Dreaming of running at UTMB? If you live in North America, qualifying just got easier

For the first time, a race in the U.S. has been selected to be a UTMB World Series Major. The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB, held April 28–29, 2023 in Auburn, Calif., will now give U.S. and Canadian athletes a closer-to-home opportunity to qualify for the UTMB World Series Finals, made up of the legendary UTMB (100 miles), CCC (100K) and OCC (50K) races at UTMB Mont-Blanc in Chamonix, France.

Three UTMB World Series Majors are held each year, and these pinnacle events across the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region give out double the Running Stones to all finishers, used in the UTMB World Series finals lottery. Each major race also automatically qualifies 225 runners for the UTMB finals. Age-group winners and the top 10 male and female runners in the 100M, 100K and 50K categories gain automatic qualification to the respective races at UTMB Mont-Blanc.

Running Stones are the equivalent of lottery tickets that go toward earning a spot in one of the UTMB World Series races. Only one Running Stone acquired in the past two years is needed to enter the lottery–Running Stones are cumulative, have no expiration date, and each Running Stone gives you an additional chance to be drawn.

Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB is also a golden ticket race for the Western States Endurance Run (WSER), with the top two male and female finishers in each distance securing their place on the start line of the following year’s WSER. The race is a WSER qualifier for 2024, with all runners who complete the 100-mile distance in under 36 hours and the 100K distance in 20 hours earning a ticket for the WSER lottery.

Chaz Sheya, race director and founder of the Canyon Endurance Runs, shared that they’re thrilled that the race is now America’s major. “It is an honour to be one of three majors in the UTMB World Series, with double Running Stones and many more entries to the world finals in Chamonix,” they said. ” I am also excited to share the history of the Canyons and the Western States trail, where modern-day mountain ultra trail running started.”

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Canyons Endurance Runs starts in the historic gold-rush town of Auburn, Calif., in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Runners in the 100-mile race will traverse some of the most scenic and rugged sections of the WSER trail as they climb 7,300 metres of elevation, passing by the infamous WSER river crossing at Rucky Chucky. All 100-mile finishers will be awarded eight Running Stones.

The 100K race boats more than 4,800 metres of elevation gain and will award six Running Stones, while the 50K race (1,700 metres of elevation) will earn runners four Running Stones. Finishers of the 25K distance (more than 853 metres) will earn two Running Stones.

To learn more about The Canyons Endurance Run and register, head here. More information on Running Stones and the UTMB World Series qualifying process can be found by clicking here.