The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB® starts in the historic gold-rush town of Auburn, birthplace of mountain ultras, located in the northern California foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. This race is a qualifier for the iconic UTMB World Series Finals and the Western States Endurance Run. In addition, the …
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The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB® starts in the historic gold-rush town of Auburn, birthplace of mountain ultras, located in the northern California foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. This race is a qualifier for the iconic UTMB World Series Finals and the Western States Endurance Run. In addition, the Canyons 100K distance is a Western States 100 Golden Ticket race in which the top three female and male finishers earn direct entry to the Western States 100.
The historic town of Auburn, known as the “Endurance Capital of the World™️”, is no stranger to hosting some of the most iconic races the world has seen. Both the Western States 100-mile run, and the Tevis Cup 100-mile ride finish in Auburn and with The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB finishing downtown, there is no doubting Auburn is truly the Endurance Capital of the World™️.
Participants will experience some of the most scenic and challenging sections of the iconic Western States Trail as they cover up to 17,000’ passing by the river crossing at Rucky Chucky then through the Canyons to visit infamous Devil’s Thumb and Swinging Bridge. Your limits will be tested, and your finish will be hard fought as this is the most rugged and difficult section of the Western States Trail.
The Canyons Endurance Runs will feature four distances: 100 mile, 100K, 50K and 25K. The 25K is a fundraiser for the Foresthill Schools athletic programs and for maintenance of the Western States Trail.
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Most challenging 50K, but so worth it!
Fresh from Lake Sonoma 50, I considered the Canyons 50K as the start of my training block for OCC (55K mountain race in the Swiss Alps in August). The Canyons … MORE
Fresh from Lake Sonoma 50, I considered the Canyons 50K as the start of my training block for OCC (55K mountain race in the Swiss Alps in August). The Canyons Endurance Runs includes a 10K, 25K, 50K, and 100K. The 50K had a 13-hour cutoff, but I decided to target the 9.5-hour cutoff that the 100K runners were given to complete their first 50K.
A 13-hour or even 9.5-hour cutoff for a 50K is uncommon. That should have clued me in on how brutal this was gonna be.
The day started out great with cool temps. But by 10am, it was warm. And the temps kept going up, especially in the canyons and sections that were exposed. Fortunately, there were some creek crossings that provided relief (one had water that was thigh-high but there was a slack line), shaded sections of trail, and lots of ice and cold water to douse ourselves with at aid stations. I stuffed ice in my arm warmers and sports bra.
Hydration and nutrition were on point. I ate and drank a combination of aid station fare (bananas, PB&J sandwiches, watermelons, oranges, M&Ms, Coke) and also things I packed (Tailwind, salt sticks, hazelnut wafers, suman, and potato shoe strings.) I was constantly eating!
The course was entirely on the historic Western States trail, starting at Foresthill, across Volcano Creek to Michigan Bluff, to Eldorado Creek, to The Pump and all the way down toward the Swinging Bridge at the turnaround, then back to Foresthill via the reverse route. Because this is an out-and-back course, every incline has an equal descent. In fact, about 9000 feet of each!!! Holy moly! And as if that weren’t enough, a good third of the course was technical – meaning the trail was littered with rocks that kept trying to trip you up and roll your ankle. I did roll my ankle at M20 but after walking it off, I was able to continue running.
The best part of this race was seeing many of my running friends before, during, and after the race; and making new acquaintances with some really cool people.
I felt good most of the race – I think I’m starting to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. I ran the descents and flats and power walked the ascents. I managed to finish in 9:07:48 (42 out of 61) — my worst 50K time but also the most elevation gain of almost 9000 ft. I was welcomed at the finish line by my Weeple family. They really are the best!
As with Lake Sonoma, this race did not have a medal. (Seems to be a trend among ultras.) But, we got so much more swag, including a choice between a tech shirt, necklace, or trucker hat; a pint glass; a Victory Design drawstring bag; a Hoka One One buff and hair tie; Squirrel’s Nut Butter (anti-chaffing); and Darn Tough socks. Score!!! (The 100K runners also got a necklace for the ladies and leather belt for the men.)
There was free hot food after the race – I loaded up a plate with rice, carne asada, guacamole, vegetables, and fruits. Then My friends and I headed to the Ruck A Chucky aid station to wait for other friends who were running the 100K. That was their turnaround point for their second 50K. We had a great time hanging out!
It was awesome to switch to “crew” and “cheer squad” mode after having finished my own race. There are few things that are as satisfying as helping your friends accomplish big, hairy, audacious goals!
One by one, our 100K runners made it to Ruck A Chucky. They were in good spirits despite the heat and brutal terrain. We helped them refill their water bottles and fuel up, then they were off again to take care of the last 15 miles (mostly uphill).
Three of them finished under 18 hours and earned their Western States qualifiers. One friend finished just 30 seconds past 18 hours in an all-out sprint up Foresthill Drive to the finish line where he collapsed after giving everything he had. (He’s okay.)
My heart is still full of elation (or maybe it’s the endorphins) from such an outstanding day! As challenging as this experience was, I can’t wait to sign up for next year’s race! If you are considering a challenging race, I highly recommend Canyons.