Your Guide to the Black Canyon Ultras

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American ultrarunning has undergone a quiet revolution over the past decade. It used to be that elite runners routinely opened their season by “dropping down” in distance with a spring 50K before building up to their A-race 100-milers over the summer. Just six years ago, Clare Gallagher won the Way Too Cool 50K in March, and a lanky guy you may have heard of named Jim Walmsley won the Nine Trails 35-miler a couple of weeks later. They went on to break the tape in the women’s and men’s races at Western States that June.

But the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have rewired the sport. The “season” expanded while the schedule shrunk. By that I mean the primacy of Western States swallowed smaller independent races, as well as athlete versatility and range. Add in the nascent UTMB World Series (which, yes, is associated with Western States!), and the American ultrarunning race calendar effectively now revolves around Western States and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. That means the season entails attempting to qualify for Western States at a Golden Ticket race and for UTMB (and the proximal CCC 100K and OCC 50K) at UTMB World Series events.

I could (and should) write an entire article devoted to why this corporate expansion slash consolidation came to be. Sponsor pressure (both for those with sponsors, and those looking to gain them), the rise of social media and race livestreams, and the corporatization of a grassroots “soul” sport are a few variables that come into play. But for now, the point is this: the American ultrarunning season effectively kicks off with the Black Canyon 100K this weekend, the first Golden Ticket race of 2025. Any leniency to race into shape and develop top-end speed through early-season 50Ks is gone. Black Canyon will be one of the top three, perhaps top two only behind Western States, most competitive ultras run on U.S. soil this year. Athletes looking to compete, much less place in the top three and earn a Golden Ticket, have to show up in top form (save, say, a Hayden Hawks or Katie Schide, neither of whom are competing).

But that’s great news for those of us on the sidelines looking for a Super Bowl opener, especially given Aravaipa Running will once again be livestreaming the action coming out of Arizona. (And in case that’s not enough, the Golden Ticket hunt continues the following weekend at the Tarawera 102K in New Zealand, which also happens to be a UTMB World Series race.)

So without further blather, here’s what you need to know about the 2025 Black Canyon 100K on February 8 from Spring Valley to New River, Arizona.

What is the Black Canyon Ultras?

​​The Black Canyon Ultras are held on the Black Canyon Trail, which passes through the traditional lands of the Yavapai Apache and the Hohokam. The uninterrupted, net downhill route descends from the Bradshaw Mountains towards Phoenix. The marquee 100K event—a Golden Ticket race with three women’s and three men’s entries for this summer’s Western States 100 (June 28-29) up for grabs—climbs about 5,200 feet with a max elevation of 4,200 feet, then descends 7,500 feet to the finish. The race includes nearly 1,100 runners, making it one of the largest ultra races in the U.S. Another 660 runners will tackle the newly rerouted 50K on Sunday, which includes 2,000 feet of elevation gain and 3,700 feet of elevation loss as it covers the first half of the 100K course.

Both events are held on net-downhill point-to-point courses, and the weather forecast calls for mild conditions with morning lows in the upper 30s to low 40s and daytime highs in the mid-60s The Black Canyon Ultras is produced by Aravaipa Running, one of the premier event organizers in the U.S., known for its thoughtfully crafted courses, soulful, community vibe, and high-quality livestream coverage that will include live commentary from a finish line studio as well as live drone footage and look-ins from field reporters out on the course. You can watch the Black Canyon 100K via the livestream starting at 6:30 A.M. MT. on Saturday and the Black Canyon 50K livestream beginning at 6:30 A.M. on Sunday.

“This is one of our premier events and we’ve tried to add to it every year,” said race founder Jamil Coury. “When I was conceiving and designing the race, I knew the race could become an instant classic. At its core, it’s a really amazing course with a unique point-to-point route through beautiful terrain.”

Combined with fast, downhill running, stiff competition, and a large number of road-to-trail crossovers looking to make their stamp in the ultra scene means that we can expect to see some epic risk taking and some equally epic blowups. Runners looking to unlock a Golden Ticket will have to be audacious enough to put themselves out there but patient enough to make it out of the upper portion of the course unscathed.

