We Noticed: Life Time Series Results, Big Sugar Gravel, Fall Marathon Season Continues and More
Life Time Big Sugar Gravel
Bentonville, Arkansas · Saturday 17 October 2026
Stella Hobbs and Tobias Mørch Kongstad took the wins at the Life Time Big Sugar Gravel races in Bentonville Arkansas on the weekend. Hobbs was part of a breakaway of eight before pulling clear on the Powerline climb and staying out in front for a 1:44 winning margin. The left a four-rider race for the final two spots on the podium, where Sofia Gómex Villafañe managed to get to the line ahead of Hayley Preen. Kylee Hanel and Karolina Mignoñ rouded out the top five.
The men’s race featured a nine-man sprint for the win, with Mørch Kongstad taking the nod ahead of Martins Blums and Cole Paton (who won the Life Time Little Sugar MTB race the previous week).
MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martins Blums | 4:36:02 | |
| 2 | Cole Paton | 4:36:02 | – |
| 3 | Matthew Wilson | 4:36:03 | +0:01 |
| 4 | Drew Dillman | 4:36:03 | +0:01 |
| 5 | Brendan Johnston | 4:36:03 | +0:01 |
| 6 | Andreas Seewald | 4:36:05 | +0:03 |
| 7 | Cobe Freeburn | 4:37:07 | +1:05 |
| 8 | Caleb Swartz | 4:39:08 | +3:06 |
| 9 | Andrew L’Esperance | 4:39:24 | +3:22 |
| 10 | Cameron Jones | 4:39:24 | +3:22 |
WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stella Hobbs | 5:10:33 | |
| 2 | Sofia Gomez Villafañe | 5:12:17 | +1:44 |
| 3 | Hayley Preen | 5:12:18 | +1:45 |
| 4 | Karolina Migon | 5:12:21 | +1:48 |
| 5 | Cecile Lejeune | 5:12:42 | +2:09 |
| 6 | Paige Onweller | 5:13:50 | +3:17 |
| 7 | Sarah Lange | 5:16:44 | +6:11 |
| 8 | Lauren De Crescenzo | 5:18:11 | +7:38 |
| 9 | Emma Langley | 5:21:10 | +10:37 |
| 10 | Cecily Decker | 5:21:13 | +10:40 |
Life Time Grand Prix
Villafañe’s second place finish was more than enough to net her a fourth-straight Life Time Grand Prix title ahead of Preen and Decker. The men’s race was considerably closer, with Keegan Swenson hanging on for a one-point win over Brendan Johnston, with Matthew Wilson finishing another two points back. Swenson finished 24th on Saturday after flatting. Swenson and Villafañe missed the Little Sugar race the previous weekend to compete in the UCI World Gravel Championships in Australia, which put their overall titles in jeopardy.
“That was a hard day and very tactical, so I’m super happy to have produced a really good ride,” Villafañe said after the race. “The group started to whittle down going into the second feed zone. Stella [Hobbs] was really pushing the pace and I was like ‘This girl has winning legs today’, and I couldn’t follow her when she attacked. The group I was in tried really hard to bring her back but we couldn’t, so I was super happy to take the sprint for second place.”
“I’m excited to defend my Life Time Grand Prix title and I knew I had to put a lot of races together to make it happen,” she continued. “Both Melisa [Rollins] and Cecily [Decker] getting injured really helped me with that, and I’m so thankful to the coaches I have, and my off-road team.”
“I’m stoked to have won the overall as it was a rough day for me,” Swenson said. “I flatted early on and it took a while to get that sorted, but I just put my head down and chased all day. I wasn’t sure how it was going to shake out in the front, and I was just hoping that the guys that were close to me on the standings weren’t having great days as well. I’m super psyched to have done it.”
Men’s final overall standings after Big Sugar Gravel:
| POS | ATHLETE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keegan Swenson | 123 |
| 2 | Brendan Johnston | 122 |
| 3 | Matthew Wilson | 120 |
| 4 | Cole Paton | 117 |
| 5 | Bradyn Lange | 115 |
| 6 | Andreas Seewald | 96 |
| 7 | Martins Blums | 93 |
| 8 | Torbjorn Andre Roed | 92 |
| 9 | Cobe Freeburn | 90 |
| 10 | Alexey Vermeulen | 89 |
Women’s final standings:
| POS | ATHLETE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sofia Gomez Villafañe | 137 |
| 2 | Hayley Preen | 116 |
| 3 | Cecily Decker | 112 |
| 4 | Karolina Migon | 111 |
| 5 | Lauren Stephens | 106 |
| 6 | Sarah Lange | 103 |
| 7 | Paige Onweller | 100 |
| 8 | Cecile Lejeune | 96 |
| 9 | Alexis Skarda | 91 |
| 10 | Samara Sheppard | 86 |
Amsterdam and Toronto Waterfront Marathons
There were a couple of major marathons on the schedule last weekend in Amsterdam and Toronto.
