Surprise, surprise! There was snow in Arizona at the Black Canyon 100k and there wasn’t in Wisconsin at the U.S. National Showshoe Championships.
Those races were part of an up and down weekend.
Black Canyon 100k – Mayer, Arizona
iRunFar dropped a bigger race recap earlier. The race was both a Golden Ticket race for the Western States 100 and part of the first-year World Trail Majors. The top three finishers all earned entry to the 2024 Western States 100.
Surprise snow forced a delayed start, but then Hayden Hawks came back from a 2023 injury to win in a new course record time, and Rachel Drake stepped up in distance to run way past a deep women’s field. After that, I’m shook! Both the men’s and women’s podium and top 10 lists featured some bracket busters.
A chilly start to the 2024 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Photography
Men
Hayden Hawks dropped from the Western States 100 in June 2023 with injury and hadn’t raced since. If he had any questions about his post-surgery comeback, he got his answers here. Hawks won the race in 7:30. That’s two minutes better than Anthony Costales’s 2023 winning time, and 25 minutes faster than Hawks’s own 2020 winning time.
Second-place Jupiter Carera Casas (Mexico) was out of this world in 7:39 and Chris Myers had a breakout run in 7:43 for third. That’s a big step up for both, but Carera Casas was national class on the track in Mexico a decade ago. He’s run as fast as 29:58 for 10,000 meters, and Myers had several up and up podium finishes last year.
We’re going to run results 20 down, and then pick up some more familiar names too to try to really see how the deep field played.
Hayden Hawks on his way to winning the 2024 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Photography
The full men’s top 20 was:
1 – Hayden Hawks – 7:30
2 – Jupiter Carera Casas (Mexico) – 7:39
3 – Chris Myers – 7:43
4 – Craig Hunt – 7:46
5 – Stephen Kersh – 7:47
6 – Tracen Knopp – 7:48
7 – Eric LiPuma – 7:48
8 – Gabriel Kline – 7:51
9 – Nate Jewkes – 8:03
10 – Hans Troyer – 8:03
11 – Tim Tollefson – 8:06
12 – Ferdinand Airault (France) – 8:10
13 – Noah Dusseau – 8:16
14 – Rod Farvard – 8:19
15 – Timothy Reed – 8:27
16 – Jeffrey Stern – 8:29
17 – William Conner – 8:29
18 – Hector Rodriguez Barragan (Mexico) – 8:30
19 – Matthew Seidel – 8:37
20 – Canyon Woodward – 8:44
And then the other familiar names highlighted in pre-race previews:
21 – Jon Rea – 8:45
25 – Cole Watson – 8:50
26 – Ryan Montgomery – 8:52
30 – Andrew Bumbalough – 9:12
41 – Mark Hammond – 9:56
42 – Calum Neff (Canada) – 9:57
47 – Jared Hazen – 10:13
Ryan Montgomery identifies as non-binary, but competes in the men’s race.
Drops included JP Giblin, Adam Merry, and Pei-Quan You (China).
Although entered, Justin Grunewald and Rajpaul Pannu did not start the race. Grunewald is on the start list for next weekend’s Tarawera by UTMB 100k and Pannu is registered for next weekend’s Jackpot 100 Mile race.
Women
Rachel Drake chased a fast start and outran the rest of the women late with an 8:47 winning time. That’s just two minutes back of Keely Henninger’s 2023 winning time. Drake’s probably best known for her recent shorter course success, but dang, she just doesn’t ever have a bad race. And further back at longer distances, Drake was seventh at the 2019 CCC race too.
Becca Windell and Lauren Puretz came in next at 8:52 and 9:06. Windell won the 2021 Bear 100 Mile and Puretz was eighth at the 2022 Javelina 100 Mile.
Rachel Drake on her way to winning the 2024 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Photography
As with the men’s race, the rest of the top 10 had some newcomers too.
1 – Rachel Drake – 8:47
2 – Becca Windell – 8:52
3 – Lauren Puretz – 9:06
4 – Jenna Bensko – 9:11
5 – Kathryn Drew (Canada) – 9:15
6 – Geneviève Asselin-Demers (Canada) – 9:17
7 – Tara Dower – 9:19
8 – Anna McKenna (Australia) – 9:28
9 – Riley Brady – 9:33
10 – Marci Klimek – 9:41
11 – Arden Young (Canada) – 9:46
12 – Corinne Shalvoy – 9:52
13 – Heather Jackson – 9:56
14 – Lucie Hanes – 9:58
15 – Shea Aquilano – 10:24
16 – Amanda Nelson – 10:24
17 – Amy Cameron – 10:28
18 – Leah Ling – 10:46
19 – Kristen Schindler – 10:51
20 – Mariya Nikolova (Bulgaria) – 10:52
Riley Brady identifies as non-binary, but competes in the women’s race.
Other runners highlighted in the pre-race previews included:
21 – Jacquie Mannhard – 10:55
22 – Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) – 10:59
23 – Cat Bradley – 11:10
Drops included Allison Baca, Sarah Biehl, Kat Short (Canada), EmKay Sullivan, and Rachel Tomajczyk.
