Winter Couldn’t Chill the Ultra Fun as 2000+ Runners Gathered for a Successful Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB in Auburn, the Birthplace of Trail Running

April 28, 2025

- Ferdinand Airault (FRA) and Lin Chen (CHN) earn victories in the 100-mile race; Francesco Puppi (ITA) and Emily Hawgood (ZIM) top the field in the 100km race - Seth Ruhling (USA) and Hannah Osowski (USA) take wins in the 50km race; Daniel Curts (USA) and Anika Kimme (USA) topped the field in the 25km race

AUBURN, Calif. (April 28, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The 2025 UTMB World Series continued with the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^® on April 25-26. Over 2,000 runners experienced the unparalleled beauty of this historic gold-rush town and its surrounding trails. Considered the birthplace of mountain ultras in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Auburn and its stunning trails offered a diverse landscape for the event’s four distances: 25K, 50K, 100K, and 100-mile. Participants traversed scenic canyons, wound through lush forests, and challenged themselves on the very trails that forged the legend of ultrarunning.

For the second year in a row, the 100-mile and 100km races both started at China Wall and navigated through the surrounding canyons and finished in downtown Auburn. Both the 50 and 25-kilometer races started and finished in downtown Auburn, which buzzed with a festival atmosphere, offering a warm welcome to runners completing their journeys Friday through Saturday. Runners, family, friends, and The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB^® team celebrated and cheered as participants crossed the finish line in the heart of Auburn.

The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB was also a double qualifier for both the UTMB^® World Series Finals and The Western States Endurance Run (WSER). The event acted as a “Super” Golden Ticket Race for The Western States Endurance Run, which meant that the top three male and female finishers in the 100K distance win a place on the start line of the 2025 WSER this June. The race is also a qualifier for The Western States Endurance Run in 2025, with runners who complete the 100-mile distance in under 36 hours and the 100K in 20 hours qualifying for the WSER lottery.

“The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB once again brought some of the world’s best to Auburn, proving that not even challenging weather could diminish the unique and powerful experience this race offers in the endurance capital of the world,” said Sean Flanagan, Co-Race Director for Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB^®. “The combination of Auburn’s legendary trails, the passionate runners they attract, and the amazing community and volunteers that supported it made this weekend another fantastic chapter in the eleven-year story, solidifying its unique place in the world of trail running.”

On Friday, The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB kicked off the racing weekend as runners took to the 100-mile course beginning at China Wall. It was Ferdinand Airault (FRA) taking the victory and outlasting the competition with a finishing time of 16:18:13. Tommy Sullivan (USA) finished in a close second place a little over 6 minutes later with a time of 16:24:36. Meanwhile Ben Quatromoni (USA) took third with a finishing time of 17:02:36. In the women’s race, it was Lin Chen (CHN) crowned champion in the 100-mile race with a time of 18:33:15. Aroa Sio (ESP) came home in second with a time of 18:39:19 and Madeleine Hawkins (CAN) completed the course in 20:11:20, finishing in third place.

The racing continued Saturday, where runners took to the High Country in the 100km, 50km, and 25km races. In a breakthrough performance, Francesco Puppi (ITA) overtook his competition leading to an overall victory in the men’s 100km race with a time of 08:04:36. Following Puppi was Hans Troyer, taking 2^nd with a finishing time of 08:27:00. Hannes Namberger rounded out the top 3 with a time of 08:32:17, finishing just a touch over 5 minutes after Troyer. Puppi had made the decision not to race Western States this year and declined his Golden Ticket. Second and third place winners Troyer and Namberger excitedly accepted their tickets, and 4^th place winner Mogavero already had an entry, passing his on to 5^th place Jeff Mogavero. So, Troyer, Namberger, and Montgomery collected them for the men.

“Not having much experience with the 100km distance, you know, you just try, and this time it worked”, said Puppi after crossing the finishing line and winning the 100km race. When asked how it felt to round the finishing corner, Puppi said “it’s a great feeling, on one hand I wish those moments could last forever; on the other hand, it’s super painful and you want it done as soon as possible. It’s like these two opposite forces. That’s the beauty of racing.”

In one of the most impressive performances of the day, Emily Hawgood (ZIM) squeezed out a win in the women’s 100km race with a time of 09:46:44. Leapfrogging with her throughout the race was Marianne Hogan (CAN), who clinched a 2^nd place finish hot on Emily’s heels with a time of 09:50:44. Keely Henninger rounded out the podium in 3^rd place with a time of 09:58:10. Hawgood had already secured an entrance to Western States this year, but 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers Hogan and Henninger eagerly accepted theirs. The third ticket was passed onto 4^th place finisher Erin Clark.

“It was a race from the start with Marianne, she’s a relentless fighter. It was just amazing out there, perfect weather with the rain, beautiful trails—thank you everyone who did trail work, really appreciate it,” said Hawgood following her victory. When asked how her mindset was during the race, she said that “you just have to keep in the moment, keep fighting the whole time.”

Seth Ruhling (USA) took the top spot in the men’s 50km race in a time of 03:24:34. Hannah Osowski (USA) was the female 50km winner with a time of 03:57:12. In the 25km race, Daniel Curts (USA) ran 01:33:13 while Anika Kimme (USA) had a finishing time of 01:55:59, topping an impressive field of runners in both men’s and women’s 25km races.

All finishers of the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB collected Running Stones that can be applied to the UTMB Mont-Blanc draw.

Presale for the 2026 Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB taking place on April 24-25, 2026 is currently open and can be accessed by visiting https://canyons.utmb.world/runners/registration.

Next Up for the UTMB^® World Series:

The 2025 UTMB^® World Series is scheduled to continue with the series making its way to Southeast Asia for the Amazean Jungle Thailand by UTMB on May 1-4. To see the full schedule of UTMB^® World Series events, visit https://utmb.world/.

For more information about the 2025 Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB visit https://canyons.utmb.world/. For more information about the 2025 UTMB^® World Series visit https://utmb.world/. Media related inquires can be directed to canyons@press.utmb.world or Sarah Slagle.

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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.