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There’s no shortage of exciting ultramarathon action this weekend, with another 43 races in the US and Canada. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we highlight events in California, Colorado, New York and Virginia. You can view the entire list of upcoming races on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar.
Broken Arrow Skyrace
We begin in Olympic Valley, California, for the Broken Arrow Skyrace, a three-day running event featuring eight races and one ultra distance, the highly competitive 46k race. This year’s 46k field has a whopping 662 registered entrants, including several of the best trail runners in the world. The race kicks off on Saturday at the valley floor of Palisades Tahoe before taking runners high above the tree line to experience the area’s best alpine trails. Participants will run the same challenging loop twice, with 4,500 feet of elevation gain and loss per loop. Runners can expect technical and rugged trails, extremely steep climbs and descents (including the famous “Stairway to Heaven” ladder), exposed ridgelines and a few miles of fast and runnable single track to open up the legs. Along the way, they will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Granite Chief Wilderness and the cobalt waters of Lake Tahoe. The 46k entrants have 12 hours to complete the course for an official finish.
San Juan Solstice
Our next stop is in Lake City, Colorado, for the San Juan Solstice 50-mile race. First run in 1995 (originally known as the Lake City 50), this high-elevation classic mountain takes place in the majestic San Juan Mountains in south-central Colorado and ranges in altitude from 8,671 to 13,334 feet above sea level, with over 12,000 feet of course elevation gain and descent. In addition to the thin air and mountainous terrain, runners will have to navigate multiple stream crossings, ridge running, route finding, wild animals and the potential for all types of weather, including heat, snow, rain, sleet and thunderstorms. The loop course begins and ends in Town Park at 5 a.m., with participants having until 9 p.m. (16 hours) to make it back in time for an official finisher’s award. Proceeds from the race benefit Lake City volunteer EMTs and provide scholarships to local graduating high school students.
Manitou’s Revenge
Heading east, we journey to Windham, New York, in the Catskill Mountains for the gnarly Manitou’s Revenge. Not for the faint of heart (or for runners who enjoy flat and buffed-out trails), the 53-mile course boasts over 14,000 feet of climbing on extremely technical trails complete with jagged and loose rocks, shoe-snagging roots, stream crossings, steep ups and downs, and the potential for slick mud. As the race website notes, “this is an extreme event and only those who are highly qualified and/or completely deranged should attempt it.” The point-to-point course begins in Windham, New York, and finishes in downtown Phoenicia, New York. Due to limits on the number of runners allowed on the Catskills trails at one time, runners will start in waves of 15 set 5 minutes apart. Participants have 23 hours to earn an official finish.
Wild Card: Night Train 50k
For this week’s Wild Card Race (where we feature an event you may not be familiar with), we travel just outside of Farmville, Virginia, for the Night Train 50k. First run in 2017, this unique event is one of the few ultramarathons in the United States that begins at night (the race kicks off at 6 p.m.). Runners will have 9.5 hours to complete the out-and-back course that travels an old rail trail through the scenic central Virginia countryside where a number of the final Civil War battles were fought. The race begins and ends at Camp Paradise in High Bridge Trail State Park, with special awards presented to the most patriotic male and female participants (in addition to the traditional finisher rewards).
Other great races this weekend include Headwaters Trail Runs (Mount Shasta, CA), Bears Ears Ultra (Monticello, UT), Slay the Dragon (Vernon, BC), Denali 135 (Paxon, AK), New River Gorge Trail Festival (Fayetteville, WV), Sunburn Solstice Run (Mount Hope, ON), Strawberry Fields Forever (North Bonneville, WA), Black Mountain 50k (San Diego, CA), Wild Woman Trail Marathon (Trout Lake, WA), and Flagstaff Extreme Big Pine Trail Runs (Flagstaff, AZ), Click here for a full list of all events.
Good luck to everyone racing, volunteering, or crewing this weekend!