[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 acquire, 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 document of seven:30:18, set by Hayden Hawks final yr, 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 document 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 wherein 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 yr’s Western States 100.
2025 Black Canyon 100k Males’s Race
Favorable climate circumstances along with deep competitors made for a particularly speedy race begin. The lead group of 34 runners got here by the primary support station round 8 miles inside a minute of one another. The second support station at mile 13 advised a lot the identical story, with Eli Hemming, winner of final yr’s Black Canyon 60k seeking to transfer up in distance this yr, and Will Murray, who completed within the high 5 finally yr’s Leadville 100 Mile, main a gaggle of 30.
Because the runners approached mile 20 on the third support station, the sector had began to unfold out considerably, with the lead pack of 10 runners coming by 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 carefully 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 exhausting by the fourth support station at mile 24, many barely stopping to rehydrate or settle down. Murray and Hemming handed by first, adopted by Ruhling, Jordan Bramblett, and Clemons.
By the midway level of the race at support 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 in fact document 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 support 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 space on Murray in third. By support station 8, at mile 51, Ruhling had labored his method into first place, placing nearly 2 minutes between himself and a now tired-looking Hemming. Murray adopted shut behind, finally transferring previous Hemming going into the final support station at 59 miles.
In a good males’s race to the tape, Seth Ruhling flew throughout the road in a course document 7:24:55, lower than 2 minutes forward of second-place finisher William Murray, who was additionally underneath the earlier course document 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, transferring into the highest 10 across the midway level and dealing his method 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 document 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 by the primary support 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 support station, with race returnees Riley Brady and Heather Jackson sizzling on her heels. By the third support 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 by inside 30 seconds of one another, 2 minutes behind the leaders.
By support 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 world wide in the previous few years, making their first look within the high 5. Brady, wanting sturdy, 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 a bit, 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 yr. By support 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 method as much as third place.
Brady continued to fly forward, placing nearly 4 minutes between themselves and Dower by the next support station at about 46 miles. Dower appeared doubtlessly protected in second place, now a great 9 minutes forward of third place Sullivan, with Chen following comfortably in fourth.
By support station 8 at 51 miles, Riley Brady had elevated their lead, cruising by forward of Dower, previous the final checkpoint, and throughout the end line to win in a course document 8:16:18. This yr, Brady was on the Black Canyon 100k course for the fifth time, hoping to avenge plenty of difficult outcomes as a result of damage or sickness. With a decisive victory and a spot within the race’s historical past books, it’s protected to say that they had been profitable.
Tara Dower adopted, crossing the road in second in 8:25:08, additionally effectively underneath the earlier course document and rounding off a fantastically managed race. She rose by the ranks all through the primary half, definitively carving out her second-place place within the closing miles.
EmKay Sullivan ran an identical race, beginning conservatively and pushing the tempo in the course of 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 as a result 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 document 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.]