This week’s HOKA Ultra-Trail Australia is the first of the four UTMB World Series Majors and has attracted start lists to match its status.
It returns for its 18th edition in the spectacular World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains and welcomes more than 8,000 runners.
As a Major in the series, it will be broadcast live, including on live.utmb.world.
Six race formats are available — 161km (100M), 101km (100K), 51km (50K), 22km (20K), 11km, and 1km (reserved for children) – each offering a different perspective on the region’s striking landscapes.
The elite races get underway on Friday 15 May with the UTAMiler at 5:00am, followed by the UTA22 from 6:40am. On Saturday, the UTA100 and UTA50 races begin from 5:00am.
Here’s how the elite fields are looking for those feature races…
50K – Top two clash
The 50K promises to take centre stage, with a particularly strong women’s field.
New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (NZ, UTMB Index 823), winner of UTMB 2025 and currently on a streak of four consecutive victories, will line up against China’s Miao Yao (CHN, UTMB Index 822), winner of the OCC 2025.
Two reigning UTMB World Series champions, separated by just one point in the UTMB Index, set the stage for a contest that promises to be as close as it is compelling on the Blue Mountains trails.
Croft returns to UTA having last raced in 2021, when she won the UTA50, and will be using the event as an early-season benchmark as she builds toward her season’s primary goal – her UTMB title defence.
“The timing worked really well with my schedule this year. I was already in Australia for university, so UTA fit in perfectly before I head over to Europe. I also really enjoy the Blue Mountains, so it felt like the right race to come back to,” said Croft.
“UTMB is still the main focus, and most of my training so far has been centred around that. I’m not coming into UTA with any specific expectations or goals – it’s more an opportunity to see where my fitness is at and test myself against a strong field of women,” she said.
For Yao, a two-time OCC champion, UTA represents both a new racing environment and a key performance marker as she builds toward the CCC in August – a race she last won in 2018.
“In the last two months I have been preparing for 100km because my big goal of this year is CCC. UTA is an important race for me to check my training,” she said.
Racing in Australia for the first time on trail, Yao arrives with both ambition and admiration – particularly given the opportunity to race alongside one of her heroes.
“Ruth [Croft] is my favourite trail runner and my inspiration, and I know she speaks Chinese very well. I want to win UTMB someday, like her. I am excited because as far as I know, it will be the first time we are racing together,” said Yao.
Australia-based British runner Kate Avery will also likely feature at the front of the race and is one to watch. Avery won the UTA50 in 2024 and regularly features on the podium in races throughout Australia and New Zealand. She will be joined on the start line by fellow Brits Jemima Cooper and Katie Morgan, alongside Oceania athletes Hannah Wall, Holly Ranson, Demi Caldwell, Sara Levett, and Sophie Linn.
Defending champion Daniel Jones (NZL) highlights the men’s UTA50 in a start list that blends international pedigree with local talent, featuring Spain’s José Ángel Fernández Jiménez, Japan’s Hiroki Kai, and the Great Britain’s Luke Cotter, alongside a deep Australian contingent.
“It hasn’t been a long build [into UTA] but I feel like the training I have been doing has been real quality. Some of the biggest weeks I’ve ever had,” said Jones. “The Blue Mountains are spectacular, and the course is specific enough to the Western States training that I’m doing that it will set me up nicely for the 100-miler at the end of June.”
While results matter, his broader focus remains on performance progression.
“I would love to defend my title. But my big goal is to see what my body is capable of, racing on the back of some big training and altitude that I’ve just had at Falls Creek,” he said.
100K – Worlds collide
The UTA100 women’s field is one of the most internationally diverse in the event’s history, with runners from across Europe and North America lining up alongside Oceania contenders.
Noosa-based American Beth McKenzie is the top-ranked woman in this year’s race, while Poland’s Katarzyna Dombrowska is one of the key international threats, with strong competition expected from Canada’s Emilie Mann and Ireland’s Yvette Brady. Australia’s Meg Sinclair and New Zealand’s Julia Grant will spearhead the regional challenge.
The men’s UTA100 field continues the international theme, with China’s Guidu Qin and Guomin Deng joined by American Adrian Macdonald as key contenders.
After a challenging 2025 season, Macdonald is approaching UTA as a chance to reset and rediscover his love for racing. Drawn to both the legacy of the event and the opportunity to race in Australia again, UTA has long been on his radar.
“Last year ended up being a tough one for my running. I gutted out a tough finish at Western States and then had to DNF at the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100-miler,” said Macdonald. “Soon after, while on a post-race safari, I decided that I wanted to return to a part of the world where I’ve had a lot of success while also trying something new. UTA is a legendary race that has been on my radar since I first traveled to Australia and now felt like the perfect time to race it.”
Australia’s depth is a feature in the men’s UTA100, with five out of the top 10 ranked runners representing the host nation. Canberra’s Mike Carroll – last year’s UTA100 runner-up – is among a strong group of local contenders aiming to make their mark.
100M – Home advantage?
The women’s UTAMiler is headlined by a strong Oceania contingent, with Australia and New Zealand runners forming the core of a highly competitive field.
Australia’s Stephanie Auston, winner of the 100-mile race at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB, will be one of the key names to watch as she tackles the UTAMiler at an event that holds deep personal meaning.
“I was really excited to do the Miler this year. I have done every distance and was away last year so to come back and have a good go at the place where I started trail running would be really special,” said Auston. “It feels like a home race and I’m so excited to see so many familiar faces and cheer everyone on across all the events.”
Blue Mountains local Emily Brunt brings both experience and course familiarity, returning for her fourth consecutive UTA start and first attempt at the miler distance.
A former UTA100 champion, Brunt said: “My training and preparation for the UTAMiler has been quite different to my previous Miler’s as I had to take eight weeks off running at the start of the year with an injury. I kept my fitness with cycling and swimming, so looking forward to seeing what I can do with this unconventional approach.”
Australia’s Zoe Manning and New Zealand’s Emma Timmis and Katie Wright add further regional depth, while international runners Antonina Iushina and China’s Lin Chen bring proven pedigree and will ensure a highly competitive race.
In the UTAMiler men’s race, New Zealand’s Scotty Hawker headlines the region’s chances, returning to the Blue Mountains after a challenging period of injury and recovery.
“The past two years have been the toughest of my professional career as an athlete. What began in February 2024 was eventually diagnosed in August as pubis symphysis, adductor tears, and labral tears, sidelining me for the longest stretch of my career – including six months completely away from running, followed by a long and gradual build back to full health,” said Hawker.
Now back to full training and with a renewed perspective following the birth of his son earlier this year, Hawker arrives with both experience and motivation to contend over the 100-mile distance.
“The clear highlight through it all was welcoming our baby boy, Cooper, into the world earlier this year. Having him here with us now definitely puts everything into perspective. I’m super excited to be heading back to the Blueys again for another long run in the mountains,” he said.
Australia’s Chris Lenkic, winner of the 100-mile race at the 2023 Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko by UTMB, will also be firmly in the mix in his UTAMiler debut.
A proven performer over the distance, Lenkic will be one of several Australian athletes looking to capitalise on home-ground advantage, including Ryan Tomkins and Tim Woods. Around them, international runners including Aleksei Tolstenko and Aleksei Beresnev headline the UTMB Index rankings, while athletes from Europe and Asia add further depth