Women’s Race Preview

As a journalist, I hate this field—it’s too deep to preview thoroughly. As a fan, it’s a dream come true. There are about 15 competitors who could earn a Golden Ticket, and I would not at all be surprised. And then there’s several top contenders who are already entered in the 2025 Western States but are lining up to test their mettle anyway: Heather Jackson, 40, who earned a spot by taking seventh at Western States last year, and Riley Brady, 29, who won the Javelina 100-mile Golden Ticket race in October. Jackson tapped into her formidable speed to lead much of this race last year before fading to 13th, but she won the year before. Brady is back for their fifth crack at Black Canyon; they finished as high as fifth in 2019 but very much feel like they have unfinished business left to settle.

Will those runners have the drive to best runners voracious for earning a spot on the Western States start line? That lineup includes a stout field of runners who know what it takes to earn a Golden Ticket because they’ve done so in the past. Emkay Sullivan, 30, and Lauren Puretz, 41, earned Golden Tickets last year with a second place at the Canyons 100K and third at Black Canyon, respectively. They’re joined by Golden Ticket winners from previous years who are coming back from injury-riddled seasons: Erin Clark, 30, Katie Asmuth, 38, and Arizona local Abby Hall, 34. Expect to see all of these women run confidently at the front from the start.

Don’t sleep on Lin Chen, 33, from China, who was among the top four  at Western States last year until the skin of her heel ripped clean off. She redeemed herself with a fourth-place finish at UTMB, and we can only imagine she’s hungry to make it all the way to the Placer High School track in Auburn this year. An ankle injury has delayed the start of her 2025 campaign, but she’s been training on the Black Canyon course for several weeks now.

Watch out for Mary Denholm, the 37-year-old trial attorney-turned-running coach whose meteoric rise through the sport actually began with a redemption tour after dropping out of the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon last February. She won the Silver Rush 50 and the Leadville 100 over the summer before taking second at the JFK 50 in under the old course record time. The only question mark is around her ability to hang on the slightly more technical terrain that the Black Canyon course presents.

Tara Dower, 31, who made history last summer by setting the overall record on the Appalachian Trail, is back after taking seventh here last year. Will her unparalleled grit and stamina translate to an eight or nine-hour effort? She’s joined by Annie Hughes, 26, a former Leadville 100 champ who made her name by winning the Moab 240 in 2021. These Run Rabbit Run 100-miler winners are a triumvirate with Emily Mann, 32, who emerged victorious in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, last fall.

Even more to watch include Shea Aquilano, the 23-year-old rising through the sport who took 15th here last year; Jane Maus, 29, who finished second at the Javelina Jundred 100K in October, Lindsay Allison, 29, who won the Lake Sonoma 50-miler last spring; and Jenna Bensko, 27, who missed out on a Golden Ticket by just one spot with a fourth-place finish here last year.

Men’s Race Preview

Old meets new guard in the men’s race. Will the stalwarts of the sport retain their hegemony, or will they be dethroned by a fast and fresh younger class?

Believe it or not, Seth Ruhling, Tim Tollefson, Jared Hazen, Scott Traer, and Joe McConaughy are all names headlining this year’s race. Ruhling, 30, a two-time JFK 50 winner, has been on a rollercoaster of ups and downs over the past couple years. He took sixth here in 2022, but then had modest results last year and a DNF at the CCC 100K Tollefson, 39, placed as high as fifth at Western States four years ago, and has also shown glimmers of his old self amidst some tougher races in recent years. While only 29, Hazen has been on the scene since 2012, with two podium finishes at Western States. He’s been pretty quiet since Covid and had a rough day here last year, finishing 47th in the men’s field. Traer, 42, took second here in 2022 before placing 10th at States that year followed by 15th the year after that and has continued to run well at longer track, road, and trail ultras since. McConaughy, 33, is more known for his long trail FKT prowess, but he also won the 2022 Cocodona 250 and was fourth in that event last year.

