The Mountain Ultra took place in Kygyzstan’s Tian Shan Mountain Range. Covering 200km with 10,500m of elevation over five days, runners will start in the mountain town of Karakul, before heading deep into valleys inhabited by Nomadic families and over rarely touched trails at high altitude. Download the race pack to learn more.
Runners crossed the start line and descended into the Karakol Valley, embarking on a 200km self-sufficient ultra marathon through the Tian Shan Mountains as part of the Global Race Series. Over five stages and some truly brutal terrain, the field was tested to its limits, and by the finish every runner had a story to tell.
Sue Paz-Bylund Wins the 2026 Mountain Ultra!
Swedish runner Sue crossed the line in a blistering 42hrs 34mins after winning every stage. A dominant, start-to-finish performance that put daylight between herself and the rest of the women’s field from day one and never let up.
Sheena Berry and Liliana Soto round out the women’s podium in the 2026 Mountain Ultra. Sheena put in a brilliant performance to finish strong on the last day, securing second place in 50hrs 9mins.
Behind Sheena came Liliana, who built steadily throughout the week to put in a fantastic performance that resulted in 3rd! Liliana finished in 52hrs 10mins.
Tommy Chen Wins the Men’s Mountain Ultra!
What a run from Taiwanese Tommy Chen, who wins the 2026 Mountain Ultra Men’s race in 37hrs 13mins. Chen’s won every stage by a considerable margin, a mark of just how strong his week in the mountains was.
David Nicolas takes second place with a total time of 39hrs 43mins after five incredibly consistent days. Just behind David came Mathis Paz-Bylund, who put in an epic performance to secure the third step on the podium! Phenomenal work from two fantastically consistent athletes.
Tomomi Bitoh, Madeleine Ryan and Ryuto Miyagi crossed the line after nearly 20 hours on their feet. Our last few pushed through an incredibly difficult effort to make it across the line and into the final camp.
Madeleine in particular faced her demons after her DNF in 2025, finally completing the Mountain Ultra. A brilliant, hard-won redemption story to close out the race, exactly the kind of resilience the Mountain Ultra is built to test.
The Mountain Ultra is part of the Global Race Series by ThruDark, and supported by Silva and RealMeal.
Mountain Ultra Live Leaderboard
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