Adam Loomis wins Twisted Fork 68K on Park City’s home trails

Adam Loomis running and winning the Twisted Fork 68k on his home soil in Park City. Photo: Zeb Watson

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City’s Adam Loomis powered through a stacked field on Saturday to win the Twisted Fork 68K ultramarathon, completing the rugged 42-mile course in 5 hours, 25 minutes, and 20 seconds. The hometown favorite, competing in the 30–39 age group, used familiar terrain—and a few familiar faces—to pull away in the final miles.

Second place went to Salt Lake City’s Grant Barnette (5:38:25), with Gavin Prior just one second behind in third (5:38:26), both in the 20–29 age group.

Loomis, a former U.S. Nordic combined and ski mountaineering athlete, has raced around the world—but said nothing quite compares to competing on home turf.

“Racing on home trails is a very different experience. It doesn’t have the sense of adventure of exploring a new area, but the community supporting this race more than made up for it,” he told TownLift.

“I ran nearly every step from mile 9 to 35 with Grant Barnette, a good friend of mine from Salt Lake. We worked together to pull back the front runners and then build a lead in the later part of the race. It was so cool to continue to see people I knew along the way.”

That included some memorable moments near the Jeremy Ranch aid station at mile 34.

“Another highlight was seeing Seth Rothchild on course as Grant and I neared the Jeremy Ranch aid station. Seth is a ski jumper whom I coach with Park City Ski & Snowboard, but also a fantastic photographer, so he came out to take some shots. It was cool to have a bit of a role reversal and have him see me as an athlete and root me on.”

Shortly after, Loomis gained a decisive edge with the help of another boost—his brother, Ben Loomis, and Ben’s girlfriend Katie, stationed on the final major climb of the race. Loomis pulled away from Barnette there, fueled by their support.

“Ben was on course at a critical moment when I pulled away from Grant and provided me with a welcome boost of energy,” Loomis said. Ben and Adam once raced together in Nordic Combined at the national level, but this was the first time Ben had seen his brother compete in an ultramarathon.

Adam’s girlfriend, Laura, was also on the course to cheer him on.When he reached the finish line, Loomis was surrounded by runners in the shorter 30K race—catching race organizers off guard.

“I didn’t necessarily expect a finish tape to be at the line when I came in, but it was cool that the organizers got it out in time and a fun moment to cap off the day,” he said.

A course Parkites know well
Even those who weren’t racing may have unknowingly shared the trails with the competitors. The 68K race followed some of the most popular singletrack and forest roads in the area, including:

• Flying Dog
• Great Western
• Mormon Pioneer
• Jeremy Ranch Road
• Moose Hollow
• Blackhawk
• Glenwild
• Stealth

The route was approximately 90% singletrack, 6% gravel roads, and 4% paved roads. Runners checked in as early as 5:45 a.m. and had until 7:00 p.m.—13 hours after the start—to finish.

The Twisted Fork also featured 15K and 30K race options. Entry for the 68K was capped at 100 runners due to National Forest Service permitting, though organizers hope to expand in future years with a multi-year permit.

Key race stats:

• Distance: 68 kilometers / 42 miles
• High Point: 7,844 feet
• Total Elevation Gain: 6,156 feet

The event emphasized sustainability and inclusivity. It was a cupless race, encouraging athletes to carry their own water, and accepted all self-declared gender identities with no challenges permitted.

On the women’s side, Careth Arnold took first place (6:37), followed by Sarah Cummings and Lauren Puretz, all in the 30–49 age group and finishing within a five-minute spread.

With deep community support, world-class competition, and hometown pride on display, the Twisted Fork marked a major moment on Park City’s summer trail racing calendar.