Fall Color and Fast Racing: Cirque Series Debuts at Jay Peak
September 28, 2026
At a Glance:The first-ever Cirque Series race at Jay Peak delivered everything racers hoped for: perfect weather, serious climbing, an incredible summit and the first flashes of Vermont fall color. Remi Leroux and Laurel Moyer took the Pro victories as the Cirque Series celebrated an unforgettable debut in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
Saturday marked the first-ever Cirque Series race at Jay Peak, and after months of anticipation, Vermont delivered.
Perfect weather greeted racers for roughly 10K of classic Northeast mountain terrain with 2,811 feet of vertical gain. The leaves were just beginning their annual transformation, sending bursts of red and yellow through the thick green canopy and giving racers an early taste of the legendary New England fall.
Underfoot, it was just as good. Rocks, moss, roots, foliage and dense mountain vegetation made the course feel unmistakably Vermont.
And then there was the climb.
THE CLIMB WAS REAL
Jay Peak didn't ease anyone into its Cirque Series debut.
With 2,811 feet of vert packed into roughly 10K, racers spent plenty of the day looking up—and working hard to get there.
The reward was an incredible summit experience, with expansive views across the mountains and forests of northern Vermont. After months of looking forward to experiencing this new venue, racers—including members of the Nature's Sunshine Mountain Team—finally got their chance to see what Jay Peak was all about.
It was steep. It was beautiful. And it was absolutely worth the climb.
LEROUX RETURNS TO THE TOP
Remi Leroux started the 2026 Cirque Series season on top of the podium. At Jay Peak, he found his way back there.
The Waterloo, Quebec runner—who won the season opener at Cannon Mountain in June—charged through Jay Peak in 49:56.8, becoming the only Men's Pro finisher to break 50 minutes.
Noah Williams of Leadville, Colorado, took second in 52:27.4, while Montréal's Kevin Robertson completed the podium in 53:59.7.
For Leroux, it was a fitting bookend to the eastern side of the 2026 series: a win in New Hampshire to begin the season and another in Vermont as the series nears its finale.
Place
Athlete
Hometown
Time
1
Remi Leroux
Waterloo, QC
49:56.8
2
Noah Williams
Leadville, CO
52:27.4
3
Kevin Robertson
Montréal, QC
53:59.7
MOYER TAKES THE WIN
Laurel Moyer led the way in the Women's Pro field, reaching the finish in 1:04:23.9 to claim the first-ever Women's Pro victory at Cirque Series Jay Peak.
Sabrina Thurber of Mill Valley, California, followed in 1:08:15.3, with Miranda Kielpinski of Harwich, Massachusetts, taking third in 1:09:45.1.
On a course that demanded strength on the climbs and confidence through rocky, technical mountain terrain, the three women separated themselves from the field to become Jay Peak's inaugural Pro podium.
Place
Athlete
Hometown
Time
1
Laurel Moyer
Lock Haven, PA
1:04:23.9
2
Sabrina Thurber
Mill Valley, CA
1:08:15.3
3
Miranda Kielpinski
Harwich, MA
1:09:45.1
A NEW CIRQUE FAVORITE?
The racing was fast, but Jay Peak was about more than the clock.
The racer crowd was friendly, the stoke was high and the mountain delivered the kind of experience that makes a new venue feel right at home on the Cirque Series calendar.
From moss-covered rocks and dense forest to flashes of fall color and the incredible summit, Jay Peak gave racers something new at nearly every turn.
Nature's Sunshine was there alongside the mountain community, supporting athletes and celebrating racers who came from near and far to experience the newest stop in the series.
For a venue many of us had been looking forward to all year, Jay Peak lived up to the anticipation.
NINE DOWN. ONE TO GO.
Just like that, nine mountains are behind us.
The inaugural Jay Peak race marked stop number nine of the 10-race 2026 Cirque Series. From the White Mountains of New Hampshire to Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington and now the changing leaves of northern Vermont, every venue has brought its own version of mountain racing.
Now there's just one mountain left to Push Peaks.
NEXT STOP: MT. BALDY
From Vermont fall color to Southern California mountains, we're heading west one last time.
The 2026 Cirque Series concludes this Saturday at Mt. Baldy, California, bringing an incredible season of racing, climbing and mountain community to its final starting line.
One race remains. One more summit. One last chance to Push Peaks. Register today, and we'll see you at Baldy.
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