American hopes: Watson, Handel, Banda

Tonight we continue our weeklong coverage of the double Golden Ticket race weekend with Freetrail's in-depth preview of Tarawera by UTMB.

Rotorua once again plays host to the 15th running of New Zealand's largest and most important trail race. For the second year in a row, four Golden Tickets to the Western States 100 are on the line, with many of the sport's top athletes toeing the line to secure their spot in Auburn.

We're going live at 5:00 PM PT / 2:00 PM NZ with Tim Tollefson and Dani Moreno to break down the course, expected conditions, and top contenders heading into race weekend.

• Tarawera course overview

• Expected racing conditions

• Women's favorites

• Men's favorites

Our 2026 Tarawera and Black Canyon coverage is brought to you by Nike ACG (All Conditions Gear). Make sure to check out All Conditions Gear footwear and apparel. All Conditions Gear is designed, tested, and made on planet earth specifically for trail running. You can learn more and check out the latest ACG gear at allconditionsgear.com. We're super grateful for their support!

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