Canada’s Anne-Marie Madden takes third at Black Canyon Ultra

Canada’s Anne-Marie Madden proved yet again that she is among the top ultrarunners in North America. She finished third on Saturday in the Black Canyon 100K in nine hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds, securing herself a golden ticket to the Western States 100 in June.

Top 4 women at Black Canyon 100k: Clare Gallagher, Dominika Stelmach, Anne-Marie Madden, Taylor Nowlin. Clare is not taking the @hoka golden ticket so the 3rd ticket rolls down to Taylor. pic.twitter.com/pquYb79R6i

— Western States 100 (@wser) February 13, 2022

It was sunny and warm on Saturday in Arizona, with temperature quickly climbing into the low 20s Celsius. Racers had to navigate the winding point-to-point course that runs through the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains and parts of the Sonoran Desert, which provides little to no shade.

Madden ran a strong race from start to finish, gradually climbing through the pack to secure 20th place overall and a podium spot in the women’s race. This secured her a spot at the Western States 100, since the Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB 102K was cancelled earlier this year, awarding Black Canyon two extra tickets — one for the men and one for the women.

Madden finished only 13 minutes behind the second-place finisher, Poland’s Dominika Stelmach, who holds the 100K European record. Stelmach started out hot, creating a large lead in the early stages of the race. American Clare Gallagher, who was at one point nearly 30 minutes behind Stelmach, eventually caught up and passed her, finishing first (15th overall) in 9:06:21. Stelmach was only a few minutes behind her, finishing 16th overall in 9:10:52.

The men’s race

Let’s give it UP for our overall Black Canyon 100k presented by @hoka winners and golden tickets to the @wser recipients!
? Trueheart Brown 7:57:27
? Scott Traer 8:03:07
? Jeff Colt 8:05:14

Congratulations!

? @howiesternphoto and @rcollicott pic.twitter.com/rl5AYdxT4y

— Aravaipa Running ? (@AravaipaRunning) February 12, 2022

On the men’s side, Truehart Brown won the race in 7:57:27 after taking an early and commanding lead. Scott Traer closed the gap in the second half of the race to finish in second place in 8:03:07, followed by Jeffrey Colt in third in 8:05:14.

Canada’s Reid Coolsaet had a rough day on the course, ultimately making the decision to drop out at 80K. In an Instagram story after the race, he said “Rough day out there. Felt good for 42km and then it got really ugly around 50km. Legs just fell apart around 50km. Dropped out at 80km.” He added that he was not injured and he learned a lot from the experience.

For full results, click here.