Before I dig deeper into my Black Canyon Ultras weekend, I’ll say this: being an ultra trail runner doesn’t have to mean living out of a van or leaning into a dirtbag camping vibe. After years of accepting discomfort in races around the world, I decided to treat myself for once. Run Marathon des Sables in Morocco and you’ll understand. Also, I’m 53 years old, and I’ve earned the right to some comfort. For five days and four nights, I lived like a king: top tier hotels, great restaurants, a spa and an overall level of comfort that absolutely changed how I showed up on race day.
I decided to start my 2026 season with an event that would not only reunite me with the desert landscape I love so much, but also give me a real sense of what Aravaipa Running can do in the global scheme of ultra trail racing. Black Canyon is supposed to be one of the fastest 100k trail races in the country. And because it is part of the World Trail Majors series, like my dear Hong Kong 100, one of my favorite races on the planet, I wanted to feel the vibe and see the grassroots quality of the event up close.
So what makes a good ultra trail race? The people, aid stations, course and energy. And yes, the names at the front. That doesn’t concern me, or you, but when you know the top three women and top three men in the 100k automatically qualify for the Western States 100, it brings a lot of hungry, beautiful people to the line. Before heading to Arizona, I had a short list of past winners in mind. For the women: Clare Gallagher, Camille Herron, Kaci Lickteig and Rachel Drake. On the men’s side: Hayden Hawks, Tyler Green, Tim Freriks, Alex Nichols and Sage Canaday. I almost forgot, Pam Reed was there, supporting her husband. She is one of my heroes in this sport.
First the Drive
You can fly to Phoenix and rent a car. But I wanted an adventure, so I opted for the long drive. I live about 400 miles from Phoenix, and my advice to anyone planning a long haul in an EV is simple: either you already drive a Tesla or you need a NACS adapter. Without one, you are not making it out there alive.
I cannot tell you whether Tesla’s are superior machines, but I can tell you Tesla superchargers are. They are everywhere on the Southern California to Phoenix route, and they are in great working order, which is more than I can say for the other network Toyota has me using.
In the end, Black Canyon City is a small community north of Phoenix, and Scottsdale is the city just east of it. I was not right next to the race, but I didn’t mind. Phoenix highways are not as crazy as LA highways, so the driving was painless.
Where to Stay
I have been watching this event from the distance of my living room in Southern California for a few years, waiting to see if I could get a trip to Arizona supported by a tourism board in the Phoenix area. I reached out to a few local cities and Scottsdale came through generously and set me up well beyond my expectations. Scottsdale is fancy, and they proved it.
The first question to ask yourself before an ultra is simple: how many days ahead of time should you get to the start. Since I raced the 50k, my event was on Sunday, and I arrived in Phoenix Thursday night. In my opinion, two days before race day, when there is no time change and no jet lag, is the sweet spot at a minimum. It gave me time to nap on Friday, enjoy Friday night, then nap again on Saturday, knowing I would not sleep much Saturday night. So yes, two naps.
The most important night of sleep is the night before the last. Always remember that.
I started my stay at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas and got a villa. Two bedrooms, two baths, a huge living room and a cute open kitchen. I wish my chihuahuas could have come. My wife, too. I slept like a baby.
When I woke up, I went to pick up my bib. Later that afternoon, I moved to the Scottsdale Resort & Spa. What sets it apart is the old, beautiful colonial style, the gardens and the spa. And the spa really was nice. I got a 50-minute massage there on Monday after the race, right before hitting the road back to California, and it was a must. That hotel made me want to move to Arizona.
Photo courtesy Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas
Packet Pick-Up
One thing you have to understand about this race is that, no matter how complicated it sounds on the website, the whole charade is quite simple. Start, expo, buses and two different finish line locations that look like a geometry problem when you first read it. Relax, though. It is well organized, and it works like this: no matter your distance, you park at the finish and take a bus to the start. Same start for everyone.
That is the big picture. And yes, the devil is in the details, so I would still encourage you to spend time on the race website like I did. Everything is in there.
I also have to acknowledge the effort Aravaipa puts into bib pickup at Chilleen’s on 17, a bar turned into a mini expo that is honestly worth seeing. Just do not turn it into a whole afternoon. Go early, grab your bib, listen to a talk, maybe catch an elite or two, then go back to your hotel and get a wonderful dinner in town. You want fresh legs and a stomach at peace the next morning, not a hangover.
The Course
Trekking poles are historically for high mountains, or for Europeans. But these days, more and more ultra trail runners use them everywhere, for three simple reasons: they save your quads, they give you a safety net on rocky downhills and if you go full carbon, they are light as hell and fold down to almost nothing.
Now, if you are coming to Black Canyon chasing a Western States’ Golden Ticket or any kind of podium mission, you’re elite and moving fast, poles on that terrain will be more annoying than helpful.
But here is the thing: I have never seen so many bloody knees and elbows in a 50k as I did at Black Canyon. Bad falls and face plants are real out there. People underestimate those trails. They are technical. So, in 2027, when you head out from the parking lot into the buses that take you to the start, where there is parking, but not really, I hope you remember my rant about poles. Be humble. Stay safe. Carry poles.
Think of the French armada at Hardrock: François D’Haene, Aurélien Dunand-Pallaz and Ludovic Pommeret. Or just think of Katie Schide and Courtney Dauwalter. The best ultra trail runners in the world use poles. Sometimes. But more often than not, if you are smart enough to know you are not elite, it is a great idea.
Where to Dine
I do not drink. But I eat. I am French, OK? And the two restaurants I dined at were great. They were a little fancy. Not LA fancy, but Arizona fancy. Which means they were affordable, and there’s no dress code. I know because I went to the second one straight and dirty after my race.
I finished the 50k a few minutes short of 9 hours, so I did not have the time or the strength to go back to the hotel, shower and head out again like a normal person. I called ahead and apologized. I eat a lot, but I’m no savage.
Citizen Public House has thoughtful food, great service and a gorgeous bar. I looked at it throughout dinner. I had grilled crispy salmon with roasted cauliflower and potato mash, brussel sprouts, crab sherry beurre blanc and an even better blueberry bread cake with crème anglaise.
I am still not sure why the second place is called Fat Ox. Yes, they have oxen in Italy, but Italian food, the way Italians do it, does not make you fat. What I do know is that I could eat at Fat Ox in Scottsdale every night. The vibe is posh but modern, electric and almost sensual. I loved the music. Honestly, it reminded me of a place in Paris. Especially the 20 ounce ribeye with Jimmy Nardello peppers, charred cipollini onions and aged balsamic. Yes, it was $88. But that is all I had. No dessert. I swear.