The Best Trail Runners in the World

A verified directory of the best trail and ultra runners in the world: the all-time greats and the current UTMB, Western States, Hardrock and Golden Trail World Series champions. The roster is deliberately short. Each athlete has an in-depth profile covering how they run, where they are strongest an

Last updated: 2026-10-06

This is not a ranking. It exists to celebrate what these athletes have done: results that looked impossible until someone did them, and performances that push every trail runner, at any pace, to ask what they might be capable of themselves. Trail running spans 30-minute vertical kilometres and 100-hour mountain crossings, so no single number compares them fairly. Athletes are grouped by the kind of racing they are known for; the order within a group is editorial, not a score.

Where the sport stands

Ben Dhiman won the 2026 UTMB in a course-record 18:16:29, the first finish under 19 hours, on his fourth start at the race. He went clear at La Balme, 41km in, and led alone for the remaining 132km.
Blandine L'Hirondel won the women's UTMB in 21:54:49 and became the second athlete, after Ruth Croft, to have won the OCC, the CCC and UTMB. Croft withdrew before the start, and Courtney Dauwalter and men's favourite Vincent Bouillard both dropped out at Lac Combal.
Vincent Bouillard broke the Western States 100 course record in June 2026 with 13:46:15, the first sub-14-hour finish in the race's history and 23 minutes inside Jim Walmsley's 2019 mark.
Ludovic Pommeret won a third straight Hardrock 100 at 50 in a record 21:11:36, and Courtney Dauwalter won the women's race in 26:03:10 for her fourth Hardrock title.
Katharina Hartmuth won the 330km Tor des Géants in 67:10:09, more than twelve hours inside her own course record, and finished third overall, the first woman on the race's overall podium.
Jiaju Zhao of China won the 2026 Tor des Géants in a course-record 65:55:22, the first finish of the 330km race under 66 hours and the first win by a runner from outside Europe; Cristian Minoggio, 42, won the CCC in 10:21:48, 5 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of Miguel Arsénio.
Franco Collè, already a four-time Tor des Géants winner, won the 450km Tor des Glaciers on his debut at the distance, at 48, in 122:01:57.
Mădălina Florea and Elhousine Elazzaoui lead the 2026 Golden Trail World Series as defending champions; Florea won Sierre-Zinal for the first time in 2:55:44.
Rémi Bonnet, holder of the 27:21 vertical kilometre world record, won the 42km Marathon du Mont-Blanc again in 2026, and François D'Haene set a supported fastest known time of 29:46:20 on Corsica's GR20.
Injuries shaped the 2026 season at the top: Kilian Jornet had knee surgery, Katie Schide missed Hardrock and UTMB with a foot injury, and Jim Walmsley and defending champion Tom Evans both withdrew from UTMB.

All-time greats

Kilian Jornet (Spain, men): The most decorated mountain runner in the sport's history, and still the reference point for every distance from vertical kilometre to 100 miles.
François D'Haene (France, men): Four UTMB titles, four Diagonale des Fous titles and a Hardrock win: the most complete long-ultra record of his generation.
Jim Walmsley (United States, men): The first American man to win UTMB, and the athlete who redefined how fast a 100-miler can be run from the front.
Ludovic Pommeret (France, men): Won UTMB at 41 after being 50th at halfway, and at 50 broke the Hardrock course record on his way to a third straight win.
Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland, men): The fastest climber in history: 1,000m of vertical gain in 27:21, and back-to-back Golden Trail World Series titles.
Franco Collé (Italy, men): Four-time Tor des Géants winner who added the 450km Tor des Glaciers at 48, on his first attempt.
Anton Krupicka (United States, men): Won Leadville twice as a virtual unknown, then spent two decades as the sport's most recognizable minimalist.
Courtney Dauwalter (United States, women): The only athlete to win Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year, and still winning course records a decade into her career.
Katie Schide (United States, women): UTMB course-record holder, Western States champion, Hardrock record-breaker and world champion over 82km.
Ruth Croft (New Zealand, women): The first woman to win the OCC, the CCC and UTMB: the complete Chamonix set.
Jasmin Paris (United Kingdom, women): The first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons, with 99 seconds to spare.
Judith Wyder (Switzerland, women): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
Blandine L'Hirondel (France, women): A practising OB-GYN who became only the second athlete to win the OCC, the CCC and UTMB, after two Trail World Championship titles.

