VERMONT 100 2026 PREVIEW: DIRT ROADS, HORSE TRAILS, AND A 4 A.M. START
The 2026 edition of one of America's oldest 100-mile races takes over West Windsor, Vermont, the weekend of July 17 to 19. The Vermont 100 sends its 100-mile field off at 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, with the companion 100K starting five hours later at 9 a.m.
Runners in the 100-mile have 30 hours to reach the finish, a 10 a.m. Sunday cutoff. The 100K field gets 25 hours against the same deadline.
The Course
The 100-mile route is a Vermont sampler: 68 miles of rolling dirt roads, 30 miles of horse trails, and two miles of pavement, adding up to roughly 17,000 feet of climbing. The 100K covers 41 miles of dirt road and 20 miles of horse trail with about 9,000 feet of gain.
None of the individual climbs rival what Western mountain races offer. The difficulty comes from repetition, since the course rarely stays flat, and from July heat and humidity in the river valleys. The route crosses more than 30 pieces of private property that open to runners only on race weekend.
Support is unusually dense for a 100-miler. The full course has 25 aid stations, and crews can meet their runners at designated stops throughout.
The Race's Character
The event has run since 1989 and once shared its weekend with an endurance horse ride, a legacy that survives in the horse-trail miles and in awards that include custom horseshoes. The full story of the race's origins is covered in our Vermont 100 history.
The race also serves as a fundraiser for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, which provides year-round sports programs for athletes with disabilities. Finishers earn belt buckles graded by finishing time, a tradition the race shares with the sport's oldest events.
Who to Watch
Justin Scheid of the United States won the 2025 men's race in 15:37:07. Jenny Hoffman took the women's title in 17:29:27. Entry lists for 2026 have not been published in detail, so it is not yet confirmed whether either champion returns.
The course records have stood for more than a decade. Brian Rusiecki ran 14:47:35 in 2014, and Kami Semick set the women's mark of 16:42:32 in 2010. Recent winning times have not come close to either record, which says something about how deep those two performances were.
The 2024 women's race produced the closest recent result to the record era, with Sarah Gage winning in 17:19:45. On the men's side, winning times have ranged from 15:36:49 to 17:24:00 over the last several editions.
What Decides It
Every 100-mile entrant had to complete a qualifying race before June 1, and the field typically blends first-time 100-mile runners with East Coast veterans. The winners are usually the runners who manage the heat through Saturday afternoon and keep moving on the dirt-road descents that shred quads late in the race.
The race starts in the dark on Saturday morning. By Sunday's 10 a.m. cutoff, the field will have spent up to 30 hours on the roads and trails of the Green Mountain foothills.