The 13 Valleys Ultra starts in Keswick on Friday evening, opening a weekend that also includes Mammoth Trailfest’s new para-athlete prize purse. Recent news includes world titles on La Gomera, a difficult Sca Fell rescue and changes to direct qualification at UTMB World Series Majors.
13 Valleys Ultra, England, 25–27 September
The flagship 13 Valleys Ultra covers approximately 185km through the Lake District, with more than 7,000m of ascent. It starts at 18:00 on Friday from Lakeside Car Park in Keswick.
The course isn’t waymarked, so runners must navigate using the organiser’s GPX files and course notes. The organiser advises carrying two methods of navigation. All 2026 distances are sold out.
Three Teams Complete Overnight Sca Fell Rescue
Three mountain rescue teams staffed by volunteers carried out a 12-hour and 49-minute operation on Sca Fell after a person fell near Red Ghyll in the Lord’s Rake area on Tuesday night.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team said the initial call came at 20:49 after a member of the public heard shouting on the fell but couldn’t identify its source.
“No exact location, just a voice somewhere in the dark.”
A reply from the mountainside indicated that the casualty had fallen and sustained head, back, leg and arm injuries. Wasdale requested help from Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team and Coastguard helicopter R897.
Low cloud prevented the helicopter from carrying out the rescue, although its crew located the casualty and relayed the position to those on the ground. Eleven rescuers were flown as close as conditions allowed with 400m of rope, a stretcher and other equipment.
Heavy wind-driven rain complicated the work. Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team was called at 02:40 to provide more volunteers, and the casualty was handed to the ambulance service at 09:38. Wasdale said 19 of its members took part, alongside volunteers from the other teams.
Mammoth Trailfest Introduces Para-Athlete Prize Purse
Mammoth Trailfest runs from 25–27 September in California, with its 26K para-athlete race scheduled for Sunday morning. The event is offering 25 free entries and a prize purse presented by FRACTEL.
The organiser’s current para-athlete information lists the purse at $6,200 and bills it as unprecedented in trail running. An American Trail Running Association report published on 23 September gave a lower figure of $5,250 raised for the leading finishers.
Eligibility covers athletes with physical or visual impairments aligned with impairment types defined by World Para Athletics, where the impairment meaningfully affects participation. Documentation may be requested.
Matt Niutta, who is legally blind and founded FRACTEL, told the American Trail Running Association that offering entries alone doesn’t provide full competitive recognition.
“A start-line spot creates access. Prize money creates recognition. If para athletes are competing at an elite level, their performance should be treated as meaningful competition rather than simply participation.”
Trail courses can present different access requirements from road or track events because of technical ground, narrow paths, low light and remote aid stations. Mammoth developed its para division with adaptive athlete inclusion organisation Born to Adapt and Paralympian Dani Aravich, alongside FRACTEL.
Del Pero and Stanek Win SKY World Titles
Italy’s Luca Del Pero and Poland’s Patrycja Stanek won the 29km SKY races at the Skyrunning World Championships, held on La Gomera in Spain’s Canary Islands from 18–20 September.
The course climbed 1,900m between Hermigua and San Sebastián de La Gomera. Del Pero won the men’s race in 2:43:27, finishing 43 seconds ahead of Spain’s Dimas Pereira. Dominik Tabor of Poland took bronze in 2:46:52.
Del Pero had already earned bronze in the 4.9km VERTICAL race. His results across that event and the SKY race also secured the men’s combined world title.
Stanek won the women’s SKY title in 3:20:29 at her first senior World Championships. Norway’s Eva Simonsen finished 36 seconds behind, while Italy’s Cecilia Basso was third in 3:25:09.
Britain’s Carys Mai Hughes placed fourth. Simonsen’s results across the VERTICAL and SKY gave her the women’s combined title.
UTMB Cuts Direct Places at World Series Majors
UTMB World Series has announced that direct qualification from its Majors will change in 2027. The top 10 men and top 10 women in each Major’s 50K and 100K races, as well as the 100M, will qualify automatically for the Finals in Chamonix.
That creates 60 direct top-10 places per Major. Under the previous system, each Major offered 210 direct places across the overall and age-group results for the UTMB World Series Finals.
Direct age-group qualification at Majors will be replaced by a circuit-wide rule intended to let runners qualify closer to home. UTMB hasn’t yet published the allocation, eligibility criteria or number of places available under that system.
Running Stones earned at Majors will continue to count double in the Finals lottery. HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia by UTMB will retain the previous qualification structure for its 2027 edition, with the changes applying there from 2028.
