Results: 2026
| Category | Name | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Eduardo Morales | 20:12:08 |
| Women | Taelor Smith | 22:56:58 |
109 of 212 starters finished.
The organizer's live data was last updated October 4 at 2:58 PM and lists 109 finishers, 103 DNFs and 53 non-starters; UltraSignup shows the same 109 finishers. The organizer's results and splits menus still link to 2025 as of October 10. The 2026 race book describes a new Front Range loop with an out-and-back section to Mt. Hillyer. Times should not be compared directly with records from the previous courses; a return to the point-to-point route depends on road and trail repairs.
Source: Organizer live tracking — post-race 2026 standings. Checked October 10, 2026.
Event Overview
The 36th Angeles Crest 100 uses a new Front Range loop from Loma Alta Park for 2026 because of Highway 2 closures and Eaton Fire impacts.
| Date | Oct 3-4, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Altadena, California, USA |
| Format | Fixed-Distance |
| Terrain | Mountain |
| Region | North America |
| Distance / duration | 100 mi |
| State / area | California (CA) |
| Course model | Loop |
| Edition note | The 2026 edition uses a new Front Range loop from Altadena, including an out-and-back section to Mt. Hillyer, instead of the traditional point-to-point course. |
| Cutoff | 33 hours |
| Start | 5:00 AM Saturday |
| Field size | Entry is by lottery on UltraSignup, with about 210 lottery places plus places for volunteers, sponsors and Sterling Silver Ticket holders. Entrants need a 50-mile finish and 8 hours of trail work. The official 2025 split sheet lists 204 runners, of whom 103 finished. |
| Highlights | San Gabriel Mountains, 36th Edition |
Course & Terrain
A mountain loop starting and finishing at Loma Alta Park in Altadena, with an out-and-back section to Mt. Hillyer.
Why This Race Matters
The Angeles Crest 100 was first run on September 27, 1986, from Wrightwood across the San Gabriel Mountains to a finish at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena; Richard Provost (21:52:00) and Sheila Hasham (29:15:19) won the first edition. Hal Winton co-directed the race for 30 years, and Ken Hamada is the current race director. The original course measured 101.9 miles with 20,610 ft of elevation change; the later point-to-point to Loma Alta Park in Altadena is 100.2 miles with 19,930 ft. After the 2009 Station Fire stopped that year's race, the event moved to the first weekend in August to avoid fire season, which made summer heat a main factor. The pandemic, fire damage and storm damage cancelled the 2020, 2021 and 2023 editions, and the 2022 and 2025 races used a high-country out-and-back from Wrightwood. For 2026, Highway 2 storm damage and Eaton Fire closures led to a 100.8-mile Front Range loop from Altadena, including an out-and-back section to Mt. Hillyer, with about 20,000 ft of climbing, run in October for the first time since 2008. In 2025, 103 of the 204 runners on the official split sheet finished.
Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):
- Men: Jim O’Brien, 17:35:48, 1989 (original 101.9-mile course)
- Women: Pam Smith, 21:04:18, 2014 (100.2-mile point-to-point)
Preparing for a Race Like Angeles Crest 100
The 100-mile race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:
- Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
- Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
- Gut training for ultrarunners: A six-week practice sequence for race-day fueling.
- Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.
Planning Notes
- Treat intermediate cutoff gates as part of the course. Build enough margin for aid stops and late-race slowdown, and verify every current gate in the official rules.
- Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
- The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
Related Preparation
- Compare verified US 100-mile races
- Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
- Open the 100-Mile format guide
- Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
- Compare all race formats
- Use the timed-race pace calculator
- Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
- Build a crew and drop-bag plan
- Build a race-specific gear checklist
Verification & Sources
Verification scope: the listed edition's date, location, format, and available logistics were checked against the event-specific official sources below during the directory review dated August 18, 2026. Organizers can revise details after review.
- Official Angeles Crest 100 site — https://ac100.com/
- Official 2026 registration information — https://ac100.com/reg/
- Official course history and course records — https://ac100.com/course-history-changes/
- Official 2026 race status — https://ac100.com/2026-race-status/
- Official 2026 race book — https://ac100.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AC100_RaceBook_2026_v2_093026.pdf
- Official 2025 finish splits — https://ac100.com/2025-finish-splits/
- Organizer live tracking (2026 post-race standings) — https://ac100.com/live/HTML/Mobile/indexm.htm
- UltraSignup 2026 results — https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=129320
- Multiday Running event directory review scope: August 18, 2026.
