21km, and 10km courses. The 100km competition was the first race to send its competitors off, with both a competitive men’s and women’s field alike. On the men’s side, Kellen Blumberg (USA) cruised to a victory in a time of 8:30:06. Second-place finisher Guillaume Tiphene (FRA) crossed the finish line hot on Blumberg’s heels with a time of 8:31:10, followed by Ryan Raff (USA) who came in third place with a time of 8:53:59.
 
“There’s one other guy that I was just battling the last twenty, twenty-five miles to go. I didn’t think I had it in me, but honestly just tons of support—people cheering, my friends and family, just gave me the strength to push it the last five miles,” said Blumberg after winning the men’s 100km race.
 
The women’s 100km race was a dominant win for Mary Denholm (USA) who completed the course in 9:28:28. Finishing second place, Erin Moyer (USA) crossed the finish line in 10:03:19, followed by Imogen Ainsworth (GBR) in 10:50:49, which earned her a third-place finish. 
 
“It felt so good—thank you to all the volunteers, everyone who was cheering, this is a really-well put together race and I can’t say enough good things about it,” Denholm said after crossing the finish line.
 
In the second race of the day, Andreu Blanes Reig (ESP) took the top spot in the men’s 50km race in a time of 3:30:21. Makena Morley (USA) was the female 50km winner with a time of 4:03:20. Alex Garcia Carillo (ESP) and Anthony Costales (USA) rounded the podium in the men’s competition with times of 3:38:23 and 3:38:51. On the women’s side, Alicia Vargo (USA) finished the course in 4:14:35 taking second, while Sofie Schunk (USA) took third with a time of 4:15:35.
  
At 1:46:25, Tom Nelson (USA) squeezed out the overall victory in the very close 21km race. Lindsay Smith (USA) and Sebastian Salsbury (USA) finished neck-and-neck for second and third. Nelson edged out second place with a time of 1:47:16, while Salsbury took third by finishing the race in 1:48:40. In the women’s race, Clara Caspard (USA) ran away with the win, finishing with a time of 1:52:16. Madison Berumen (USA) and Stefanie Kuehfusz (USA) placed second and third with their respective times of 2:06:17 and 2:08:50.
 
The weekend of racing wrapped up with the 10km competition that took off early Saturday afternoon. Mike Buenting (USA) topped the men’s field with a time of 00:53:14, and Bria Shannon (CAN) took first in the women’s race with a time of 1:01:35. Caroline Dumas (FRA) and Joliane Melancon (CAN) rounded out the women’s 10km podium with times of 1:04:41 and 1:07:06. Cristobal Garcin (USA) and Marco Haerens (ITA) rounded the podium in the men’s competition with times of 00:55:54 and 00:55:57, respectively.
 
HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB is a dual qualifier for the 2025 UTMB® World Series Finals and Western States Endurance Run. 

Presale for the 2026 HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB is currently open through October 19 and can be accessed by visiting https://kodiak.utmb.world/register. 
 
Next Up for the UTMB® World Series
The UTMB® World Series is scheduled to continue in 2025 with the series heading over to South Korea for the TransJeju by UTMB® on October 17-19, and China for the Ultra-Trail® Ninghai by UTMB the same days. To see the full schedule of UTMB® World Series events, visit https://utmb.world/.
 
For more information about the HOKA Kodiak Utra Marathons by UTMB® visit https://kodiak.utmb.world/. For more information about the 2025 UTMB® World Series visit www.utmb.world.
  ###  
** Terms and Conditions: Photography and Video is provided courtesy of Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB® for news and editorial coverage and is not to be archived. Any commercial use or other use of the photos is strictly prohibited unless a separate written license is obtained from and signed by an authorized representative of the Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB®.  Additional terms and conditions can be found here. Usage of materials constitutes acceptance of terms. **

UTMB® World Series    
UTMB® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail-running circuit that unites the sport’s biggest stars and passionate runners through the best, leading international events in the most stunning locations. Built on a passion for the mountains with sustainability at its heart, UTMB® World Series gives all trail runners the chance to experience the UTMB® adventure across the world, with events taking place across Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is the only place where runners can begin their quest to HOKA UTMB® Mont-Blanc, where the prestigious UTMB® World Series Finals will be held. Launched in May 2021 through the collaboration between the UTMB Group and The IRONMAN Group, the UTMB World Series circuit brings together many of the best international trail-running events on the planet. For more information, visit www.utmb.world.