Ultra-distance leaders

François D'Haene (France, men): Four UTMB titles, four Diagonale des Fous titles and a Hardrock win: the most complete long-ultra record of his generation.
Jim Walmsley (United States, men): The first American man to win UTMB, and the athlete who redefined how fast a 100-miler can be run from the front.
Ludovic Pommeret (France, men): Won UTMB at 41 after being 50th at halfway, and at 50 broke the Hardrock course record on his way to a third straight win.
Tom Evans (United Kingdom, men): Western States champion, UTMB champion, and the first British man to win in Chamonix in fifteen years.
Vincent Bouillard (France, men): Won UTMB as an unsponsored shoe engineer in 2024, then broke the Western States course record and became the first man under 14 hours.
Ben Dhiman (United States, men): DNF'd UTMB twice, was runner-up once, then won it on his fourth attempt in the fastest time the race has ever seen.
Franco Collé (Italy, men): Four-time Tor des Géants winner who added the 450km Tor des Glaciers at 48, on his first attempt.
Courtney Dauwalter (United States, women): The only athlete to win Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year, and still winning course records a decade into her career.
Katie Schide (United States, women): UTMB course-record holder, Western States champion, Hardrock record-breaker and world champion over 82km.
Ruth Croft (New Zealand, women): The first woman to win the OCC, the CCC and UTMB: the complete Chamonix set.
Jasmin Paris (United Kingdom, women): The first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons, with 99 seconds to spare.
Blandine L'Hirondel (France, women): A practising OB-GYN who became only the second athlete to win the OCC, the CCC and UTMB, after two Trail World Championship titles.
Katharina Hartmuth (Germany, women): The first woman to finish on the overall podium at the Tor des Géants, and a UTMB podium finisher at both ends of her career so far.
Cristian Minoggio (Italy, men): A 42-year-old dam keeper and skyrunning world champion who won the 2026 CCC in Chamonix.
Miguel Arsénio (Portugal, men): A self-coached Portuguese runner who studies sports science, won the first World Trail Majors title and took second at the 2026 CCC.
Jiaju Zhao (China, men): Ran 65:55:22 for the 330km Tor des Géants in 2026, a course record and the first win by a runner from outside Europe.
Manuela Vilaseca (Brazil, women): Holder of the women's 200-mile Triple Crown record, and third at the 2026 Tor des Géants.

Golden Trail & short-trail specialists

Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco, men): Back-to-back Golden Trail World Series champion and the first African man to win the circuit.
Judith Wyder (Switzerland, women): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
Mădălina Florea (Romania, women): Golden Trail World Series champion, Sierre-Zinal winner, and the most consistent short-trail racer in the world right now.

Mountain & vertical specialists

Kilian Jornet (Spain, men): The most decorated mountain runner in the sport's history, and still the reference point for every distance from vertical kilometre to 100 miles.
Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland, men): The fastest climber in history: 1,000m of vertical gain in 27:21, and back-to-back Golden Trail World Series titles.
Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco, men): Back-to-back Golden Trail World Series champion and the first African man to win the circuit.
Judith Wyder (Switzerland, women): Five-time orienteering world champion who became one of the best short-trail racers on earth.
Mădălina Florea (Romania, women): Golden Trail World Series champion, Sierre-Zinal winner, and the most consistent short-trail racer in the world right now.
Grayson Murphy (United States, women): A two-time world mountain running champion who crossed over from steeplechase and marathon trials to become one of America's most decorated uphill racers.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the best trail runner in the world?

There is no single answer, because trail running spans everything from 30-minute vertical kilometres to 330km mountain crossings. Kilian Jornet has the most complete record in the sport's history across every distance, and Courtney Dauwalter is the most decorated women's ultrarunner ever, having won Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year. The fastest 100-mile performances of 2026 came from Ben Dhiman at UTMB and Vincent Bouillard at Western States, while Elhousine Elazzaoui and Mădălina Florea have dominated short-trail racing on the Golden Trail World Series.

Is this page a ranking?

No. It is a directory, not a leaderboard, and it exists to celebrate what these athletes have pulled off rather than rank them against each other. Athletes are grouped by the kind of racing they are known for (all-time greats, ultra-distance leaders, Golden Trail and mountain specialists), and the order within each group is editorial rather than a score. For an actual ranking, see the ITRA Performance Index or the UTMB Index, which are linked from each profile.

How are these athletes chosen?

The roster is deliberately small. It covers 24 athletes: the ones with the deepest records at the races that define the sport, multiple wins at UTMB, Western States, Hardrock, the Diagonale des Fous, the Tor des Géants, Zegama-Aizkorri, Sierre-Zinal and the Golden Trail World Series, plus world titles and world records and a few recent winners of the biggest races, such as the 2026 CCC and Tor des Géants. Rather than profile every podium finisher, each athlete gets an in-depth page on how they run, where they are strongest and what an everyday trail runner can learn from them. Every result is sourced, and each page carries the date it was last checked.

What can amateur trail runners learn from the best in the world?

More than you might expect, because the habits that separate elite trail runners are mostly about judgement rather than talent: pacing the first half of a race conservatively, practising descending and power-hiking as skills, training the gut to take in fuel for many hours, and learning a course before racing it. Each profile here ends with the specific lessons that athlete's career teaches and how to apply them at any pace.

What is the difference between the ITRA index and the UTMB index?

Both score a runner's performances on a scale that tops out around 1,000. The ITRA Performance Index is run by the International Trail Running Association and uses a runner's five best results from the previous 36 months. The UTMB Index is calculated by UTMB World Series across its own race categories. They usually agree on who is fastest and disagree on the exact number.

Which trail races matter most?

At 100 miles, UTMB in Chamonix and the Western States 100 in California are the two biggest, with the Hardrock 100 and the Diagonale des Fous on Réunion close behind for difficulty. At sub-marathon distances, the Golden Trail World Series races (Zegama-Aizkorri, Sierre-Zinal, the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, the Broken Arrow Skyrace) carry the most weight, alongside the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.

Why are there no photographs of the athletes?

Nearly every available portrait of a professional trail runner is rights-managed press or agency material. Rather than publish images we do not hold a licence for, each profile uses a monogram and links out to the athlete's official ITRA and UTMB profiles.

Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners