Records Tumble as Antonina Iushina and Aleksei Tolstenko Claim 2026 UTAMiler Titles

The UTAMiler returned for the second time after debuting in 2025. This year, almost 450 runners took on the challenge of 100 miles through the iconic trails of the Blue Mountains National Park, with their journey beginning at 5:00am on Friday morning.

Antonina Iushina was in a league of her own all day, leading from start to finish to take the win in a time of 19:51:13, more than two hours faster than the previous course best time of 21:52:24, and nearly two hours clear of Australia’s Steph Auston in second place. New Zealand’s Emma Timmis rounded out the women’s UTAMiler podium in 22:57:49.

“I’m excited to win, but now I’m tired,” said Iushina. “I wasn’t expecting to lead from start to finish. I enjoyed the race – the best part were the landscapes of the Blue Mountains and seeing kangaroos.”

The men’s UTAMiler race was a tale of two Aleksei’s, as Tolstenko battled it out with Aleksei Beresnev for 97 of the 100 miles, with Tolstenko engineering the decisive break as they neared the base of the infamous Furber Steps.

Tolstenko ultimately claimed the victory in 17:38:27, just less than six minutes clear of Beresnev in 17:44:08. Australia’s Chris Lenkic finished third in 18:34:57.

“I’m very happy, it’s the best race and I’m very proud of the finish. It was a crazy last few kilometres, technical uphill. It was not the plan [to run with Beresnev]. I just had a bit more power and speed uphill,” said Tolstenko.

“It’s my first time in Australia and I was excited to see a lot of kangaroos on course, it was beautiful moments. It’s an amazing course, good trails,” he said.

Tolstenko’s winning time was three and a half hours faster than he’d previously run over 100 miles, and more than an hour faster than last year’s UTAMiler course best time of 18:55:24.

The top 10 female and male finishers in the UTAMiler earned direct qualification to the 2027 UTMB World Series Finals in Chamonix, France.

UTAMiler runners will continue to stream across the finish line throughout the day and into the night, with the total allowable time 44 hours 30 minutes and final cutoff at 1:40am on Sunday morning.

More racing continues today in the Blue Mountains, with runners in the UTA100 and UTA50 getting their races underway from 5:00am AEST this morning. Both races are being broadcast live and free to viewers around the world via live.utmb.world and the UTMB World Series YouTube. The first finisher in the UTA50 is expected across the line around 9:00am AEST.

UTAMiler Results – Women

1. Antonina Iushina (AIN) 19:51:13
2. Stephanie Auston (AUS) 22:01:47
3. Emma Timmis (NZL) 22:57:49
4. Katie Wright (NZL) 23:26:54
5. Emily Brunt (AUS) 24:37:24

UTAMiler Results – Men

1. Aleksei Tolstenko (AIN) 17:38:27
2. Aleksei Beresnev (AIN) 17:44:08
3. Chris Lenkic (AUS) 18:34:57
4. Piotr Babis (POL) 19:04:20
5. Fabien Desaunois (FRA) 19:41:52