[Editor’s Note: This article was written by guest writer and runner, Deki Fourcin.]
In one of many deepest fields within the historical past of the Black Canyon 100k, the anticipation was palpable as runners acquired underway at 7 a.m. native time on Saturday, February 8, for the 2025 version. The 62-mile course follows a 55-mile part of the historic Black Canyon Nationwide Leisure Path, as soon as utilized by Indigenous vacationers and merchants. The primary half of the course is web downhill, with the second half harboring many of the race’s 5,000 ft of elevation achieve, calling for gutsy working alongside cautious pacing.
The beginning of the 2025 Black Canyon 100k. Picture: Howie Stern
Seth Ruhling ran an ideal race, taking the lead on the penultimate checkpoint and storming throughout the end line in 7:24:55, breaking the lads’s course file of seven:30:18, set by Hayden Hawks final 12 months, by greater than 5 minutes. Riley Brady shone from begin to end, dominating the race from the midway level and ending in 8:16:18, pulverizing Keely Henninger’s course file of 8:45:30 set in 2023 by almost half an hour. [Editor’s Note: Faster times were run in 2019, though on a significantly different course.]
One of many first deeply aggressive occasions within the U.S. ultrarunning season, the Black Canyon 100k is the second occasion on the 2025 World Path Majors calendar and the primary Golden Ticket Collection occasion of 2025 by which runners can earn entry into the 2025 Western States 100. Thus, at stake for the highest women and men had been three entries every into this 12 months’s Western States 100.
2025 Black Canyon 100k Males’s Race
Favorable climate situations along with deep competitors made for a particularly speedy race begin. The lead group of 34 runners got here via the primary help station round 8 miles inside a minute of one another. The second help station at mile 13 instructed a lot the identical story, with Eli Hemming, winner of final 12 months’s Black Canyon 60k trying to transfer up in distance this 12 months, and Will Murray, who completed within the high 5 ultimately 12 months’s Leadville 100 Mile, main a bunch of 30.
Because the runners approached mile 20 on the third help station, the sector had began to unfold out considerably, with the lead pack of 10 runners coming via inside a minute of one another and the highest 15 runners inside 2 minutes. Makai Clemons, the 2022 Black Canyon 100k fourth place man, and Hemming had been on the head of the pack, adopted intently by ascendent path runner and ultrarunner Blake Slattengren and Seth Ruhling, who had beforehand completed as excessive as sixth place at this race in 2022.
The runners continued to push arduous via the fourth help station at mile 24, many barely stopping to rehydrate or quiet down. Murray and Hemming handed via first, adopted by Ruhling, Jordan Bramblett, and Clemons.
By the midway level of the race at help station 5, though the highest 5 positions remained unchanged, Hemming, Murray, and Ruhling had been pulling away from the remainder of the pack, 6 minutes forward after all file tempo. Canada’s Elliot Cardin moved to take the lead of the chasing group, and Joe McConaughy moved into the highest 10 for the primary time.
At help station 6 at mile 37, Hemming appeared to take management of the race, placing almost 2 minutes between himself and second-place Ruhling. Nonetheless, that is the place Ruhling started to make his transfer, chipping away at Hemming’s lead and rising the gap on Murray in third. By help station 8, at mile 51, Ruhling had labored his approach into first place, placing virtually 2 minutes between himself and a now tired-looking Hemming. Murray adopted shut behind, ultimately shifting previous Hemming going into the final help station at 59 miles.
In a good males’s race to the tape, Seth Ruhling flew throughout the road in a course file 7:24:55, lower than 2 minutes forward of second-place finisher William Murray, who was additionally underneath the earlier course file in 7:26:53. Each executed well run races, by working in touch with the lead early earlier than controlling the race later. For his or her efforts, each had been moreover awarded Western States 100 Golden Tickets.
Joe McConaughy ran a tactical race from the beginning, shifting into the highest 10 across the midway level and dealing his approach up the sector to spherical off the rostrum and bag the final Golden Ticket in 7:31:37.
Eli Hemming and China’s Can-Hua Luo rounded off the highest 5. Hemming crossed the road a minute after third place in 7:32:41, whereas Luo completed one other 4 minutes after fourth place in 7:36:38.
