HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons by UTMB, live.

Round Big Bear Valley and over Sugarloaf

HOKA Kodiak Ultra Marathons is the UTMB World Series race in Big Bear Lake, California, a couple of hours from Los Angeles, with racing on 9 and 10 October 2026.

In 2026 Kodiak was the series’ Americas Major, with double Running Stones and, per the organiser, 210 automatic qualifying places for the 2027 Finals. The courses cross three climates, high desert with Joshua trees, subalpine forest with tall pines and semi-arid slopes, with Big Bear Lake in view much of the way. The 100M starts at 13:00 on Friday 9 October from the Rim Nordic Ski Area: 161 km, 4,876 m of ascent and 36 hours, circling the whole valley.

Saturday 10 October starts in the Village of Big Bear Lake: the 100K (101.1 km, 3,143 m, 20 hours 15 minutes) at 06:00, the 50K (49 km, 1,364 m, 10 hours) at 07:30 and the 10K (9.4 km, 342 m, 3 hours) at 12:00. A 21K (21.7 km, 678 m) is also on the programme. The defining points are Sugarloaf Mountain at 9,995 ft, the valley’s highest, the ridge of the Skyline Trail on the south shore and, on the 100M, a few miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Holcomb Valley. The organiser lists Kodiak as a qualifier for the UTMB World Series Finals and the Western States Endurance Run.

A hundred miles that start after lunch run through a whole night, with much of the course above 7,000 ft, and some aid stations, like Doble Camp, have no parking for supporters. A runner can share a link to their own Livebib broadcast. Family open it in a browser, no app and no account, and see the runner’s position on the course line, the distance covered and a finish estimate that updates as the race goes. Where the phone loses signal in the pines, the position is carried forward along the course and marked estimated instead of freezing. The runner decides who gets the link.