Canada’s Marianne Hogan claims second at Canyons Endurance Runs 100K

Saturday’s Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB 100K in Auburn, Calif., saw Quebec’s Marianne Hogan speeding to a gutsy second-place finish, in 9:50:44, earning a coveted Golden Ticket to this year’s Western States 100. Emily Hawgood of Zimbabwe ultimately claimed the women’s win in 9:46:44, while Italy’s Francesco Puppi dominated the men’s field in 8:04:36.

The race

Nearly 700 runners toed the line of this year’s Canyons, which takes place on various portions of the Western States Trail, familiar to many runners as the location of the Western States Endurance Run–the oldest and most iconic 100-miler in the U.S. The 100K race, which starts at the China Wall trailhead and follows the American River to Auburn, involves more than 3,750 metres of elevation gain (and even more elevation loss) as runners descend into and out of the canyons along the course. With cooler temperatures and rain replacing the usual California heat, this year conditions favoured strong, steady racers who could handle the mud and slick descents.

Canyons features a race line-up of three main events—a 100-miler, a 100K and a 50K. While all three races draw competitive fields, the 100K, as the final Golden Ticket race before WSER, is the marquee event.

Women’s race

The women’s race was tight early, with Canada’s Jazmine Lowther trading leads with Hawgood and Hogan through the halfway mark. In the late stages, Hawgood pulled away for good, breaking clear and running solo into Auburn for the win. Hogan stayed strong for second, while U.S. runner Keely Henninger closed hard to round out the podium in 9:58:10. With Hawgood already qualified for Western States, Hogan, Henninger and fourth-place Erin Clark (9:59:05) secured their Golden Tickets. Canmore, Alta.’s Arden Young, who is having a remarkable season, captured seventh place in 10:51:56, while Lowther eventually pulled out with a DNF.

Hogan, who had dealt with injuries over the past two years and bounced back and forth between strong performances and forced time off, had opted to sit out of Tarawera by UTMB in New Zealand in February, to be fully recovered before Canyons, and her patience clearly paid off. Known for a tenacious second-place finish at WSER in 2022 (which she followed, that summer, with a second-place finish at UTMB), fans will be eager to see what she can lay down when she returns to Auburn in July.

Top 10 women

Emily Hawgood (Zimbabwe) 9:46:44
Marianne Hogan (Canada) 9:50:44
Keely Henninger (U.S.) 9:58:10
Erin Clark (U.S.) 9:59:05
Careth Arnold (U.S.) 10:05:58
Sarah Biehl (U.S.) 10:33:34
Arden Young (Canada) 10:51:56
Abigail West (U.S.) 10:59:25
Madison Liechty (U.S.) 11:01:03
Anna Louden (U.S.) 11:06:10

Men’s race

On the men’s side, American runner Jackson Cole set an aggressive early pace, but it was Puppi who seized control by halfway and never looked back. Puppi, making the most of the cool conditions, ran steadily through the hills to take the win with a big gap, over second-place Hans Troyer; Puppi also set a new course record by more than 40 minutes. Germany’s Hannes Namberger closed out the podium. Canadian contenders Reid Burrows and Cal Neff were further back, with both runners eventually taking a DNF. Puppi declined his WSER Golden Ticket, while Troyer, Namberger and fifth-place finisher Ryan Montgomery accepted theirs.

Top 10 men

Francesco Puppi (Italy) 8:04:36
Hans Troyer (U.S.) 8:27:00
Hannes Namberger (Germany) 8:32:17
Jeff Mogavero (U.S.) 8:38:01
Ryan Montgomery (U.S.) 8:45:13
Gavin Prior (U.S.) 8:48:54
Jupiter Carera Casas (Mexico) 8:57:23
Cody Lind (U.S.) 8:57:37
Rod Farvard (U.S.) 9:04:08
Eric LiPuma (U.S.) 9:08:24

For full results of all the races at Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB, head here.