Seth Ruhling profitable the 2025 Black Canyon 100k in course file time. Picture: Howie Stern
2025 Black Canyon 100k Males’s Outcomes
- Seth Ruhling – 7:24:55
- Will Murray – 7:26:53
- Joe McConaughy – 7:31:37
- Eli Hemming – 7:32:41
- Can-Hua Luo (China) – 7:36:38
- Elliot Cardin (Canada) – 7:48:21
- Gavin Prior – 7:53:11
- Canyon Woodward – 7:54:16
- Blake Slattengren – 7:54:18
- Ferdinand Airault (France) – 7:54:27
2025 Black Canyon 100k Girls’s Race
The ladies’s race additionally went out quick, with Mary Denholm taking an early lead via the primary help station at about 8 miles, round 90 seconds forward of the remainder of the sector. Denholm, the 2024 Leadville 100 Mile champion working the Black Canyon 100k for the primary time, continued to push the tempo towards the second help station, with race returnees Riley Brady and Heather Jackson scorching on her heels. By the third help station at 19 miles, the sector had regrouped considerably, with Brady and Jackson starting to shut in on Denholm, and the fourth to ninth runners coming via inside 30 seconds of one another, 2 minutes behind the leaders.
By help station 4 at 24 miles, Brady and Denholm ran collectively, over 2 minutes forward of Jackson in third, adopted by Tara Dower, the 2024 general Appalachian Path quickest identified time setter, and Lin Chen (China), who has high outcomes at lengthy and troublesome ultras around the globe in the previous few years, making their first look within the high 5. Brady, trying robust, surged out into the lead on exiting the station.
By the midway level, the highest 5 seemed considerably completely different. Brady had prolonged their lead by slightly, Denholm had dropped out of the race, and Dower had moved previous Jackson into second place. Chen adopted in fourth forward of EmKay Sullivan, who began however didn’t end this race final 12 months. By help station 6 at roughly 37 miles, Brady’s lead had elevated, however simply barely, to 2 minutes forward of Dower — this was nonetheless a good race for the lead. Jackson had begun to fade, dropping to fifth place and later out of the highest 10, whereas Sullivan had fought her approach as much as third place.
Brady continued to fly forward, placing virtually 4 minutes between themselves and Dower by the next help station at about 46 miles. Dower appeared probably secure in second place, now a superb 9 minutes forward of third place Sullivan, with Chen following comfortably in fourth.
By help station 8 at 51 miles, Riley Brady had elevated their lead, cruising via forward of Dower, previous the final checkpoint, and throughout the end line to win in a course file 8:16:18. This 12 months, Brady was on the Black Canyon 100k course for the fifth time, hoping to avenge numerous difficult outcomes because of damage or sickness. With a decisive victory and a spot within the race’s historical past books, it’s secure to say that they had been profitable.
Tara Dower adopted, crossing the road in second in 8:25:08, additionally properly underneath the earlier course file and rounding off a fantastically managed race. She rose via the ranks all through the primary half, definitively carving out her second-place place within the closing miles.
EmKay Sullivan ran an analogous race, beginning conservatively and pushing the tempo through the second half. She rounded off the rostrum, crossing the road in 8:48:50. Each Dower and Sullivan eagerly accepted their Western States 100 Golden Tickets
Fourth-place finisher Lin Chen was additionally awarded a Western States 100 Golden Ticket because of Brady having already secured theirs with a victory on the 2024 Javelina 100 Mile, one other Golden Ticket race. This was a extremely deserved reward for a persistently well-paced race.
Abby Corridor was the day’s fifth-place finisher, crossing the tape lower than 2 minutes behind Chen, in 8:52:35. For Corridor, this end must be tremendous candy, as a part of her return from long-term damage, surgical procedure, and rehabilitation.
Riley Brady profitable the 2025 Black Canyon 100k in course file time. Picture: Howie Stern
2025 Black Canyon 100k Girls’s Outcomes
- Riley Brady – 8:16:18
- Tara Dower – 8:25:08
- EmKay Sullivan – 8:48:50
- Lin Chen (China) – 8:50:40
- Abby Corridor – 8:52:35
- Shea Aquilano – 8:53:48
- Erin Clark – 8:57:47
- Amanda Stalwick – 8:58:04
- Lauren Puretz – 9:08:38
- Madison Liechty – 9:11:02
[Editor’s Note: Riley Brady identifies as non-binary, and competes in the women’s division.]