The 2027 AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest, one of the Caribbean’s most respected endurance sports gatherings, is set to make history this April when it hosts Antigua and Barbuda’s first-ever 50K ultramarathon, bringing together a star-studded field of international champions, top regional runners, and promising young talent from across the Caribbean.
Portuguese national trail champion Hélio Fumo will lead the elite lineup for the groundbreaking 50K race, scheduled to kick off on Saturday, April 10, 2027. A former middle-distance track athlete who turned to trail running with enormous success, Fumo boasts an 800-metre personal best of 1:50.06 and claimed the Portuguese national trail championship title in 2021. Since his transition to mountain racing, he has notched an impressive series of wins: he took first place in the 110K Centurion at Slovenia’s Ultra Trail Vipava Valley, won the event’s 63K Gladiator race, claimed victory at the 66K İda Half Ultra in Türkiye, and earned a second-place finish in the 110K race at Istria 100 by UTMB. He also placed 10th at the 2019 Trail World Championships and completed the gruelling 174K UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2025, cementing his status as one of the field’s most formidable competitors.
Fumo will face stiff competition from a deep roster of international and regional challengers. France’s Ronan Lorré, who claimed victory at the 100K Ultra Trace de Guadeloupe in 2024 with a finishing time of 15:18:25, brings proven experience on Caribbean mountain courses to the inaugural 50K. Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Honoré, who finished just 21 seconds behind the winner to take second place in the 2026 AUA Rohrman 25K with a time of 2:32:54, will step up to the longer 50K distance after a third-place finish in the demanding 55K Ultra Trace de Guadeloupe in 2026, proving his ability to perform over extended Caribbean trail routes. Host nation Antigua and Barbuda will be represented by Kamar Thomas, who made history with a home victory in the 2026 AUA Rohrman 25K and will now test his skills against a world-class field on his home terrain.
Beyond the marquee 50K event, the full Trail & Swim Fest lineup features a stacked field of additional elite and up-and-coming regional talent. Two-time Guyanese national 10K champion Cleveland Thomas, sponsored by InterCaribbean Airways, will compete in the 25K race. With personal bests of 15:09 for 5K and 32:30 for 10K, plus back-to-back podium finishes at the 2025 and 2026 CARICOM 10K Road Race, Thomas adds significant regional competitive depth to the event. Fourteen-year-old Barbadian trail running prodigy Ezra Sikkens will also travel to Antigua to compete, already holding his own against seasoned adult competitors despite his young age. Sikkens won the 2026 Great Train Trail Run outright in 1:32:00.3 and took third overall at the Barbados Hill Challenge, with his participation supported by The Athlete’s Foot Barbados and Tropic Ace Antigua – two local businesses committed to nurturing young sporting talent across the Caribbean.
The historic 50K ultramarathon will start at 5:30 a.m. from Morris Bay, Old Road, routing competitors across two unique 25K loops through Antigua’s rugged southern coastal landscape. With a total elevation gain of roughly 2,097 metres, the course will push athletes to their limits with steep ascents, technical trail sections, exposed ridgelines, hot tropical conditions, and constantly shifting terrain. Unlike standard loop courses, the second 25K features entirely new routing aside from one small shared segment, rather than repeating the opening loop. To qualify for the second loop, runners must complete the first 25K within a six-hour cut-off; athletes who miss the mark will still receive an official finishing time for the 25K distance.
In addition to the headline 50K, the event’s trail running programme includes a 25K race with 1,185 metres of elevation gain, a 17K route with 512 metres of climbing, a 7K trail race, and an inclusive 5K run/walk open to participants of all ability levels. The multi-day festival continues on Sunday, April 11 at Carlisle Bay, with open-water swimming events (2K and 4K) and a full slate of triathlon competitions including Olympic-distance, sprint, team, mini, and youth races.
While the addition of the 50K marks the event’s most ambitious expansion in its 15-year history, the AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest remains deeply tied to the community-focused, commemorative legacy on which it was founded. The event was first launched in 2012 as a memorial to Jonathan R. Rohr, a medical student at the American University of Antigua (AUA) and passionate athlete whose legacy continues to anchor the gathering. What began as a small memorial competition has grown into one of Antigua and Barbuda’s premier endurance sports festivals, uniting elite racers, recreational athletes, young participants, volunteers, and communities from across the Caribbean and around the world. The event also honours the legacy of co-founder André Simon, a celebrated Antiguan cyclist and athlete whose courage, determination, and contributions to regional sport left an enduring mark on the Antiguan community.
Throughout its history, the Rohrman festival has welcomed Olympians, world champions, and top international athletes while remaining open and accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels – a balance of elite competition and grassroots community engagement that remains central to its mission. The inaugural 50K ultramarathon opens a new chapter in the event’s story, showcasing Antigua’s stunning but challenging natural terrain, establishing a world-class ultramarathon challenge for the Caribbean region, and creating new opportunities for the region’s top runners to compete alongside the world’s best.
Registration for the 2027 AUA Rohrman Trail & Swim Fest is currently open and will close on April 1, 2027.