Mexico’s Jupiter Carera Casas, 31, ran brilliantly last year to take second and run his way into Western States, where he finished 17th. He’s back on the hunt, this time joined by his brother Juan Carera Casas, 37, who won the famous Caballo Blanco Copper Canyon 50-miler in 2023.

Leading the rising stars will be Eli Hemming, 29, who’s moving up in distance to the 100K after handily winning the 60K last year in what appeared to be a moderately-paced training run. The former triathlete who lives on a ranch in Kremmling, Colorado, has established himself as one of the best 50K runners in the world—as exemplified by winning OCC in August. Can he hang on for twice the distance?

He’s joined by Hans Troyer, 24, who ran fearlessly (and perhaps a bit foolishly) off the front of the race last year before fading to 10th. It landed him in the hospital for 12 days. And that was just a few weeks after winning the Bandera 100K in the former collegiate runner’s inaugural trail running season. Armed with a year of experience, he’s coming fresh off a win and course record at the Bandera 50K last month.

Makai Clemons, Blake Slattengren, and Craig Hunt are all back on the attack after successful 2024 campaigns. Clemons, 28, took fourth at Canyons to just miss out on a Golden Ticket. Slattengren, 29, earned a GoldenTicket at Javelina in 2023 and finished a bittersweet 11th that year at States, one spot away from auto-re-qualification. And Hunt, 34, also missed out on a Golden Ticket by one spot at Black Canyons last year.

Others to watch include John Herrick, 34, who won the High Lonesome 100 in 2021; Tyler Fox, 32, who earned a Golden Ticket at Bandera in 2022; and Canyon Woodward, who won the 2021 Cruel Jewel 100-miler in course-record time and the Canyons 100-miler last April. Tracen Knopp, 26, took fourth at JFK last fall after placing sixth at Black Canyon last year. Ryan Raff, a 25-year-old runner from Flagstaff, won a competitive Crown King Scramble 50K last winter. J,P. Giblin, 30, was the 2023 Leadville 100 champion, while Callum Neff, 40, the runner-up at the JFK 50 in 2023, is coming off a 2:24 marathon in Houston last month.

A name you may not know but I will certainly be keeping an eye on is Zach Perrin, 30, a collegiate standout who has only dabbled on the trails but to promising success. (He won the Don’t Fence Me 30K, a competitive local 30K in Helena, Montana, in 2023 and took second at the Scout Mountain 50K last summer.) When it comes to soliciting advice, he has access to the very best—his roommate at the University of Colorado was none other than 2022 Western States champ Adam Peterman.

Who Already Has a Golden Ticket into the 2025 Western States?

In addition to the top 10 men and women in last year’s race receiving invitations to return to Western States this year, there are six Golden Ticket races held around the world (including the Black Canyon 100K) that give out a total of 15 spots for both men and women.

CCC UTMB Mont-Blanc 

100K in France, Italy, Switzerland on August 30, 2024. (Three tickets for men and women.)

Toni McCann (30, South Africa, living in France)
Declined

Martyna Młynarczyk (35, Poland)
Accepted

Rosanna Buchauer (34, Germany)
Accepted

Hau Ha Thi (35, Vietnam)
Accepted

Hayden Hawks (33, U.S.)
Already in WS

Peter Fraňo (28, Slovakia)
Accepted

Adam Peterman (29, U.S.)
Accepted

Daniel Jones (33, New Zealand)
Already in WS

Huo-Hua Zhang (26, China)
Accepted

Javelina Jundred

100-miler in Arizona on October 26, 2024. (Two tickets for men and women.)

Riley Brady (29, U.S.)
Accepted

Hannah Allgood (33, U.S.)
Accepted

David Roche (36, U.S.)
Accepted

Jeff Mogavero (31, U.S.)
Accepted

Golden Ticket Races Coming Up

Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB

102K in New Zealand on February 15, 2025 (Top two men and women)

Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB

120K in Italy on March 22, 2025 (Top two men and women)

The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB

100K in California on April 26, 2025 (Top three men and women)