What’s Up in Ultra This Weekend — September 5, 2026

# Weekend snapshot The first weekend of September features 42 North American ultramarathons on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. This brief summarizes five featured events and lists other notable races by region so you can scan options quickly and find details on event pages.

Featured races

Dark Divide Trail Races — Randle, Washington

Dark Divide returns to Cispus Learning Center near Randle for its sixth edition. The event now offers three ultramarathon distances: 100‑mile, 100k and 50k. The 100‑mile starts Friday at 5 a.m., covers technical single‑track for more than 75% of the course, and includes 26,565 feet of climbing and 26,564 feet of descent. Runners who finish within the 48‑hour cutoff earn the Dark Divide buckle. The race is a Hardrock 100 qualifier and donates part of its proceeds to local search and rescue and trail programs.

SISU Backyard Ultra — Lake Rebecca Park Reserve, Rockford, Minnesota

The inaugural SISU Backyard Ultra runs Saturday, Sept. 5. The backyard format requires runners to complete a 4.167‑mile loop every hour on the hour until a single athlete remains. Course terrain includes gravel park roads, asphalt bike paths, dirt, grass and double‑track with only about 164 feet of elevation gain per loop. The SISU event adds a sauna and swim for participants. Any runner who completes 24 loops (100 miles) receives a SISU 100‑mile buckle.

A Race for the Ages (ARFTA) — Manchester, Tennessee

ARFTA, founded in 2015 by Gary Cantrell (Laz), runs Sept. 3–7 at Fred Deadman Park. The race gives runners age‑based time allocations: athletes receive one hour of race time for every year of their age, while competitors 40 and under receive the standard 40 hours. Participants loop a certified one‑mile course and aim to complete as many laps as possible within their allotted time. The format allows older, experienced runners to contend for overall placement rather than only age‑group competition.

TARC Fall Classic — Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts

La Chute du Diable (Devil's Fall) — Quebec, Canada

La Chute du Diable appears on the calendar as a featured Quebec event for the weekend. The listing highlights international entries on the North American calendar.

Other regional events

West: Pacific Government Peak Endurance 100 & 50 (AK), Toughest Alive: Midnight Sun (AK), Noble Canyon (CA), Freedom Ultra Festival (WA), Black Barn 200 (WA), Mountain Grand Traverse (CO), Burning Man Ultra (NV).

Midwest: Booneville Backroads Ultra (IA), Cedar Bend Endurance (IA), Temptation 200 Ultras (IL), Firefly Six Hour Trail (IN), Tuscazoar 100/50 (OH), Badgerland Striders 24‑12‑6 Hour Runs (WI).

South: Southwest Tejas Dirt Festival (TX), Six‑O Trail Run (TX), Hill Country Triple Trail Run (TX), Southeast Pinellas Trail Challenge (FL), 24 Hours at Lake Z (GA), Oli Kai (TN), Iron Mountain (VA).

Northeast: Last Man Standing Ultramarathon (ME), Cherry Hill Farm Ultra (ME), Wilcox Wild (NY), STRC Trailfest at Sugar Hill (NY), Labor Pain (PA), Sidewinder (PA).

# Quick actions

• If you plan to race Dark Divide or Wasatch‑type events, confirm qualifier status and cutoffs on the race site.

• Check each race's local-support and charity info if you want to align participation with trail or search‑and‑rescue causes.