Auburn, California · Trail
Official site ↗Canyons Endurance Runs
A 100 miler and a 100K on the canyons of the Western States Trail, finishing in downtown Auburn, where the top three men and women in the 100K earn Golden Ticket entries to Western States.
Distances
100M
- Distance
- 161 km (100 mi)
- Vert gain
- 5,550 m (18,200 ft)
- Cutoff
- 35 hr
Starts Friday 12:00 from China Wall Trailhead · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-35:00)
100K
- Distance
- 100 km (62 mi)
- Vert gain
- 12,303 ft (3,700 m)
- Cutoff
- 20 hr
Starts Saturday at China Wall, finishing in downtown Auburn on the Western States Trail · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-20:00)
| Distance | Vert gain | Cutoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 161 km (100 mi) | 5,550 m (18,200 ft) | 35 hr | Starts Friday 12:00 from China Wall Trailhead · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-35:00) |
| 100 km (62 mi) | 12,303 ft (3,700 m) | 20 hr | Starts Saturday at China Wall, finishing in downtown Auburn on the Western States Trail · WSER 2028 qualifier (sub-20:00) |
About
The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB race the most rugged section of the Western States Trail: from China Wall through Deadwood, Devil's Thumb, the Swinging Bridge, Michigan Bluff, and Foresthill, past the Rucky Chucky river crossing, to a finish in downtown Auburn, the self-styled Endurance Capital of the World. The 100K is a Western States Super Golden Ticket race, with automatic Western States entries for the top three men and women, so its April date draws one of the deepest 100K fields in the country.
The event is part of the UTMB World Series and a dual qualifier: finishers earn Running Stones for the UTMB World Series Finals lottery, and podium finishers in the 50K, 100K, and 100M qualify directly for the Finals. A 100-mile, 50K, and 25K run the same weekend on neighboring sections of the trail.
Course
Both long races run on the Western States Trail and finish in downtown Auburn. The 100 miler starts at China Wall at noon on the Friday and covers 161 km on the organiser's figure, with a 35-hour limit. The 100K starts at China Wall at 5:00 AM on the Saturday, covers 62.1 miles with about 12,300 feet of climbing, and holds a 20-hour limit; it drops through the canyons of the North Fork American River on Western States Trail landmarks, Deadwood, Michigan Bluff, Foresthill and Rucky Chucky.
The race gives the 100 miler's climb three different ways on its own pages: 5,550 meters in the spec bar at the top of the race page, "approximately 17,000' of vertical gain" in the description just below it, and "Approximately 18,000 feet of vert, 22,000 of descent" in the course text a few paragraphs further down. The figure shown here is the one from its own header.
How to register
Entry is open registration, first come first served, with no lottery. Runners holding a UTMB Index get a 48-hour priority window before general entry opens. Registration for 2027 is open, at $551.99 all in for the 100 miler, and the race says it "Closes: Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 11:59pm PT or until the races are sold out." There is no waiting list and no race-day entry. Runners must be 18 or over for the 100 miler, the 100K and the 50K. Finishing earns Running Stones for the UTMB lottery, and the 100K is a Western States qualifier and Super Golden Ticket race, with the top three men and women earning automatic Western States entry.