Black Canyon Ultras: How to Survive This Arizona Desert Race

The Black Canyon Ultras have earned a reputation as one the most cutthroat races on American soil, and for good reason. 

• 📉One look at the elevation profile of these courses is enough to show you just how hot the competition is going to get.
• 🥇This desert race draws a stacked field of the best pro ultrarunners worldwide for three slim chances at Golden Tickets to Western States. 
• 😲Unlike most ultramarathons that climb into the clouds and crest high mountain passes, the Black Canyon Ultras send runners plummeting downhill through the desert on technical singletrack trail. 

It’s not about who has the grit to chug the day away for once. 
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Instead, success at Black Canyon comes down to having the guts and grace to dance over slickrock at high speeds (without barreling headfirst into a cactus). 
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🌵Here's how five runners survived this epic race in the Arizona desert...

The Black Canyon Ultras offer two distance options for runners: 60k and 100k. Both races run point-to-point along the Black Canyon Trail just north of Phoenix, Arizona.
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The 60k course includes:

• 3015 feet of gain
• 5026 feet of loss
• 81% desert shrubland
• 12% grassland
• 6% pavement or developed dirt road
• 0% tree cover
• One stream crossing

The 100k course includes:

• 6965 feet of gain
• 9094 feet of loss
• 88% desert shrubland
• 7% grassland
• 4% pavement or developed dirt road
• 0% tree cover
• 5+ stream crossings

More downs than ups might sound like a cruiser, but the race directors at Aravaipa Running warn runners not to underestimate either the 60k or 100k courses. 
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“This may be a net downhill course,” the runner guide reads, “but it is anything but flat and easy—especially in the second half of the race.

• Due to the fact that the first half of the race is relatively flat and downhill, it will be easy to go out too fast. 
• Keep in mind that between miles 28 and 45 you will be crossing back and forth across the Black Canyon numerous times. 
• Even after that, there are still some major climbs and technical downhill in the route. 
• It is recommended to take it easy the first half of the race as the second half is significantly more challenging.”

It’s one thing to say you’ll save juice for the end and entirely another to actually run that way. 

• It’s tough to resist the hype as the leader pack takes off at a sprint from the starting line. 
• Almost everyone following in their footsteps gets caught up in the frenzy. 
• Most of those frontrunners will fizzle out before the halfway point, slowing down significantly or even dropping out altogether. 

Strategy is everything.

• Standing on the podium...
• Achieving an ambitious PR, or even...
• Simply finishing strong requires riding the line between being daring enough to risk it for the biscuit and cautious enough to keep your cool amidst the carnage. 

No matter what your intentions may be, one thing’s for sure...
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The Black Canyon Ultras will reveal your weaknesses without mercy.

• It’s a race for those who want to discover who they become under pressure and learn how to bring out the best (and feistiest) version of themselves. 
• The lessons Black Canyon teaches may take a few tries to really learn. 

Professional ultrarunner Tara Dower came back for round two this year after making rookie mistakes in 2022.

• “Last year I went out too fast and was in a tight group of quick people,” she remembers. 
• “I fell a lot in the beginning, too, which was embarrassing. This year I planned to be more patient in the beginning, and run my own race and pace for the first 20."
• "I focused on enjoying the scenery and proper fueling. In the end, despite the unexpected muddy slop, it worked out much better for me this time.” 

Dower, who runs for Altra, improved on her last performance by five spots to finish in a proud 7th place this year. 

Learn from Dower and five other runners who dared to toe the line at a race that left them...

• Hurting
• Celebrating, and...
• More eager than ever to put all their hard-earned lessons into action next time around. 

Why did you choose to race the Black Canyon 100k?

• After a big breakout racing year in 2023, I decided I needed to seek out higher-profile races more often to gain exposure to the pressures involved and dial in my competitive approach. 
• I also recently moved to the desert from the mountains, and fell in love with running on speedy slickrock singletrack. 
• Both the stakes and the setting of the Black Canyon 100k called to me!

What were your goals going into the race? 