TCS TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON
Sunday 18 October 2026
In Toronto Leonard Langat successfully defended his title in 2:06:51, while Leah Jeruto came close to the women’s course record with her 2:21:19 winning time. The race also served as the Canadian National Marathon Championships, with Andrew Davies taking the men’s title with an impressive 2:08:48 debut. Dayna Pidhoresky took the women’s national championship in a three-minute-plus PB of 2:26:02
MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonard Langat | KEN | 2:06:51 | |
| 2 | Fanny Kiprotich | KEN | 2:07:21 | +0:30 |
| 3 | Noah Kipkemboi | KEN | 2:07:25 | +0:34 |
| 4 | Asbel Rutto | KEN | 2:07:32 | +0:41 |
| 5 | Elvis Cheboi | KEN | 2:07:37 | +0:46 |
| 6 | Wesley Kiptoo | USA | 2:08:08 | +1:17 |
| 7 | Gizealew Ayana | ETH | 2:08:10 | +1:19 |
| 8 | Yismaw Atinafu | ETH | 2:08:44 | +1:53 |
| 9 | Andrew Davies | CAN | 2:08:48 | +1:57 |
| 10 | John Gay | CAN | 2:13:01 | +6:10 |
WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leah Jeruto | KEN | 2:21:19 | |
| 2 | Nigsti Haftu | ETH | 2:21:34 | +0:15 |
| 3 | Ayinadis Teshome | ETH | 2:22:51 | +1:32 |
| 4 | Biruktayit Degefa | ETH | 2:24:07 | +2:48 |
| 5 | Maritu Ketema | ETH | 2:24:45 | +3:26 |
| 6 | Beatrice Cheserek | KEN | 2:24:54 | +3:35 |
| 7 | Regina Cheptoo | KEN | 2:25:48 | +4:29 |
| 8 | Dayna Pidhoresky | CAN | 2:26:02 | +4:43 |
| 9 | Betty Chepkorir | KEN | 2:28:29 | +7:10 |
| 10 | Florence Caron | CAN | 2:29:37 | +8:18 |
TCS AMSTERDAM MARATHON
Sunday 18 October 2026
Buze Diriba set a new women’s course record with her 2:16:12, while Lemi Berhanu took the men’s title in 2:03:33, just three seconds off the course record.
MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lemi Berhanu | ETH | 2:03:32 | |
| 2 | Nicholas Kipkorir | KEN | 2:03:38 | +0:06 |
| 3 | Patrick Mosin | KEN | 2:03:57 | +0:25 |
| 4 | Kalipus Lomwai | KEN | 2:04:07 | +0:35 |
| 5 | Sila Kiptoo | KEN | 2:04:11 | +0:39 |
| 6 | Justus Kangogo | KEN | 2:04:23 | +0:51 |
| 7 | Jonathan Korir | KEN | 2:04:51 | +1:19 |
| 8 | Isaia Lasoi | KEN | 2:04:56 | +1:24 |
| 9 | Yohei Ikeda | JPN | 2:05:15 | +1:43 |
| 10 | Yihunilign Adane | ETH | 2:05:15 | +1:43 |
WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buze Diriba | ETH | 2:16:09 | |
| 2 | Aynalem Desta | ETH | 2:17:05 | +0:56 |
| 3 | Meseret Belete | ETH | 2:18:04 | +1:55 |
| 4 | Tiringo Mulu | ETH | 2:20:34 | +4:25 |
| 5 | Mestawut Fikir | ETH | 2:21:30 | +5:21 |
| 6 | Girmawit Gebrzihair | ETH | 2:22:26 | +6:17 |
| 7 | Rabecca Chepkwemoi | KEN | 2:22:46 | +6:37 |
| 8 | Desi Mokonin | BRN | 2:22:48 | +6:39 |
| 9 | Selamawit Teferi | ISR | 2:22:57 | +6:48 |
| 10 | Kena Girma | ETH | 2:24:26 | +8:17 |
At the Ljubljana marathon, Enock Onchari (KEN) won in 2:04:55 while Haftamnesh Tesfay Haylu (ETH) took the women’s title in 2:19:17.
