Race calendar · November 2026
13 ultramarathons across the US in November 2026, sorted by date. Which weekends are busiest, what the fields actually run, entry fees, and where each one starts.
November ultras sit at the hinge of the racing year: the summer heat is gone, but shorter days and unpredictable trail conditions make these races genuinely demanding. Cool mornings can give way to warm afternoons in the South and West, while the Northeast and Midwest may hand you frost, mud, and early darkness all in the same effort.
The calendar clusters heavily in early November, with a second wave around the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That timing suits runners closing out their season with a final long effort, but it also means holiday travel and shrinking daylight affect both training blocks and race-day logistics in ways that other months simply do not.
Because daylight is short, any race stretching past mid-afternoon will push slower or longer efforts into darkness. If you are entering a fifty-miler or longer, plan your crew and pacer access around headlamp time, not just pace. A runner who has done all their long training runs in daylight may underestimate how much the dark slows a tired body on technical terrain.
What the field actually runs
How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Nov 12, 2026.
When in November
Ultramarathons are not spread evenly across November. Here is how the calendar actually falls, weekend by weekend, which is the part worth knowing before you book a trip or plan a taper around one.
By the numbers
The largest field of any November Ultra, from the most recent published results.
It is a lean month for the Ultra. November carries 13, against 37 in April and 7 in July, the quietest. A November race is worth planning around rather than picking late, because the one that fits your training block may be the only one within reach.
Layer for cold starts and warm midday swings rather than dressing for one temperature. A moisture-wicking base, a midlayer you can stow at an aid station, and a wind shell at the top covers most November scenarios. Gloves and a hat matter at the gun, especially for early-morning starts in mountain or inland venues where cold is sharpest before sunrise.
Desert and coastal California courses are often mild and dry in November, making for runnable conditions throughout the day. Mountain and inland courses can be muddy, frost-covered, or subject to early snow. Check elevation and recent weather for any course you are considering, since conditions vary widely across the country in late fall.
A fifty-kilometer build typically needs sixteen to twenty weeks of structured training, which puts your start in late June or July. A fifty-miler or longer requires more runway still. Starting in summer means your long runs happen in heat, which adds a layer of difficulty but also builds a useful fitness base before November temperatures drop.
Wet leaves on packed trail are as slick as ice and nearly impossible to read at speed. Mud after rain or frost can add significant time and energy cost to sections that look short on paper. Build a conservative early pace into your plan and treat traction loss as a given on any wooded course running in the second half of the month.
The busiest weekend is November 28 and November 29, with 5 of them. Another 2 fall on a weekday, which is worth knowing if you are traveling for one.
Across the 3 of these November ultramarathons with published results from past editions, the median finisher ran 6:30:38, and the median winning time was 4:31:04. So anything under 6:30:38 puts you in the faster half of a typical field. That is the middle of these RunSignup fields, walkers and charity entrants included, not a national average.
The median one finished 17 runners, across the 3 of these November ultramarathons with published results from past editions. Most are far smaller than the big-city events people picture, which means less crowding at the start and a friendlier field, with a last recorded finisher at 10:06:45.
Yes, 4 races around the United States get you off the pavement: 2 are trail races, and 2 mix road and trail.
