Article by Jen Schmidt
Race Report: Black Canyon Ultras 50k
Mid-race, probably regretting not cooling off at Bumble Bee. Photo: Nick Cornell.
Early season ultras always sneak up on me: one minute we’re enjoying the holidays, the next minute it’s already time to taper. This was especially true for me this year, given that Black Canyon 50k was on February 9th. The 100k here has always been a Golden Ticket barn-burner, but this year the new 50k distance (formerly a 60k) was added to the World Trail Majors Short Series and reached a new level of competitiveness. I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow of my specific race and focus primarily on the details of course, logistics, shoes, and gear that I think could be helpful to other runners.
Logistics: Aravaipa Running is known for putting on high-caliber races with excellent logistics, and the Black Canyon Ultras were no exception. Pre-race communication, bib pickup, aid station parking, course flagging: all well-executed with attention to detail. Phoenix is easy to fly into and there are a number of relatively cheap Airbnb’s available in town. I traveled with a friend who was doing the 100k, and we chose to stay in Phoenix, about an hour drive from the start in Mayer.
The course: Crewing on Saturday gave me the chance to get a little course preview. The course is a point-to-point that runs basically parallel to I-17, with the 50k ending at mile 32 of the 100k at Deep Canyon Ranch.
Despite the proximity to a highway, there aren’t many services near the aid stations, so if you are crewing, I highly recommend being self-sufficient from the beginning of the day in terms of water, food, and anything else you might need.
The Black Canyon Trail is twisty, turny, and rocky, with a rolling but net downhill first 19 miles followed by a more challenging 13 where you gain the majority of the 2000’ of vert. After seeing your crew at Bumble Bee Ranch, the only crewable aid station in the 50k, a climb to Gloriana Mine takes you to the crux of the course, a long and exposed eight miles without aid to the finish.
Shoes, Gear, and Aid:
Shoe-wise, I went with the HOKA Tecton X3 and noticed that a number of runners in the 100k and 50k made the same choice. In my opinion, the course is rocky enough that some cushion and protection underfoot is very welcome, but not so technical that you need an outsole with deep lugs or top-of-the-line grip.
Kudos to Riley Brady for a commanding win and course record in Vaporfly, but for those of us without superhuman ankles, a little more lateral stability is nice.
I debated shoes with a range of cushioning, from the lightweight North Face Vectiv Summit Sky 2 (my RTR Review) to the Salomon Genesis (RTR Review) and HOKA Tecton X3 (my RTR Review). I didn’t regret choosing the Tecton X3, although I did end up losing a couple toenails despite having zero issues with the toe box on long training runs.
At the start with the Sense Pro 5L pack, Tecton X3, and arm sleeves that stayed on about five minutes. Photo: Galen Farris
For the 50k, aid stations were located at miles 7.7 (Antelope Mesa), Hidden Treasure (12.9), Bumble Bee Ranch (19.4), and Gloriana Mine (24.0). On-course nutrition included Gu Roctane drink mix and gels as well as traditional ultra aid station snacks, but I chose to carry my nutrition and just refill water from the aid stations.
Knowing that the first 19 miles would be quick and I would see Galen a little over two hours into the race, I went with my Salomon Sense Pro 5L hydration vest rather than the Naked belt so that I could carry two full 500 ml bottles and avoid stopping to refill at Antelope Mesa or Hidden Treasure.
For the 100k on Saturday, Galen chose the Salomon S/LAB Ultra 10L pack, though debated the Raide Research LF 2L belt (RTR Review) plus handhelds. I swapped out the empty bottles for two mostly full ones at Bumble Bee and grabbed enough gels for the rest of the race.
Swapping out bottles at Bumble Bee Ranch. Photo: Scott Rokis
Whether you prefer a pack or belt, devoting some thought to your cooling strategy is important. I underestimated the heat (70 degrees on that course feels much hotter given how exposed it is) and chose to forego aid station cooling for quick transitions, but paid for it in the end. Both women ahead of me through Bumble Bee did some sort of cooling there. Early nutrition mistakes cost me my race (eat your gels, kids), but the heat definitely exacerbated my fade after Gloriana Mine where I slipped to sixth place after running in third for most of the race.
The placement of the aid stations after Bumble Bee Ranch is tricky: it’s only four miles or so to Gloriana Mine, but then a long eight to the finish. In the time since the race, I’ve heard quite a few runners talk about how they regretted not refilling water at Gloriana. The flowy first 19-20 miles are deceptive, so don’t make my mistake of thinking that the last twelve will be so quick that you can get away with carrying a little less fluid.
Good decisions: Shoe choice, pack rather than belt, electrolytes.
Bad decisions: Forgetting to eat some of my gels, lack of cooling at Bumble Bee, not refilling fluids at Gloriana Mine.
Is this race for you? If you like runnable courses, strong competition, and well-organized logistics, and you do well in the heat, it' s an easy yes!
Jennifer Schmidt found trail running in her mid-20's and began dabbling on the roads a few years later. Trail 50k's and road marathons are nearest and dearest to her heart, but she loves chasing competitive and personal goals on any surface and over any distance. These days, you can find her primarily on the sweet California singletrack around Auburn and Truckee, usually averaging 70-95 mpw. Depending on the season, she also competes in the USATF road and XC circuits for Sacramento Running Association's racing team. She has a marathon PR of 2:41 and was recently selected as an alternate for the USA team for 50k world championships.
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