REED BREUER AND LEANDRA ZIMMERMANN WIN 2026 MARIN ULTRA CHALLENGE

Reed Breuer crossed the finish line at Rodeo Beach in 7:18:00, winning the men's 50 mile at the 2026 Marin Ultra Challenge on March 14 in Sausalito, California. His time bettered 2025 winner Jonah Backstrom's 7:29:24 by over 11 minutes — the fastest 50 mile performance at the event in years.

Leandra Zimmermann won the women's 50 mile in 8:05:02, just two seconds off Kimberly Neely's 2025 winning time of 8:03:00. Zimmermann, a German-born runner and Inside Trail Racing team member based in the Bay Area, made a transition from road marathons — she ran 2:46:05 at Boston in 2023 — and showed her speed carries across terrain and distance.

Men's Race

Breuer, 33, ran a controlled 50 miles through the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais, and Muir Woods to claim the ,000 top prize. The course carries 11,000 feet of elevation gain across coastal and redwood singletrack. His 7:18 sits well back of the all-time course record of 6:39:38 set by Ryan Neely in 2016, but marks a significant step forward in the event's recent competitive history.

The 13th edition of the race drew a sold-out field of 500 entries, with a 14-hour time limit.

Women's Race

Zimmermann's 8:05:02 matched the benchmark Kimberly Neely set in 2025. For a runner whose marathon PR suggests sub-7:00 ultra potential, the time reflects the technical nature of a course that demands trail-specific fitness over raw speed. Winning through the exposed ridgelines and dense redwood terrain of the Marin Headlands is a different test than road racing.

Zimmermann's finish within two seconds of the 2025 standard — in her first recorded win at the event — signals she is built for this terrain.

50K Results

In the 50K, Zander Geddes took the men's title in approximately 4:03, and YiOu Wang won the women's race in around 4:30. Wang, a San Anselmo local and two-time Lake Sonoma 50 Mile champion with a 50 mile PR of 7:14, trains regularly on the Marin course and brought that familiarity to bear over 31 miles.

What's Next

The Inside Trail Racing series continues through spring in Northern California. For Zimmermann, a Marin win adds a trail ultra title to a road pedigree and opens the door to longer distance racing in the summer calendar.