168K: Gorczyca's Masterclass from Start to Finish
The 14th edition of Istria 100 by UTMB delivered outstanding performances across all five distances as over 3,000 runners took on the stunning trails of the Croatian Istrian peninsula from April 9-12, 2026. The flagship 168K race, covering 7,140 meters of elevation gain from Labin to Umag via Mount Ucka and the medieval towns of Buzet and Motovun, saw Poland's Bartosz Gorczyca produce a masterclass in ultra-distance running.
Gorczyca led from the very first checkpoint and never looked back, continuously extending his advantage throughout the race. He crossed the finish line in Umag in 17:56:25, more than one hour ahead of the field. Finland's Juuso Simpanen took second in 19:05:50, while fellow Pole Piotr Uznanski completed an impressive climb from 25th place at the start to secure the final podium spot in 20:20:43. All three top finishers earned qualification for UTMB Mont-Blanc.
Romania's Marina Oana dominated the women's 168K in 21:36:12, ahead of Slovenia's Martina Klancnik Potrc (22:07:08), who improved on her 2025 DNF, and Czech Republic's Hana Vachova (23:05:58). Of the 374 starters, 256 completed the grueling course.
110K: Milata Claims Victory, Erkkila Shines for Finland
Slovakia's Patrik Milata ran a strong race on the 110K course (4,074m elevation gain), crossing the line in 9:27:19. Italy's Gionata Cogliati followed in 9:49:44, with Greece's Alexandros Karykas completing the podium in 10:37:38.
Finnish trail running star Anna-Stiina Erkkila took the women's 110K title in 11:05:40, continuing an excellent season for the former Golden Trail World Series top-10 finisher. Germany's Beliana Hilbert was second in 11:56:52, and Italy's Enrica Dematteis third in 12:00:40. The 110K saw 414 finishers from 472 starters.
69K: Ghiano Edges Out Kulung in a Thriller
The 69K produced one of the closest finishes of the entire festival. Italy's Gianluca Ghiano claimed victory in 5:39:08, just over a minute ahead of Nepal's Suman Kulung (5:40:17). Slovakia's Martin Halasz was close behind in third with 5:44:03.
Germany's Rosanna Buchauer, one of the pre-race favorites, delivered on expectations with a commanding women's victory in 6:00:15. The Elite-ranked runner finished well ahead of Switzerland's Mirjam Niederberger (6:23:19) and compatriot Miria Meinheit (6:32:51). Poland's Klaudia Petters earned a strong fourth-place finish in 6:43:37 in her UTMB-series debut. From 633 starters, 578 reached the finish.
42K: Delorenzi's Swiss Precision
Swiss SkyMarathon world champion Roberto Delorenzi brought his mountain running pedigree to Istria with a dominant 42K victory in 2:50:48. Italy's Lorenzo Beltrami was just over a minute behind in 2:51:57, while Spain's Roger Comellas Espelt rounded out the podium in 3:10:22.
Italy's Camilla Magliano won the women's 42K in 3:21:44, ahead of American Emily Schmitz (3:49:44) and compatriot Camilla Rizzardi (3:56:34). The 42K had 653 finishers from 682 starters.
21K: Costa Flies in Istria
Italy's Isacco Costa won the 21K in a blistering 1:08:25, well ahead of compatriots Jacopo Turra (1:16:28) and Michael Zagato (1:20:50). Vivien Bonzi (Italy) took the women's title in 1:23:10, followed by Czech Republic's Adela Haitlova (1:30:19) and Austria's Viktoria Schmidhuber (1:36:42). Nearly all of the 417 starters finished, with 412 completing the course.
A Growing Festival on Croatia's Stunning Coast
With over 3,000 participants from dozens of countries, Istria 100 by UTMB continues to establish itself as one of the premier trail running events in southeastern Europe. The varied distances and the spectacular route through Istria's ancient hilltop towns, forests, and coastal paths offer something for every level of trail runner. The strong Polish contingent, with 190 runners and a dominant 168K winner, was a particular highlight of this year's edition.