THE DRIFT 100 RETURNS IN 2026 DESPITE PERMIT HURDLES AND FIRE FALLOUT

The 2026 edition of The Drift 100 reached its March 13 start line in Big Piney, Wyoming, ending months of doubt. A permitting dispute with the Bridger-Teton National Forest and fire damage from the Dollar Lake Fire had threatened the race through late 2025, forcing course modifications that organizers finalized only weeks before the gun.

The Drift is a self-supported 100-mile winter ultra through the Wind River Mountains — no crew, no pacers, no cell service. Competitors choose their method: skis, fat bike, or foot. The course gains 9,000 feet and crosses the Continental Divide at mile 47, topping out near 9,840 feet before dropping back toward Big Piney. A 48-hour cutoff governs the field.

Course Conditions

March in the Wind Rivers rarely cooperates. Groomed snowmobile corridor or not, the course routinely serves sub-zero wind chills and snowpack measured in feet at the high point. The 2026 edition ran on a modified route that skirted the eastern edge of the Dollar Lake Fire scar on the back half, adding an estimated 2–3 miles to sections near the Continental Divide crossing.

The reroute placed more exposed ridgeline miles in the final 30 — a punishing stretch for anyone running or biking, and a navigational test in low-visibility conditions.

What the Race Demands

To understand this edition, the recent history matters. In 2024, Shalane Frost of Fairbanks, Alaska completed the course on skis in 23:21:36 — becoming the first woman to win The Drift 100 overall. Edyn Teitge of Hailey, Idaho, then 14 years old, finished second on a fat bike at 23:55. The 2024 field drew 52 athletes from 24 states. The full arc of the race's first six years — from cattle trails to course records — is covered in the history of The Drift 100.

In 2025, Cynthia Dywan won the women's race in 41:28:53, a time that reflects the severity of a harder conditions year — nearly 18 hours slower than Frost's ski-aided 2024 performance. A detailed account of Dywan's effort and that edition's conditions is in the 2025 Drift 100 recap.

The variance between editions is built into the race's design. You choose your mode; you choose your suffering. A skier can cover ground that would destroy a runner's legs, but a skier carrying food and gear for 40-plus hours faces their own arithmetic.

Results Pending

Final 2026 results and full finisher data were not yet published at the time of this report. The Drift's remote course and minimal support infrastructure mean results collection takes time — finishing times continue coming in for 24-plus hours after the leaders cross.

Complete results will be posted to thedrift100.com.

Context

The Drift sits in a narrow category of American winter ultras with no real peers in terms of elevation and self-sufficiency requirements. It does not offer prize money, professional timing, or a finish-line crowd. What it offers is 100 miles of the Wind River Mountains in early March, on whatever terms the mountain sets.

The 2027 edition is currently listed for March 1.