Ultramarathon
Records, firsts and iconic moments
22 documented moments (2026) — every world record, historic first and title win in Ultramarathon the ICNX desk has covered, in the order they happened. Each entry links to the full story with sources.
Records and firsts
World records and never-been-done moments in Ultramarathon.
UltramarathonSawe Runs First Official Sub-Two-Hour Marathon
First official sub-2-hour marathon in history: 1:59:30 at 2026 London Marathon. Demolished Kiptum WR by 65 seconds.
UltramarathonYomif Kejelcha Runs 1:59:41 on Debut at the 2026 London Marathon
1:59:41 on marathon debut at 2026 London Marathon — fastest marathon debut in history, 2nd sub-2-hour marathon ever
UltramarathonTigst Assefa Sets Women-Only Marathon Record of 2:15:41 in London
Women-only marathon world record: 2:15:41 at 2026 TCS London Marathon (April 26, 2026)
UltramarathonWild Sets Barefoot 50km World Record in 5:08
Ran barefoot 50km in 5 hours 8 minutes — Guinness World Record (Victoria Day, May 18, 2026, Vernon BC). Previous record ~7 hours. Came back from broken neck.
UltramarathonAISanchez Sets Pacific Crest Trail Record in 45 Days
Sanchez ran the Pacific Crest Trail's supported Fastest Known Time in about 45 days and 20 hours, cutting roughly a day from Karel Sabbe's 2023 mark across 4,265 kilometers.
UltramarathonHartmuth Sets Women's Bob Graham Round Record at 14:11:58
Hartmuth completed the 106 km, 42-peak Bob Graham Round in 14:11:58, a new women's record that cut 22 minutes off Beth Pascall's 2020 mark. Pascall paced part of the run through the Lake District.
UltramarathonHimbert Breaks Own John Muir Trail Record by 12 Hours
Himbert set a new women's unsupported Fastest Known Time on the 223-mile John Muir Trail, cutting more than 12 hours from her own record.
UltramarathonWoods Sets Via Alpina Record, 2,000 km in 28 Days
Woods ran the ~2,000 km Via Alpina in about 28 days, the fastest known time by any runner and roughly a week under the old record. Eight countries and 109,613 m of climbing fell behind her, from the shores of Trieste to Monaco.
Timeline
All 22 moments, oldest first.
- 2026John Korir Takes the 2026 Boston Marathon With a Course RecordLegend20 April 2026
- 2026Sharon Lokedi Claims Back-to-Back Boston Marathon Titles in 2026Legend20 April 2026
- 2026Sawe Runs First Official Sub-Two-Hour MarathonNBD26 April 2026 · Sabastian Sawe
- 2026
- 2026Tigst Assefa Sets Women-Only Marathon Record of 2:15:41 in LondonWorld Record26 April 2026
- 2026Wild Sets Barefoot 50km World Record in 5:08World Record18 May 2026 · Kelowna, BC, Canada
- 2026George Kusche Breaks 18-Year Comrades Up Run Record in 5:16Legend14 June 2026 · 99th Comrades Marathon (Up Run) · Durban to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- 2026Ed Payne Returns to Win the 268-Mile Summer Spine Race in 82:28:07Against All Odds17 June 2026 · Montane Summer Spine Race (Pennine Way) · Edale to Kirk Yetholm, UK
- 2026Shelby Breaks 18 Hours at Bighorn 100 for Course RecordLegend20 June 2026 · Bighorn Trail Run 100 Miles · Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, USA
- 2026Vincent Bouillard Sets Western States 100 Course Record in 13:46:15Legend27 June 2026 · Western States 100 · California, USA
- 2026Lichter Sets Western States Record on 100-Mile DebutLegend27 June 2026 · Western States 100 · California, USA
- 2026Strintzos Wins Gold Coast Marathon in Australian RecordLegend5 July 2026 · ASICS Gold Coast Marathon 2026 · Gold Coast, Australia
- 2026Sanchez Sets Pacific Crest Trail Record in 45 DaysWorld Record23 July 2026 · Pacific Crest Trail supported FKT 2026 · USA — Pacific Crest Trail (CA/OR/WA)
- 2026Hartmuth Sets Women's Bob Graham Round Record at 14:11:58World Record24 July 2026 · Bob Graham Round (Lake District) · Lake District, UK
- 2026Himbert Breaks Own John Muir Trail Record by 12 HoursWorld Record31 July 2026 · John Muir Trail FKT (unsupported) · Sierra Nevada, USA
- 2026Woods Sets Via Alpina Record, 2,000 km in 28 DaysWorld Record1 August 2026 · Via Alpina FKT (Trieste to Monaco) · Via Alpina — Trieste (ITA) to Monaco
- 2026Strasser Sets First Solo FKT on Austria's Seven SummitsNBD8 August 2026 · Seven Summits Austria (solo, unsupported FKT) · Austria (Piz Buin -> Vienna/Hermannskogel) · Michael Strasser
- 2026Dowdle Runs 630k (392 miles) for Backyard Ultra RecordLegend18 August 2026 · Last Soul Ultra 2026 (Germany) · Germany
- 2026Sabbe Sets HexaTrek Record, 3,034 km in 33 DaysWorld Record22 August 2026 · HexaTrek FKT 2026 (Wissembourg to Hendaye) · France - HexaTrek, Wissembourg (Alsace) to Hendaye (Basque coast) · Karel Sabbe
- 2026Fowler Sets Self-Supported Pacific Crest Trail FKTWorld Record22 August 2026 · Pacific Crest Trail FKT (self-supported) · United States (CA/OR/WA)
- 2026Kaspersen Becomes First Woman to Win CCC TwiceTitle28 August 2026 · 2026 CCC (UTMB Mont-Blanc World Series) · Chamonix, France
- 2026Eckert First Woman Past 1,000 km in Six-Day RaceWorld Record6 September 2026 · 2026 GOMU 6-Day World Championship (Balatonfüred) · Balatonfüred, Hungary