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The Valentine’s Day edition of Ultra Weekend Recap features ultramarathon race results from Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and California. Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and be sure to check out all the results as they continue to roll in on our results page.
Black Canyon Ultras
Our first stop takes us to the sunny Sonoran Desert in Arizona for the 13th running of the highly competitive Black Canyon Ultras (100k and 50k races). A massive field of over 1,000 runners, including many of the top names in the sport, lined up for Saturday’s 100k race, vying for one of three Golden Tickets into the 2026 Western States Endurance Run and a top finish in the second World Trail Majors event of the year.
This year’s women’s race went down to the wire, with Jennifer Lichter holding off a late charge by Anne Flower to secure the win. Both runners cracked the top ten and became the first female athletes to finish the race in under 8 hours. Lichter crossed the line in a new course record time of 7:57:05, and Flower was just over a minute behind in 7:58:15. Tara Dower added yet another great performance to her ultrarunning resume, placing third in 8:11:46 (also under the previous course record). Both Lichter and Flower accepted their Golden Tickets into Western States. With Dower already in the race, her ticket rolled down to Molly Seidel who registered an impressive fourth place finish in her 100k debut.
In the men’s race, Hans Troyer put on a trail running clinic from the gun to the finish line, winning and setting a new course record in a speedy time of 7:20:00. The 2023 Black Canyon 100k winner, Anthony Costales, also went under the previous course mark, earning a runner-up finish in 7:24:32. Tracen Knopp (7:26:45) rounded out the men’s podium in third. Costales and Knopp gladly accepted their Golden Tickets. Troyer, already registered for WSER, saw his ticket roll all down to fifth place finisher, Jordan Bramblett.
Top 50K Finishers:
Men
- Seth Ruhling (3:16:29) *New Course Record*
- Adam Peterman (3:18:18)
- Cade Michael (3:18:43)
Women
- Jane Maus (3:47:04)
- Liz O’Connor (3:52:30)
- Lindsay Allison (3:55:44)
Full results here.
Barkley Marathons
The 2026 Barkley Marathons kicked off at 6 a.m. EST on Valentine’s Day morning at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, nearly a month earlier than the race is typically held. The February start was likely due to campground construction in the park. Judging by the surprised reactions online Saturday morning, the early start caught many Barkley fans off guard.
The race began under favorable conditions, but only 30% of the field (12 runners) completed the first loop before the cutoff. Weather conditions quickly deteriorated overnight as torrential rain moved in, followed by thick fog on Sunday that made navigation nearly impossible, leaving only four runners to collect all the pages on loop two. By the end, the Barkley course proved victorious for the second straight year, with no official finishers and only one runner, Sebastian Raichon, managing a three-loop “fun run.”
Loop Two Finishers:
- Damian Hall
- Max King
- Mathieu Blanchard
Rocky 50
The 25th annual Rocky Racoon 50 (50-mile and 50k) took place Saturday on the flat and fast trails of Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, Texas. There were 136 of 172 starters who completed the 50-mile event, paced by women’s winner Laura Mantilla who cruised to victory in 8:41:43. Mantilla placed eighth overall. Bronwyn Messmer was the second female finisher in a time of 9:10:15. Sara Akins (9:16:45) completed the podium in third.
The victory in the men’s event went to Terry Palmer in 7:05:05. Trent Haire was the second athlete across the line in 7:07:56. Joshua Getega (7:22:32) came in third.
Top 50K Finishers:
Men
- Cameron Theriot (4:04:07)
- Martin Eikel (4:08:01)
- Collin Sepulveda (4:08:39)
Women
- Stephanie Knowlton (5:09:47)
- Beth Scallan (5:09:50)
- Kayla McIntosh (5:44:27)
Full results here.
The Ranch 50K
We wrap things up at Daley Ranch in Escondido, California, for the seventh running of the Ranch 50K. There were 89 runners who completed the 25k loop twice in under the 9.5-hour cutoff time, with top honors in the men’s contest going to Brian Marshburn in a new course record time of 4:15:45. Jacob Bear ran to a second-place finish in 4:26:17. Todd Henderson (4:35:59) snagged third.
Three women finished in the top ten overall, led by Maija Hitchings who shattered the female course record in a winning time of 4:47:23. Hitchings placed fifth overall and took over 25 minutes off the previous course mark. Marie Young was the second female and eighth runner across the line in 4:51:56. Charlotte Saunders claimed an F3 and 10th place overall finish in 5:09:05. All three women ran under the previous CR.
Full results here.
Other results include: Groundhog’s Lap Race (Greensboro, NC), Elevate 12 Hour Race (Santa Maria, CA) Men/Women, Hagg Lake 50K (Gaston, OR), Sylamore Trail (Allison, AR), Holiday Lake (Appomattox, VA), Nature Park Trail Race (Chattanooga, TN), and Run Oak Island (Oak Island, NC).