BLACK CANYON 100k - ON Trail Running

The ultramarathon is a beautiful beast, characterized by seemingly endless time on feet, unorthodox fuel sources, and courses designed to slow you down and make you swear your way through their rocky technicalities and tough climbs. Ultramarathons are a true test of raw human physical and mental strength against natural elements.

In the Ultramarathon world, the Western States ® 100-Mile Endurance Run is the trophy race. Kind of like the trail running world’s equivalent of the Boston Marathon, it is historic (the world’s oldest 100 mile trail race), hilly, and difficult to qualify for. Almost everyone must run other ultramarathons to qualify for a bids in a lottery, which is drawn at random once a year. However, there are a select number of races that give “golden tickets” to the top 2 or 3 finishers, granting them an automatic entry into Western States.

In late 2021/early 2022, On Running was expanding both their product line and team sponsorship to the trails. The new On Trail Running team consisted of some of the top trail runners in the country and two of them competed at the Black Canyon 100k in central Arizona for a chance at a golden ticket. I documented the race for On, following their runners, Jeff Colt and Adrian McDonald, through the hot and twisting desert course. Colt finished in 3rd place, earning a golden ticket to the Western States Endurance Run.