UTMB 2026 Faces Absence of Fastest Woman, Katie Schide — image accompanying Marathon Handbook's report. Image accompanying Marathon Handbook’s report; reduced and presented for news commentary with the attributed report. View the complete source report.
Katie Schide, the fastest woman in UTMB history, will miss the 2026 race due to a foot injury. This absence creates a significant gap in the women's field. Schide's 2024 time of 22:09:31 was over 20 minutes faster than the previous record.
The men's field is also notable for the absence of the 2025 champion, Tom Evans. Despite this, the field remains strong, with Walmsley leading by UTMB Index. The Index ranks runners on a single scale, but this year it does not align with the star billing. Read more racing coverage.
The women's race will see a rematch between Ruth Croft and Sage Dauwalter. Schide's absence changes the dynamics, as no other woman in the field has run close to Schide's record time. Other contenders include Riley Brady, Fuzhao Xiang, Sunmaya Budha, and Blandine L'Hirondel. Related: Ingebrigtsen Criticizes Kerr for Missing European Championships.
This original Runner World brief is based on reporting from Marathon Handbook. Visit the source for its complete reporting, context and any later corrections.
Reader questions
Questions about this report
What should runners know about UTMB 2026 Faces Absence of Fastest Woman, Katie Schide?
Katie Schide, who holds the fastest women's time at UTMB, will miss the 2026 race due to injury. Katie Schide, the fastest woman in UTMB history, will miss the 2026 race due to a foot injury. This absence creates a significant gap in the women's field. Schide's 2024 time of 22:09:31 was over 20 minutes faster than the previous record.
When did Runner World publish this racing brief?
Runner World published this brief on August 14, 2026. The underlying Marathon Handbook report was dated August 13, 2026.
Where can readers find the complete original report?
This summary is based on reporting from Marathon Handbook. The attributed source link in the article leads to the publisher’s complete report.
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