Cody Poskin leads from start to finish to win the Kodiak 100, the UTMB World Series Major for the Americas
Poskin won the 100-mile race at Big Bear Lake in 16:46:21 and Canada’s Nichole Abma took the women’s title. The top ten in each ultra distance earn direct entry to the 2027 finals in Chamonix.
Cody Poskin of the United States won the 100-mile race at the HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB in Big Bear Lake, California, finishing in 16 hours 46 minutes 21 seconds. The race started on 9 October and covered 161.1 km with 4,877 m of climbing, according to the official UTMB results.
Canada’s Nichole Abma won the women’s race in 20:43:40, ahead of her compatriot Madeline Wighardt (22:05:50) and Charlotte Saunders of the United States (22:39:31).
The 2026 race was the 13th edition of Kodiak and its second as the UTMB World Series Major for the Americas. That matters for what comes next: the top ten men and top ten women in each of the 50K, 100K and 100-mile races earn direct entry to the corresponding race at the 2027 UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, alongside age-group winners. UTMB said in its pre-race announcement that 210 automatic places were on offer across the three distances.
Poskin in front all day
Poskin led the 100-mile race from start to finish, iRunFar reported. Alex Proctor was second in 17:23:05 and Max Jolliffe third in 18:15:45, with Cornelio Ciprian of Guatemala fourth and France’s Matthieu Saliou fifth. iRunFar noted that Jolliffe won the Badwater 135 earlier in 2026.
The win continues a busy year for Poskin. His UTMB Index record shows he was second man at the Cocodona 250 in Arizona in May, a race of more than 400 km, before turning to the shorter, faster format at Big Bear.
Abma finished 11th overall in the 100-mile race, the official results show, and more than an hour and 20 minutes clear of the next woman.
A Spanish win in the 100K
The 100K, which started on 10 October and covered 101.1 km with 3,143 m of climbing, was decided by less than three minutes. Spain’s Jose Angel Fernandez Jimenez won in 8:33:09, two and a half minutes ahead of Gavin Prior of the United States (8:35:40). Stephen Kersh was third in 8:59:04.
Germany’s Lotti Brinks, who finished fifth at Western States in June according to UTMB, won the women’s 100K in 10:15:44. Becca Bramley (10:25:04) and Lindsay Allison (10:28:08) completed a podium separated by under 13 minutes.
Gibson under four hours on her 50K debut
In the 50K, Cole Campbell won the men’s race in 3:20:42, ahead of Spain’s Miquel Corbera (3:23:15) and Cade Michael (3:27:02). The women’s race went to Anna Gibson in 3:59:13, ahead of Carmen Graves (4:04:12) and Elizabeth O’Connor (4:06:30). iRunFar reported that it was Gibson’s first 50K, and that she broke four hours by 47 seconds.
iRunFar reported that each of the three ultra distances carried a prize purse of €24,500, with €5,000 to each winner.
Testing at the Majors
UTMB said before the race that the event would carry enhanced anti-doping controls, with 20 tests across the 50K, 100K and 100-mile races. Runners at a Major also collect double the usual Running Stones, the entries that weight a runner’s chances in the lottery for the Chamonix finals.
The UTMB World Series continues in October with Ultra-Trail Mount Yun in China (16–18 October), Puglia in Italy (23–25 October), and Kullamannen in Sweden and Mallorca in Spain at the end of the month.
