Five trail runners still have a perfect score in the 2026 Midwest Grand Slam of Ultrarunning: Jessica Hardy, Andy Gullone, Brian Collins, Jason Profitt and Matthew Novak.
Three of them — Collins, Gullone and Profitt — are trying to become “Super Slammers” by finishing all five of the Midwest’s premier 100 mile trail races: Mohican Trail 100, Kettle Moraine 100, Burning River 100, Hallucination 100 and Indiana Trail 100.
Hardy and Novak plan to finish only four of those five events. Novak was third overall in the 2026 Mohican Trail 100 with a time of 18:33:29.
The next race in the series, the Kettle Moraine 100, begins 6 a.m. June 13. Distances other than the 100-mile event include 100K, 50K and 38 miles.
The event is held in the Kettle Moraine State Forest near La Grange in Walworth County, Wisconsin.
For more race details on the 2026 Kettle Moraine 100, visit kettlemoraine100.com/race-day-parking.
MORE: 2026 Mohican Trail 100 winners take us through their race
How did this year’s ‘Slammers’ do at Mohican?
During the Mohican Trail 100, the first race in the 2026 Midwest Grand Slam, competitors overcame a 43.5% finishing rate.
Near the lead, finishing in third place overall in 18:33:29, was Novak, 36, of Chicago, Illinois. The 2026 race was his first visit to Mohican State Park, which is Loudonville, Ohio.
“It’s a beautiful course,” Novak said of Mohican. “The volunteers were absolutely wonderful. All the other runners were just wonderful.”
The short rest period of only two weeks between Mohican and Kettle Moraine was on everyone’s mind.
“Kettle Moraine’s probably just going to be about trying to survive,” Novak said.
Collins, 44, of Hebron, Indiana, finished 18th overall 23:31:01.
Profitt, 42, of Hilliard, Ohio, was 43rd overall in 28:04:10.
Hardy, 43, of El Segundo, California, finished 64th overall, was the seventh female finisher, and won her age group with a time of 29:55:07.
Gullone, 44, of Wheaton, Illinois, was 62st place overall in 29:48:28.
MORE: Winners stoked about ‘short’ Mohican races
Marie Mira, 57, of Michigan, skipped Mohican but plans to compete in the final four races of the Grand Slam.
John Adams, 56, and Nathan Coker, 42, both of Michigan, attempted Mohican as the first leg of the Grand Slam, but still can complete the Grand Slam by finishing the remaining four races.
Four more runners who attempted the Super Slam but did not finish Mohican still have the chance to complete the Grand Slam by finishing the remaining four races: Ryan Bultemeier, 57, of Indiana;
Laura Sumser, 31, of Ohio; Andy Purdy, 40, of Indiana; and Mike Heider, 66, of Ohio.
Midwest Grand Slam for trail runners
The Midwest Grand Slam of Ultrarunning was established in 2012, according to the series’ website: midwestslam.com.
“If you are an ultrarunner, endurance athlete, adventure racer, marathoner, or just plain crazy individual who is looking to push yourself to new heights of achievement, then the Midwest Grand Slam of Ultrarunning is for you,” the race notes. “Athletes who successfully complete each of the four or five races (for Super Slammers) in the same calendar year will each receive a handsome natural stone trophy after the final event in the series, the Indiana Trail 100.”
Camping is offered at Mohican, Kettle Moraine, Hallucination and Indiana Trail to for anyone wanting convenient start and finish line access and low cost overnight accommodations.
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