Although entered, Anna Mae Flynn, Anna Kacius, and Anne-Marie Madden (Canada) did not start the race.
The next Western States 100 Golden Ticket race is the April 27 Canyons by UTMB 100k in California, and the next World Trail Majors event is the February 24 Transgrancanaria 126k race in Spain.
Black Canyon 60k – Mayer, Arizona
The race happened a day after the Black Canyon 100k and it was all Hemming and no hawing. Eli Hemming led from the start to finish the 60k (37 miles) in 4:06. That’s a new course record and was way up on everyone else. Brad Miles was second in 4:35 and Brett Hornig was third in 4:41.
Elena Horton beat out a strong women’s field with a 4:57 finish. That’s barely two minutes behind Mimmi Kotka’s 2023 winning time. Georgia Porter and Keely Henninger chased to second and third in 5:00 and 5:04, respectively.
Additional Races and Runs
Barcelona Half Marathon – Barcelona, Spain
Alex García (Spain) and Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) sprinted it out, both finishing in 1:04 as the 21st- and 22nd-place finishers. Garcia was sixth at the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race and Delorenzi was sixth and third, respectively, at the 2023 Pikes Peak Ascent and Mammoth Trailfest 26k. In the women’s race, trail runner Júlia Font (Spain) was 26th in 1:16. Full results.
The Ranch 50k – Escondido, California
Some 46 finishers were led by Carl Maclean and Amelia Valinsky-Fillipow in 4:28 and 5:37. Full results.
Pemberton Trail 50k – Fountain Hills, Arizona
The longtime race saw 39 finishers fronted by Benjamin Cook and Natalie Horn in 3:32 and 4:11. Full results.
Rocky 50 – Huntsville, Texas
A week after the 100-mile race, the 50-mile and 50k races were back at Huntsville State Park. Zach Bitter and Nicole Bitter won the 50 miler in 6:59 and 7:40, and 50k leaders Matt Smith and Maria Quintana finished in 4:18 and 5:19. Full results.
U.S. National Showshoe Championships – Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Sadly, there wasn’t enough snow in this U.S. Upper Midwest location in the heart of winter to wear snowshoes. In Saturday’s 10k race, Morgan Elliott and Laurel Moyer won in 36:26 and 42:37. Full results.
Mill Stone 50k – Fort Mill, South Carolina
Running on a three-loop course, Drew Marshall set a new course record in 3:26, and Louise Hindal Acer won the women’s race in 4:54. Full results.
Next Weekend – Tarawera by UTMB – Rotorua, New Zealand
The 2023 race winner Daniel Jones (New Zealand) returns as the men’s 100k favorite. His closest challenge could come from Americans Justin Grunewald and Sage Canaday. Sam McCutcheon (New Zealand), on the entrants list and fourth here in 2023, says he won’t start due to illness. Ruth Croft (New Zealand) is a heavy favorite in the women’s race. Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) is on the entrants list, but has reportedly dropped down to the 50k race. Fielder was sixth in the 2022 Golden Trail World Series.
In the 100-mile contest, Adrian MacDonald (U.S.) could become the second consecutive American man to win at Tarawera over 100 miles, and Naomi Brand (South Africa) looks to be the women’s top contender. Jo Zakrzewski (U.K., lives in Australia) may also feature in the women’s 100-mile race.
[Jo Zakrzewski is currently serving a one-year ban from racing events sanctioned by U.K. Athletics for using a car in the 2023 Manchester To Liverpool Ultra 50 Mile, but is still permitted to race in other jurisdictions.]
A record number of starters are expected for the 15th edition of the Tarawera Ultra, taking place from 17 to 18 February, 2024. Photo: Cameron McKenzie
Next Weekend – Jackpot Ultras – Henderson, Nevada
The USATF 100-Mile Road National Championships will be run as a standalone race on Friday, February 16, separate from the race’s main 100-mile contest. There’s a $4,000 prize purse with $1,200 going to each of the winners.
The 2023 winner Jonah Backstrom will be back. He ran 14:11 last year. He’ll be challenged by Rajpaul Pannu, who ran 5:02 at the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile race in November 2023.
Two-time Badwater 135 Mile winner Ashley Paulson is on the start list, but her social media is pointing to the Red Mountain 50k in three weeks instead. If racing though, she’s a heavy favorite in the women’s group.
[Ashley Paulson served a six-month doping sanction, in 2015 and 2016, due to a doping violation in a triathlon for a positive test for ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
Marathon World Record-Holder Kelvin Kiptum Passes Away at Age 24
Tragic news rocked road running this weekend. Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya) and his coach Gervais Hakizimana (Rwanda) both died in a single car accident in Kenya on Sunday, February 11. A third passenger was transported to the hospital with injuries. Kiptum, age 24, set the marathon world record with an incredible 2:00:35 run at the October 2023 Chicago Marathon. Hakizimana was 37 years old. iRunFar offers its condolences to the family and friends of Kiptum and Hakizimana.
Call for Comments
- Friends and lovers, Valentine’s Day is coming up this week. It’s the one time per year that I can throw it back to 2021’s “Catching Up With Elisabet Barnes” chat.
- What else have you to report from this week in running, near or far afield?
