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 – Jordan Buck (USA) and Katti Jackson (USA) earn victories in the 100-mile race; Guillaume Hansel (USA) and Rachel Doxey (USA) top the field in the 100km event– Liam Meirow (USA) and Sarah Bergeron Larouche (CAN) earn wins in the 50km race; Yury Tambasov (BLR) and Elizabeth Klecker (USA) were victorious in the 21km competition Photo by Jacob Banta / Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB – Download Download: Photos – LINK (Credit: Jacob Banta / Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB) SHENANDOAH VALLEY, Va. (Sept. 21, 2026) – The Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB® once again featured some of the most challenging trail running courses on the East Coast as runners trekked through acres of national forest just west of the Shenandoah Valley. Runners from around the globe descended on the Shenandoah Valley on Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20, to take on four demanding courses of 100M, 100km, 50km, and 21km.On Friday, the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB kicked off racing as runners took to the 100-mile course beginning at Natural Chimneys Park. With a time of 20:58:15, Jordan Buck (USA) sped past the competition and took the victory, followed by Spencer Imbach (USA) finishing in second place with a time of 21:15:15, while Chris Aldrich (USA) placed third with a time of 21:37:34. In the women’s race, Katti Jackson (USA) paced the field, finishing fourth overall with a time of 21:46:37. Trailing her was Jessie George (USA), who came in second with a time of 22:23:43, and Sarah Gage (USA), who came in third, completing the course in 24:44:04.The three other competitions took place on Saturday, where runners tackled the 100km, 50km, and 21km courses. On the men’s side of the 100k competition, Guillaume Hansel (USA) cruised to a comfortable victory with a time of 9:19:24. Second-place finisher Aaron Slabach (USA) crossed the finish line in 9:39:00, followed by Devon Brodmyer (USA), who came in third place with a 10:43:39 time.The women’s 100km race was won by Rachel Doxey (USA), who took gold with a time of 12:26:54. Mia Yeager (USA) and Geneviève Laliberté (CAN) took second and third place with times of 13:07:05 and 13:15:56 respectively.In the second race of the day, Liam Meirow (USA) took the top spot in the men’s 50km race in a time of 3:51:54, followed by Cade Michael (USA) in 3:57:59 and Ruaridh Mon-Williams (GBR) in 3:58:42. Sarah Bergeron Larouche (CAN) successfully defended her title as the women’s 50km winner, finishing in 4:21:13. Roxane Vermette (CAN) and Sophie McDonald (USA) claimed second and third, respectively, in 5:08:53 and 5:16:55.The 21km event rounded out the Saturday race day and delivered some speedy finishing times. Yury Tambasov (BLR) reigned victorious, with a winning time of 1:30:16, beating out second and third podium placers Grant Sheely (USA) and Lorenzo Noè (ITA) with finishing times of 1:30:46 and 1:31:45. In the women’s field, Elizabeth Klecker (USA) took the win in 1:37:40, ahead of second place Audrey Swank (USA), who finished in 1:48:18, and third place Leah Sortore (USA), who crossed the finish line in 2:01:05.All finishers of races at the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB collected Running Stones (four for the 100M, three for the 100K, two for the 50K, and one for the 21K) that can be applied to the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc draw. Next Up for the UTMB® World Series: The 2026 UTMB® World Series is scheduled to continue with the series heading over to Nice, France for Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB taking place September 24-27. To see the full schedule of UTMB® World Series events, visit https://utmb.world/.For more information about the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB® visit https://grindstone.utmb.world/. For more information about the 2026 UTMB® World Series visit www.utmb.world.### ** Terms and Conditions: Photography and Video is provided courtesy of Grindstone Trail Running Festival 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 Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB®. Additional terms and conditions can be found here. Usage of materials constitutes acceptance of terms. ** UTMB® World Series The UTMB® World Series is the trail running circuit that brings together the best athletes in the sport and amateur runners in top international events held in some of the most beautiful places on the planet. The UTMB® World Series is rooted in a passion for the mountains and respect for the environment and offers trail running enthusiasts the chance to experience the UTMB® adventure across the globe, with events taking place in Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa and the Americas. This is the way for everyone to start their quest towards the HOKA UTMB® Mont-Blanc, where the UTMB® World Series finals take place. Launched in May 2021 with the collaboration of UTMB Group and The IRONMAN Group, the UTMB® World Series circuit brings together 50 events in 28 countries. For more information, visit https://utmb.world. |
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