Chianti Recap, Trail House Project + Golden Ticket Shakeups (Singletrack News)

In this week’s edition of Singletrack News, we break down a massive weekend of racing across Chianti by UTMB, Chuckanut 50K, and Big Alta, highlighted by Golden Tickets awarded at Chianti and a highly anticipated showdown between Courtney Dauwalter and Rachel Entrekin. We discuss the winners, key performances, roll-down implications, and what it all means for the rapidly taking shape Western States field, along with early-season signals from some of the sport’s top contenders.
Elsewhere, we dig into one of the most interesting new concepts in the sport: the “Trail House”, a Boulder-based initiative aiming to create a pipeline for post-collegiate runners into professional trail running, with built-in support, structure, and storytelling.
We also cover:
• Lotti Brinks accepting a Western States Golden Ticket via roll-down from CCC
• François D’Haene’s 2026 schedule and his decision to center the season around an FKT attempt on the GR20
• The “Hardcore Harry’s” challenge, a last-person-standing-style event that has athletes running 80+ km on consecutive days
• A grassroots “Community Traverse” stepping in to support runners after the Northern Traverse disruption
• A wild FKT story out of North Carolina involving a broken wrist and a finish anyway
• Previewing the Arizona Monster 300 and what to expect from one of the most extreme races on the calendar
And our content picks of the week, including a new long-distance route in the UK and a broader conversation around “right to roam” and trail access.

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