On Saturday in Arizona, the American GOAT of ultrarunning, Courtney Dauwalter added yet one more notch to her belt when she set a brand new course document on the on the 2025 Crown King Scramble 50K: 4:19:49—seven minutes sooner than Ida Nilsson’s 2019 mark of 4:26:44. Canada’s personal Arden Younger adopted Dauwalter in second place, whereas on the boys’s aspect, Eric Blake of the U.S. gained in a powerful 4:12:09 at his first-ever extremely try.
The Crown King Scramble 50K, hosted by Aravaipa Operating, is a point-to-point race that begins on the shores of Lake Nice and climbs by way of the Sonoran Desert earlier than winding into the cool pines of the Bradshaw Mountains, ending on the historic Crown King Saloon. From spines to pines, it’s a grind, with 2,081 metres of elevation and an nearly fully uphill race profile.
However that didn’t appear to faze extremely legend Dauwalter. Dauwalter might be again in Arizona quickly, racing the Cocodona 250 in simply over six weeks. It gained’t be her first time difficult a 200-miler—she gained the Moab 240 outright in 2017, and was the primary lady and second total finisher at Tahoe 200 in 2018.
Younger, primarily based in Canmore, Alberta, is well-known within the North American path working group. The dentist and elite runner has gained the Quad Dipsea twice (2021 and 2023) and positioned second at The Rut 50K in Montana. Earlier than race day, Younger posted: “Left snow this morning, landed within the desert this afternoon, going for a jog on the @aravaiparunning Crown King Scramble 50km tomorrow.”
Regardless of being sick for practically three weeks main into the occasion, she took on the race as a “coaching reboot” and nonetheless powered her solution to second place.” Younger is headed to Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB on the finish of April, the ultimate golden ticket race for the 2025 version of Western States 100, and a race by which she captured tenth place in 2024.
Males’s race
On the boys’s aspect, Eric Blake claimed victory in his first-ever extremely, ending in 4:12:09. Blake, from Connecticut, is a well-respected short-distance mountain runner with a number of prime finishes at Mount Washington Highway Race, and has represented Staff USA on the World Mountain Operating Championships. Stepping as much as the extremely distance, he proved his energy on the robust climb from Lake Nice to Crown King.
Second place went to Arizona’s Bryce Brooks, who completed behind Dauwalter in 4:24:09. Blake gained the Man In opposition to Horse 25-mile race in 2024, and was second at Copper Hall 32K earlier this yr. He celebrated his fourth consecutive Crown King Scramble end and his highest placement but, and shared on Instagram that he’ll be returning subsequent yr.
For full outcomes of the Crown King Scramble, head right here.