This page is dedicated to race directors interested in having their event host ACU National Championships.
From 2023 onwards, ACU awards National Championships annually in the following seven categories:
50km road (can be held on an athletics track) / 100km road (can be held on a track)
24hr / 48hr (flat road loop or athletics tracks are ideal)
Short Trail (approx 45-50km) / Long Trail (approx 80-90km) - the Short and Long Trail Championship venues are selected in conjunction with Athletics Canada (AC) and the Canadian Mountain Running Association (CMRA), and can be combined with hosting the national mountain running championships. The bid handbook for hosting these two trail championships for 2025 and 2026 can be found by clicking here for English and clicking here for French. [These championships have been awarded to Quebec Mega Trail for 2025 and 2026.]
XL Trail (approx 120-170km)
The 2025 application form for 50km, 100km, 24hr, 48hr and XL Trail (as PDF) can be downloaded by clicking here. The Microsoft Word version is available here. The deadline for applications is 19 October 2024. Any unassigned championships after that date could be awarded at the ACU Executive's discretion upon receiving an application later in the year.
The 2025 National Championships venues will be announced in late October 2024.
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Historical information for 2022 and prior years:
There are two options if you would like to involve your race with the ACU series.
Option #1 – Host an ACU National Championship Race
Here are the requirements for ACU National Championship Races: 50km, 50mile, 100km, 100mile, 6hrs, 12hrs, 24hrs, 48hrs
1) race is to have IAU label (Bronze Label is free) – details on International Association of Ultrarunners website under the Label Application menu: www.iau-ultramarathon.org
2) course measurement required as per IAU label standards. Road event need an official course measurement. Trail event need only GPS measurement. If you are renewing your IAU label and there is no changes to the course, no additional course measuring is required.
3) ACU will provide recommendation letter to apply for the IAU Label
4) race director to provide ACU with race results for ranking purposes
5) race director to remit $2 per runner registered in the "National Championship" race to the ACU
6) ACU to post race particulars on ACU website
7) ACU to provide winners awards top men and women (including delivery arrangements)
8) ACU to provide participants certificates
Option #2 Host an “ACU Series” race
If you would like to involve your race, but are not interested in hosting the national championships, the other designation available is "ACU Series" race. A series race has even simpler requirements and runners accumulate points towards the ACU series championship.
Any race 50k or longer could be an “ACU Series Race”, here are the requirements:
1) course measurement - GPS accepted for trail
2) race director to provide ACU with race results
3) race director to remit $1 per runner registered in Series race to the ACU
4) ACU to post race particulars on ACU website
5) We encourage RD to obtain an IAU Label for their event as it will draw more runners trying to qualify for the National Teams.