Over the weekend, weather emergencies across the continent led to the cancellation of more than one trail race from the Skyrunner World Series.
The Minotaur Skyrace in Crowsnest Pass, Alta., a course with 2900 m of climbing over 33.5 km through the Canadian Rockies, was expecting between 100-200 mm of rain on the trails–not to mention snow at the mountain peaks. The event was called off on Friday after a special weather alert was issued, warning of heavy rains, cold temperatures and strong winds. Meanwhile in Palisades Tahoe, Calif., the Broken Arrow Skyrace 43K was cut short–six hours and forty-three minutes and 163 finishers into the race–due to persistent lightning.
“While this was a difficult decision to make, snow is accumulating at higher elevations,” the Broken Arrow Skyrace wrote on Instagram. “Our priority is getting runners and volunteers off the mountain as quickly and safely as possible. Runners are sheltering in lightning-safe structures (ski patrol shacks and tram buildings). Safe and efficient evacuation is already underway from all shelter-in-place locations.”
Canada’s Jade Belzberg takes third in Broken Arrow Ascent
On the other hand, the Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent, which took place Friday, went off (mostly) without a hitch. The race was shortened due to expected gale-force winds (48-72 km/h with gusts of up to 128 km/h) at the summit of Washeshu Peak; the 4.8-km course was reduced to about 3-km with 660 m of ascent–a “near-sprint,” as some might call it.
Despite the last-minute switch, Fort Langley, B.C.’s Jade Belzberg threw down an impressive run, launching herself onto the podium in a stacked event. The pro runner for Altra Running clocked 29:23 for third, following Anna Gibson of the U.S., who won in 27:32, and Joyce Muthoni Njeru of Kenya, who ran 29:06 for second.
“This will be my fourth time at Broken Arrow, and I’ve loved every race I’ve run at this event,” Belzberg said in a press release. “I’d like to see if I can improve upon my past performances, though that will be a challenge considering how much the depth of field grows each year.” She’ll also be competing in Sunday’s 23K.
Click here for full results from Broken Arrow Skyrace 2025.