• I’m learning how to bet on myself better. 
• That means aiming sky-high and giving myself a chance to run with the big dogs, knowing that my best laid plans might not always work out but that I’ll always learn more by going big than holding back. 
• I allowed myself the lofty goal of earning a Golden Ticket by placing in the top three and finishing in the 9-hour range. 
• Besides that, I set the goal of running competitively throughout the entire race, hitting every 30-minute fueling window, breezing in and out of aid stations, and smiling at everyone. These are all tactics that help bring out my best! 

What challenges did you face out there? 

• Like most first-timers at Black Canyon, I seriously underestimated the course and the competition. 
• I struggled in the muddy conditions at the start of the race and got caught up in the lightning-fast pace straight out of the gate. 
• I kept a strong, consistent pace through mile 20 and made such significant progress moving through the field that my coach told me I had a chance of clawing my way into the top ranks if I could keep it up. 
• Unfortunately, though, the difficulty of those early muddy and manic miles caught up to me. Hip pain and exhaustion hit me hard in the last third of the race, and I lost some of the ground I’d gained earlier on. 
• I ended up finishing in 14th, which I’m still proud of given the competition and the context, but fell short of my biggest goals! 

What did you enjoy most?

• I met some truly incredible people out on the course. 
• It felt surreal to run with and talk to some of the women that have inspired me from afar for years. 

How did you train?

• I’m lucky enough to live in an area that features pretty similar terrain, so I had that aspect built in! 
• I incorporated tempos into many of my long runs to work on building speed over distance, on top of my regular high-intensity speedwork days. 
• I also took a scouting trip on the course a few weeks before the race. 

How did you fuel and hydrate?

• I kept things fresh with a mix of Precision Fuel & Hydration PF30 gels (both the regular and caffeinated versions), medjool dates, and Slammers fruit pouches. 
• I made sure to fuel up with one of those options every 30 minutes. 
• I recently learned that I’m a really salty sweater, so I used Precision Fuel & Hydration’s high sodium 1500 electrolyte tabs in my water, one per 16-ounce bottle. 

What gear did you use?

• I ran in the Scarpa Golden Gate Kima ATR shoes, which I picked because they’re great on rocky terrain and have a carbon plate for efficiency at high speeds. 
• They’re usually my speedwork shoe, not my ultra shoe, but I picked them for Black Canyon because it’s such a fast race. 
• They would have been awesome if not for the unexpected mudfest in the first few miles, where they didn’t do the best job of gripping and staying on top of the squishy surface. 
• I wish I’d gone with my regular Ultra shoe, the Scarpa Spin Infinity, but I couldn’t have known how ridiculously muddy it would be! 
• I also wore the Salomon Sense Pro 10 hydration vest, Injinji toe socks (the best blister-preventor), Goodr sunnies, and arm sleeves to stay warm in the beginning and protect from the sun as the hours went on. 

What were your biggest takeaways?

• I learned a lot from aiming high and falling a bit short. 
• I definitely need to put more effort into dialing in race strategy so I feel confident in my own approach rather than getting swept up in what everyone else is doing. 
• I think competition can be great for bringing out my best efforts.
• But maybe more so as the race goes on after I’ve gotten into the groove and not right at the beginning when I’d benefit more from starting out on my own terms so I have a better chance of running fast paces more sustainably from start to finish. 
• I also need to strengthen my hips more, and eat more food all the time so I can adapt to my training better and up my energy availability over the course of long miles! 

Why did you choose to race the Black Canyon 100k?

• Black Canyon has been on my radar for a few years. I love the heat. 
• Three years ago I was signed up for Bandera 100k, but got COVID the week before the race. 
• I then signed up for the Black Canyon 100k only to find out I had double pneumonia... so it finally worked out this year! 
• The area holds special meaning for me, too. My wife and I took our 10 year anniversary out here, venturing to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon as well. We then took our two girls back the following summer on the same trip. 

What were your goals going into the race? 

