10 Ultra Running Influencers to Follow in 2026
Most ultra running content now lives on Instagram, YouTube and podcasts. You can watch race footage, hear how athletes train, follow huge mountain projects and see what goes wrong along the way.
You will find some of the best racers in the world here, but this is not just a list of the biggest accounts. The most useful follows are often the people who show the training, bad days, race decisions and long hours that sit behind the finish line photo.
10 ultra running influencers worth following
Pick the kind of ultra content you actually want in your feed.
What you will find on this list
There is a mix of elite racers, filmmakers, podcasters, race creators and endurance adventurers here. Some accounts are best for training and race coverage. Others are worth following for mountain films, interviews, big adventure projects or simply a more interesting look at the sport. The numbers are only for navigation, not a ranking of who is the better runner.
Kilian Jornet
If mountain running is what pulled you into ultras, Kilian Jornet is hard to skip. His feed moves between racing, steep mountain days, long projects done under his own power, training thoughts and environmental work. He returned to Western States after more than a decade away and finished third in 2025. In 2026, he came back again as one of the biggest names in the field.
The race results are only part of the reason to follow him. A route idea or a day in the mountains can be just as interesting as a podium photo.
Courtney Dauwalter
Courtney Dauwalter runs distances that are hard to picture, yet her social feed rarely feels intimidating. In 2023 she won Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in the same year. She was still right at the front of the sport in 2026, finishing second at the Cocodona 250 before winning Hardrock in 26:03:10 and setting another clockwise course record.
She does not turn every workout into a lesson. You mostly get a look at the training, the races and the personality behind them. The basketball shorts and aid station candy help.
Sally McRae
Sally McRae shares more than race photos. Her content moves between running, strength work, family, mindset and the practical side of getting ready for very long races.
She keeps racing huge distances too. Her 2026 calendar included the Long Haul 100, Cocodona 250 and Badwater 135. If you like hearing someone explain the work behind the result, she is a good follow.
Jim Walmsley
If you follow elite trail racing closely, Jim Walmsley is one of the names you will keep seeing. He was named the 2025 UltraRunner of the Year after wins at Chianti 120K, OCC and the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Long Trail race.
His 2026 Western States ended in a DNF. That is part of the appeal of following athletes while a season is happening. You see the wins, but you also see injuries, bad days and goals that do not work out.
Lucy Bartholomew
Lucy Bartholomew ran her first 100K as a teenager, so she has been around ultrarunning for a long time. Her content still feels fresh. She talks about racing, health, food and how an endurance career changes over time.
She is racing well in 2026 too, with second place at Transvulcania and second woman at the Lavaredo 120K. She also writes about the sport. That gives you more than a stream of finish line photos.
Jeff Pelletier
If you would rather watch one good race film than scroll through dozens of short clips, start with Jeff Pelletier. The Vancouver ultrarunner has built one of the strongest trail running channels on YouTube. His videos feel like stories, not just race recaps.
He also knows the races from the inside. Recent results include second at the 2023 Moab 240, Badwater 135 in 2025 and eighth at the Mammoth 200. His longer videos are especially good at showing how an ultra changes after many hours on your feet.
Dylan Bowman
Dylan Bowman is a good follow if you want to understand the wider trail running world, not just one athlete’s training. Through Freetrail, he covers runners, races, the outdoor industry and the business around the sport.
The Freetrail Podcast is still active in 2026, with regular conversations and coverage from major races such as UTMB. It is useful when you want context. Who is racing? Why did a result matter? What is changing in the sport?
Stephanie Case
Stephanie Case brings a very different perspective to ultra running. She is an ultrarunner, a human rights lawyer and the founder of Free to Run. Running is important, but it is clearly not the only thing in her life.
Her return to racing drew a lot of attention in 2025 when she won the Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100K six months after giving birth, breastfeeding her daughter at aid stations along the way. She later finished fifth woman at Hardrock. Her account feels different because the running sits inside a much bigger story.
Candice Burt
Candice Burt has shaped ultrarunning as both a runner and a race creator. Through Destination Trail, she helped make point to point 200 mile races such as Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200 and Moab 240 much more visible.
She has plenty of her own long distance experience too, including fastest known times. If 100 miles has started to sound almost reasonable, her world of route planning, fastpacking and 200 mile racing is an interesting next step.
Ryan Keeping
Ryan Keeping is a newer name than most of the runners above, but his projects are enormous. He ran across Canada in 2024, following the route associated with Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. In 2025, he set a fastest known time around Iceland’s Ring Road.
In 2026 he moved further into ultra racing, including the Arizona Monster 300 and Tahoe 200. Canadian readers may find his account especially fun to follow because his career is still changing quickly.