Tri Season is Still Going!
Even if the rest of us are still trying to recover from Kona, there were a number of triathlon events on the weekend from around the world Here are a few quick hits from the weekend’s racing:
World Triathlon Cup Beijing
Yanqi Lake · Saturday 17 October 2026 · 1.5 km swim / 42 km bike / 10 km run
Max Studer (SUI) took the men’s title (thanks to a 30:00 run split) in the pouring rain ahead of Xirui Zhang (CHN) and Alberto Gonzalez Garcia (ESP). In the women’s race it was China’s Xinyu Lin who scored the surprise win ahead of Marta Kropko (HUN) and Kate Waugh.
ELITE MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Studer | SUI | 1:48:22 | |
| 2 | Xirui Zhang | CHN | 1:48:31 | +0:09 |
| 3 | Alberto Gonzalez Garcia | ESP | 1:48:39 | +0:17 |
ELITE WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xinyu Lin | CHN | 2:00:33 | |
| 2 | Marta Kropko | HUN | 2:00:38 | +0:05 |
| 3 | Kate Waugh | GBR | 2:01:28 | +0:55 |
Geens Gets First Win of 2026 in Port Macquarie
After coming back from an injury that sidelined him for much of the year to take third at the 70.3 worlds in Nice and then second at T100 French Riviera, Jelle Geens (BEL) moved up one more spot on the podium with the win at IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie. Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) took the women’s race.
Sunday 18 October 2026 · 1.9 km swim / 90 km bike / 21.1 km run
PRO MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jelle Geens | BEL | 3:44:34 | |
| 2 | Kieran Storch | AUS | 3:47:05* | +2:31 |
| 3 | Mitchell Kibby | AUS | 3:49:32* | +4:58 |
PRO WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natalie van Coevorden | AUS | 4:16:40 | |
| 2 | Emily Watts | AUS | 4:17:12 | +0:32 |
| 3 | Demi Birch | AUS | 4:25:01 | +8:21 |
IRONMAN 70.3 Cascais/ IRONMAN 70.3 Malaga
The pro women were on deck in Cascais on Saturday, with the pro men racing on Sunday. Lizzie Rayner (GBR) took her third straight Cascais title, with Nikki Bartlett (GBR) in second. Felix Forissier (FRA) took the inaugural men’s race in Malaga after passing Switzerland’s Ben Faeh, who led until the final three km of the race.
IRONMAN 70.3 CASCAIS
Saturday 17 October 2026
PRO WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lizzie Rayner | GBR | 4:13:02 | |
| 2 | Nikki Bartlett | GBR | 4:20:11 | +7:09 |
| 3 | Leana Bissig | SUI | 4:24:16 | +11:14 |
IRONMAN 70.3 MÁLAGA
Sunday 18 October 2026
PRO MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Forissier | FRA | 3:40:46 | |
| 2 | Ben Faeh | SUI | 3:40:52 | +0:06 |
| 3 | Janne Buettel | GER | 3:43:12 | +2:26 |
CHALLENGE PEGUERA-MALLORCA
Slovenia’s Matevz Nunar took the men’s title after passing Germany’s Alexander Kull in the final kilometre of the race, with Great Britain’s Jack Hutchens rounding out the podium, finishing one second ahead of Belgium’s Michiel Stockman.
Switzerland’s Cathia Schär defended her title ahead of Germans Caroline Pohle and Laura Jansen.
Saturday 17 October 2026 · Middle distance (1.9 km / 90 km / 21.1 km)
PRO MEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matevz Nunar | SLO | 3:42:38 | |
| 2 | Alexander Kull | GER | 3:42:59 | +0:21 |
| 3 | Jack Hutchens | GBR | 3:43:12 | +0:34 |
| 4 | Michiel Stockman | BEL | 3:43:13 | +0:35 |
PRO WOMEN
| POS | ATHLETE | NAT | TIME | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cathia Schär | SUI | 4:10:13 | |
| 2 | Caroline Pohle | GER | 4:11:48 | +1:35 |
| 3 | Laura Jansen | GER | 4:13:17 | +3:04 |
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