• My goal was to finish in 8:30. I thought this was very realistic with the course profile and the homework I had done on the race. 
• Wildest dreams would have been a top 10 finish. 
• I am usually a strong 2nd half of the race runner, and that’s what this race takes. 
• I COMPLETELY underestimated the terrain, however. The course profile is something I think many east coasters may overlook here. I certainly did! 
• My biggest concern was how I would be able to stay focused with the hype surrounding the event. Drones, cameras, tons of people. Small ultra races in Ohio don't offer any of this. I tend to stay low-key. This is why I came here though. I need to get my feet wet in this stuff!

What challenges did you face out there? 

• The rocks really are what challenged me the most. 
• My ability to maintain the effort I thought I could output was quickly brought to check with challenging terrain. 
• We have lots of roots in Ohio, some rocks. This was every type of rock known to humans! 
• The mental capacity it took to stay engaged with the rocks, while moving quickly over the terrain hit me early.  

What did you enjoy most?

• The views and race atmosphere. This place doesn't disappoint. 
• I wanted to look around more but couldn't! 
• This course was changing every couple miles, it seemed. 
• You never had the same terrain for an extended period of time. It was wild! 
• My crew was also top notch. I was never in the aid stations longer than two to three minutes max. They kept me positive and focused.

How did you train for the race?

• I trained with lots of heat on my treadmill. 
• On this particular race day, though, that heat training did nothing for me! 
• I cannot remember a point in the race where I felt hot. 
• While there was full sun many times, the temp was below 60 and breezy. 
• In the future I need more trails incorporated and generally more miles. The more technical terrain, the better.  

How did you fuel and hydrate?

• I followed my hydration plan of running with two bottles, filling each at every aid. This wasn’t enough!
• I finished the race having only used the restroom once….and did not go for hours after. 
• I also had a planned nutrition strategy, but around the halfway point as my effort decreased, I realized I was over-fueling. 
• I actually had to stop eating for a couple of hours and work through some stomach issues. All part of the ultra experience! 

What gear did you use?

• I used Hoka Tecton 2 as my typical go-to shoe. Love this thing and it was ideal in my opinion. 
• I used two Hydrapak handheld soft flasks, and a Naked belt to hold nutrition. 
• My sunglasses were key, they helped a ton with full sun throughout the day after not getting much sunlight over the past few months in Ohio. 
• Otherwise I stay pretty bare-bones when it comes to gear—just the essentials.

What were your biggest takeaways?

• Course knowledge is HUGELY important! That, and I need heavier training overall! See you there in 2025?

Why did you choose to race the Black Canyon 60k?

• My friend Casey Koza had signed up and asked if I wanted to join. This was about 10 weeks prior to the race. 
• He convinced me by sharing that it was an “easy” and “mostly downhill” course.

What were your goals going into the race?

• Like with any ultra I’ve run (five total now), my primary goal was simply to finish. 
• Not falling into a cactus would be a plus, too. 
• The “A” goal in the back of my mind was eight or so hours.   

What challenges did you face out there?

• It was a cold start in the morning at 4,000 feet of elevation in Mayer. 
• The course was muddy the day before for the 100K race, which then froze overnight into hard and choppy footprints on the trail by the time the 60K started the next morning. 
• The choppiness didn’t last long, though, and I loved the downhill stretch from mile five all the way into Bumble Bee aid station at mile 19.
• It was all runnable, offered amazing views, and was an absolute blast!

How did you train?

• I focused some of my training time on running hard downhill. 
• I incorporated long downhills (as much as I could find in NE Ohio) at the end of my long run workouts and ran them hard once I was already fatigued.

How did you fuel and hydrate?

• It was a cool race day with temperatures in the mid-50s, which is pretty unusual for this race. 
• I made sure to take two to four SaltStick FastChews per hour along with plenty of water and a couple of liquid IVs mixed in my front soft flasks. 
• There is a 9-mile stretch between Gloriana Mine and Kay Mine aid stations where I went through my full 2-liters of water. 
• I saw another runner that had no vest or flask, just a reusable cup…I don’t understand how. 
• I also carried and ate six Honey Stinger Waffles along with some aid station fare along the way.

What gear did you use?

• Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 7. This wouldn’t have typically been my first choice for the race, but I was recovering from an ankle sprain and the Lone Peak felt more comfortable than a higher stacked shoe in training.  They worked just fine for the race.
• Vest: Salomon ADV 5
• Watch: Coros Apex 2. The battery life is incredible. I fully charged before leaving Ohio and left the charger at home. After a 6-day trip and 9+ hours of active tracking I still had over 30% battery. 
• Clothes:  Long sleeve tech shirt, running shorts, hat and sunglasses. The long sleeves were nice to keep some skin out of the sun. A running hat and sunglasses were a must-have with the absolute lack of tree cover!

What were your biggest takeaways?

• “Mostly downhill” does not always mean “easy.”
• I went out too fast, but that was as expected. 
• Miles 24-32 were difficult and slow, but given my training, I was happy with the results. 
• The course can be deceptively challenging if you push yourself too hard early on.

Why did you choose the Black Canyon 60k? 

• Well, I was smoked at a 25K in November by a fella that had no business smoking me. 
• That day was the day I needed to kickstart my next era, to actually train for a race instead of just showing up. 
• Years of Ironman training and racing was a great base to rely on, but that 25K was the day that my base got tapped out! 

What were your goals going into the race?

• To survive to the finish line without too much damage! 
• No expectation other than to enjoy the day. 
• I honestly had zero idea of what I was going to experience or face. 
• The one thing I am good at is my nutrition, so I knew I could eat my way to the finish with a GU every 30 minutes and a 20 ounce flask every hour, so I kept that as a goal along the way.

What challenges did you face out there?

• I enjoyed the entire day, even the unexpected Ohio weather! 
• Although, I hit a low patch around mile 21 to 24. I was trotting along with a friend who had been following me for a few miles like a security blanket. 
• All of a sudden, my head started spinning and I got super lightheaded. I started scanning the ground for a safe landing spot in case I went down. I wobbled down to an old mining road to a small stream and laid down in it, soaked my hat and brought my body temp down.
• That gave me a little life, and then we popped out of the low section into a wonderfully chilly breeze! I was good to go once my body cooled down, then it was game on again!

How did you train?

• Not enough! I had an illness knock me down then a calf issue. My longest run was only 16 miles.

How did you fuel and hydrate?

• I ate 22 GUs and 220+ ounces of Gatorade with some other random aid station food along the way, too.

What gear did you use?

• My gear choices had been tried in training to make sure chafing wasn’t an issue or comfort compromised. 
• Nike Pro compression under Nike shorts
• Rabbit perforated top and my vest. 
• Nike Kigers are my go-to shoes!

What were your biggest takeaways?

• I love the group and the post-race celebration! I will be back in 2025.

Why did you choose the Black Canyons 60k?

• The answer to this question is not very complex.
•  David called me up and said, “Hey, we’ve got a group going to run Black Canyons. Do you want to go?” I said “Hell, yeah!”

What were your goals going into the race?

• My only goal with every race is really just to finish. 
• I was concerned about all the sand. I ran a 10 miler in the desert before, and the sand was just brutal on your calves. 
• Post race, though, I have to say that it really wasn’t that bad at all. Most of the terrain was not sandy. It’s more dirt, gravel and rocks than sand.

What challenges did you face out there?

• The biggest challenge I had was going into the race with an upper respiratory infection. 
• I walked more than I wanted to over the last 15 miles. 
• The change in temperature was interesting. The fact that we started at high elevation where the temperature was 28 degrees but ended in the 50s. 
• But as someone living in the southeast, it was very cool to just be in the desert and in a completely different environment than what I’m used to.

How did you train?

• Honestly, I didn’t train that differently than other ultras. Hills and miles!

How did you fuel and hydrate?

• Water, Coke, Gatorade, Red Bull and lemonade. Lots of it!

What gear did you use?

• I ran in the Altra Lonepeaks! I absolutely love these shoes. You can feel everything with the zero drop minimalist design. They’re also very light and fast. 
• I may try handheld flasks in the future as opposed to carrying multiple liters of water on my back.

What were your biggest takeaways?

• This was my first really big ultra. The number of fast athletes that came to this race was just insane. 

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