2026 Australia by UTMB: Yao Miao Claims 50K Title

This weekendthe global trail running spotlight will again turn to the southern hemisphere, as Australia by UTMB reignites the action in the Blue Mountains.The event features six categories — 100M, 100KM, 50KM, 22KM, 11KM and 1KM (kids) — allowing participants of different levels to explore this beautiful mountain range in their own way.

Runners will thread between sandstone cliffs, primeval forests and the iconic Furber Steps, while experiencing Indigenous welcome ceremonies and traditional music, and taking in the unique blend of nature, culture and sport.

In yesterday's 22KM race, Luo Qiong took an excellent second place in the women's field. Today, two Chinese athletes, Yao Miao and Qin Gui, competed in the 50KM and 100KM events, respectively.

Chinese trail running star Yao Miao is undoubtedly one of the most watched competitors in the 50K field. As the 2025 OCC champion and the 2025 UTMB World Series European Major Aran Valley 50K champion, Yao will face a strong challenge at the Blue Mountains.

Her biggest rival is 2025 UTMB champion Ruth Croft, who has recently put together four straight wins. Their UTMB indices are 822 and 823 respectively — just one point apart — making this duel one of the most suspenseful matchups of the event.

In the men's 100 km, Chinese runner Tan Guidu will be a strong contender for the title. This is his second attempt at a long-distance event this season; after winning the 93K at the Hong Kong 100 earlier this year, he will once again step onto the international start line. Having been affected by the flu recently, whether he can break through a field of top international rivals remains one of the biggest question marks in this category.

The 50 km category started at 3:05 AM Beijing time, covering a total distance of 51 kilometers with a cumulative ascent of 2400+ meters.

After the start, Yao Miao took the women's lead, reaching the first checkpoint NARROW NECK TRAIL in 15:01,Ruth Croft trailed by just 3 seconds. Among the men, last year's champion, Australian Daniel Jones, and Japan's Hajime Kasagi occupied the top two positions.

In the following race Yao Miao led from the front, and her lead over Ruth Croft gradually widened. By the time they reached the EMERGENCY AID STATION at 42.7 km, Yao Miao held nearly a three-minute lead. But she was about to face the biggest challenge of the race: the final 9 km featured nearly 800 m of elevation gain, including a final just-over-1-km section with a slope reaching 41 degrees.

Ultimately Yao Miao held under pressure; when Ruth Croft closed in to within striking distance, Yao Miao surged again to open up the gap, and ultimately crossed the line first in 4 hours 33 minutes 12 seconds, claiming her first victory since joining ACG. Congratulations to Yao Miao!

Ruth Croft finished second in the women's race in 4:34:42.

On the men's side,Daniel Jones held on to his lead and claimed the title again in 4:04:11.Japanese runner Hajime Kasagi finished second in 4:15:59.

100 km category, total distance 101 km, cumulative ascent 4400+ m.

Qin Guidu started the race in good form, holding first place through the first 45 km, with a 45 km split of 3:39:58. But the race situation then changed, and Australian runner Micheal Dunstan overtook Qin Guidu at 50 km and moved into first placeand continued to pull away from Qin Guidu.

By the 60 km mark,Micheal Dunstan's lead over Qin Guidu had reached three and a half minutes. And behind Qin Guidu, American runner Adrian Macdonald had also closed to just 22 seconds — can Qin Guidu hold under the pressure?

The competition among the women unfolded between Poland's Katarzyna Dombrowska and American Beth Mckenzie. At 45 km,Katarzyna Dombrowska had originally been more than two minutes behind Beth Mckenzie, but in the following section she surged ahead, and by 56 km Katarzyna Dombrowska held nearly a two-minute lead.

At the time of publication, the 100 km category race was still underway, and we hopeQin Guidu maintains a steady performance and achieves a good result.

Text: HP / Editor:HP

Image: Trail Running Big Bang/ Visual: Max