Portuguese national trail champion Hélio Fumo leads elite field for Antigua’s first-ever 50K ultra
International champions, leading Caribbean runners and outstanding young talent will compete at the 2027 AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest.
ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA — 5 October 2026 — Portuguese national trail champion Hélio Fumo will lead an exciting international and Caribbean field for Antigua and Barbuda’s first-ever 50K ultramarathon at the AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest on Saturday, April 10, 2027.
The introduction of the 50K marks a major milestone for the AUA Rohrman, expanding one of Antigua and Barbuda’s most established endurance events into ultramarathon racing for the first time.
Fumo brings world-class credentials to the inaugural field. A former middle-distance runner with an 800-metre personal best of 1:50.06, he successfully transitioned from the track to the mountains and became Portuguese national trail champion in 2021.
He has since won the 110K Centurion at Slovenia’s Ultra Trail Vipava Valley, the event’s 63K Gladiator race and the 66K İda Half Ultra in Türkiye. He also placed second in the 110K race at Istria 100 by UTMB, finished 10th at the 2019 Trail World Championships and completed the 174K UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2025.
An elite international and Caribbean field
Fumo will be joined in the 50K by a strong group of international and regional challengers.
France’s Ronan Lorré arrives with proven Caribbean ultrarunning credentials after winning the 100K Ultra Trace de Guadeloupe in 2024, completing the mountainous course in 15:18:25.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Honoré will step up to the new distance after finishing second in the 2026 AUA Rohrman 25K in 2:32:54—only 21 seconds behind the winner. Honoré also placed third in the demanding 55K Ultra Trace de Guadeloupe in 2026, demonstrating his ability over longer Caribbean trail courses.
Antigua and Barbuda will be represented by Kamar Thomas, who produced a historic home victory in the 2026 AUA Rohrman 25K. Thomas will now move up to the 50K and test himself against an accomplished international field on home soil.
The wider Trail Fest programme will feature additional elite and emerging Caribbean talent.
Guyana’s two-time national 10K champion Cleveland Thomas, supported by InterCaribbean Airways, is scheduled to compete in the 25K. With personal bests of 15:09 for 5K and 32:30 for 10K, together with podium finishes at the 2025 and 2026 CARICOM 10K Road Race, Thomas adds further regional quality to the event.
Barbados’ 14-year-old trail-running star Ezra Sikkens will also travel to Antigua. Despite his age, Sikkens is already competing successfully against experienced adult athletes. He won the 2026 Great Train Trail Run outright in 1:32:00.3 and placed third overall in the Barbados Hill Challenge.
His participation is being supported by the athlete’s foot Barbados and Tropic Ace Antigua, two Caribbean businesses investing in the development of young regional sporting talent.
A landmark challenge for Antigua
The inaugural AUA Rohrman 50K will begin at 5:30 a.m. from Morris Bay, Old Road, and take competitors across two distinct 25K loops through Antigua’s rugged southern landscape.
With approximately 2,097 metres of total elevation gain, the course will test athletes over steep climbs, technical trails, exposed ridgelines, tropical heat and constantly changing terrain. Apart from one shared section, the second loop introduces competitors to a different course rather than simply repeating the opening 25K.
Entrants must complete the first 25K within six hours to continue onto the second loop. Athletes who miss that cut-off will be withdrawn from the 50K but will still receive an official 25K result.
The Trail Fest programme also includes a challenging 25K with 1,185 metres of climbing, a 17K with approximately 512 metres of elevation gain, a 7K trail race and an accessible 5K road walk and run.
The weekend continues at Carlisle Bay on Sunday, April 11, with 2K and 4K open-water swims and a full triathlon programme featuring Olympic, sprint, team, mini and children’s events.
More than a race
While the new 50K represents Rohrman’s most ambitious sporting challenge to date, the event remains rooted in the legacy and community spirit on which it was founded.
Rohrman began in 2012 in memory of Jonathan R. Rohr, an AUA medical student and athlete whose life continues to inspire the event. What began as a memorial competition has grown into one of Antigua and Barbuda’s leading endurance festivals, bringing together elite competitors, recreational athletes, children, volunteers and communities from across the Caribbean and beyond.
The event also honours the legacy of Antiguan cyclist and athlete André Simon, an event co-founder whose courage, determination and contribution to sport left a lasting impact on the national community.
Throughout its history, Rohrman has welcomed Olympians, world champions and leading international athletes while remaining accessible to people of every age and ability. That combination of elite competition, community participation and remembrance remains central to the event’s identity.
The inaugural 50K represents the next chapter in that history—showcasing Antigua’s spectacular but demanding terrain, creating a new ultramarathon challenge for the Caribbean and giving the region’s strongest runners the opportunity to compete alongside accomplished international athletes.
Registration for the 2027 AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest is open through rohrmanantigua.com and closes on April 1, 2027.
