Hans Troyer and Jennifer Lichter won big at the 2026 Black Canyon 100k in Arizona, and both scored new course records. Troyer finished in 7:20:00, and Lichter clocked 7:57 for the point-to-point run.
For Troyer, it was a full-circle moment. He was hospitalized after the 2024 race and then missed last year’s contest with illness. Lichter stepped up in distance and, with a new coach and new sponsor, hit a home run.
The sunrise start of the 2026 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: Howie Stern
Troyer thinned the lead group until only Eli Hemming was left, and then ran the last 16 miles alone at the front. Troyer ultimately finished just over four minutes in front of second-place Anthony Costales, who moved up throughout the race’s second half. Lichter jumped ahead of Molly Seidel for the women’s lead late in the race’s first half, and then stayed just ahead of Anne Flower all the way to the 62-mile finish. Lichter beat Flower by 70 seconds.
The 2026 Black Canyon 100k had a big field of just over 900 runners on the Mayer High School track start line at 7:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, February 14. They’d run 62 desert miles — 55 on the historic Black Canyon National Recreational Trail — to a finish at the Emery Henderson Trailhead outside of Phoenix. The race’s first half is net downhill, and most of the course’s 7,000 feet of elevation gain is in the more challenging second half.
The race dates back to 2014, and every year it draws a deeper field. It’s now become one of the most competitive races in North America, too. Part of that is that it’s a super Golden Ticket race, meaning that three men and women each receive automatic entry to this year’s Western States 100. The race is also the second in the 2026 World Trail Majors series. There was a crowd-sourced prize purse, matched by race organizer Aravaipa Running, totaling over $16,000.
Read on to see how both races unfolded.
2026 Black Canyon 100k Men’s Race
Race local Jordan Bramblett didn’t wait for the favorites to warm up. Bramblett, the 46th-place finisher last year, gapped the field in the early miles and was about 20 seconds ahead of a big chase group at the mile 7 Antelope Mesa timing point.
Bramblett’s moonshot was an early surprise, and so too was Francesco Puppi’s early drop. Already at least moderately injured before the race, Puppi was bloodied after an early fall and dropped at the second aid station.
Bramblett continued to lead through mile 13 in 1:17, and eventual champion Hans Troyer was second here at 13 seconds back. The two were about two minutes faster than last year’s leaders. Zach Perrin, Canyon Woodward, and Eli Hemming were part of a chase group that had eight runners all within a minute of second-place Troyer.
The men flew through the Bumble Bee aid station at mile 19, and the course-record watch was fully on. Bramblett was still there, with Troyer, Perrin, and Hemming all within seconds of each other and all splitting 1:57. They were four minutes faster than 2025’s course record pace. Woodward and 2023 race winner Anthony Costales came next at 1:58 and 1:59 elapsed time.
Hans Troyer stoked with winning the 2026 Black Canyon 100k, after three years of trying. Photo: Howie Stern
Deep Canyon Ranch at mile 32 is the race’s unofficial halfway point, and Perrin was gone from the lead group. There were three — Troyer, Bramblett, and Hemming — together at the front in 3:28 elapsed time. Perrin was now solo in fourth two minutes back, and Woodward was still fifth.
And then it went from three to two vying for the lead. Troyer and Hemming were running one-two through Black Canyon City at mile 38 in 4:05, both looking to complete their own turnaround stories. Troyer was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after finishing 10th here in 2024, and Hemming led the 2025 race late before slowing to a fourth-place finish.
Surprise frontrunner Bramblett dropped from the lead group between miles 32 and mile 38, and by mile 38, was in third and six minutes behind leaders Troyer and Hemming. Woodward had moved up to fourth and was quickly closing in on the podium. Tracen Knopp, Perrin, and Costales were fifth, sixth, and seventh, and still eyeing a potential Golden Ticket too.
Between Black Canyon City at mile 38 and Cottonwood Gulch at mile 46, Troyer gassed it with a winning move. He was over three minutes ahead of second-place Hemming at mile 46, and further back, Costales was turning into a late-race killer.
Costales had jumped from sixth to third in just eight miles from mile 38 to 46, and then was into second by mile 51, the Table Mesa aid station. Knopp followed Costales up the ranks, too, and was in third and firmly into Golden Ticket position at mile 51. The podium was locked in. Hemming would, unfortunately, fall outside of the top 10.
Hans Troyer won the 2026 Black Canyon 100k in 7:20:00. That bettered Seth Ruhling’s year-old 7:24:55 record.
Anthony Costales was second in 7:24:32. That was faster than his 7:32:50 winning time from the 2023 race, and just under the prior course record.
Tracen Knopp took the third podium spot in 7:26:45. Canyon Woodward was fourth in 7:37:27 while early pacesetter Jordan Bramblett held on for fifth in 7:42:32.
Troyer and Woodward are already entered in this year’s Western States 100, and so the three Golden Tickets went to Costales, Knopp, and Bramblett.
2026 Black Canyon 100k Men’s Results
- Hans Troyer – 7:20:00
- Anthony Costales – 7:24:32
- Tracen Knopp – 7:26:45
- Canyon Woodward – 7:37:27
- Jordan Bramblett – 7:42:32
- Ferdinand Airault – 7:47:25
- Sage Canaday – 7:52:42
- Coleman Cragun – 7:54:16
- Zach Perrin – 8:09:47
- Andrew Quaal – 8:11:51
2026 Black Canyon 100k Women’s Race
This was really a who’s who of trail ultrarunning. Course record holder Riley Brady was back, and then there was 2020 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel, 50-mile world record holder Anne Flower, and Javelina 100 Mile course record holder Tara Dower. They were all, among others, vying for the crown and three Western States 100 Golden Tickets. Although on the entrant’s list, 100-mile world record holder Caitriona Jennings (Ireland) did not start the race.
By mile 13, Hidden Treasure aid station, Abby Hall, last year’s Western States 100 winner, was leading the women in 1:24 elapsed time. Seidel, Flower, and eventual winner Jennifer Lichter were all only seconds behind. Lichter was coming off some high-mileage training weeks and building on a 2025 that saw her set a new course record at the Speedgoat 50k. Defending champ Brady was two minutes behind the leaders and in seventh place.
The 2026 Black Canyon 100k women’s champion Jennifer Lichter in the race’s early miles. Photo: Howie Stern
Seidel moved into the lead through the mile 19 Bumble Bee aid station in 2:09, and was roughly five minutes better than course-record pace. Flower, Lichter, Dower, and Hall were second through fifth and all within a minute of Seidel. The top-five women had a gap on everyone else as Shea Aquilano was over three minutes back of Hall as the sixth-place woman.
Moves kept being made through the dynamic lead group. Lichter, racing longer than ever before, blasted the next stretch and was out of Deep Canyon Ranch at mile 32 in 3:52. She’d gained a minute-plus lead on second-place Flower, and Dower was now up to third. Seidel was in hostile territory and fell back to fourth, four minutes behind race leader Lichter. Hall was another three minutes behind Seidel in fifth at 3:59 elapsed.
At Black Canyon City, mile 38, Lichter still led, but Flower had closed to within 38 seconds. And Dower was still third, over three minutes back. Seidel and Hall kept their fourth- and fifth-place spots, too, but were 10 and 13 minutes off the lead.
Lichter would hold just over a minute lead on Flower the rest of the way, and the two would pull away from Dower and everyone else.
Jennifer Lichter won the 2026 Black Canyon 100k in 7:57:05. It was an incredible sub-8-hour run and an incredible new course record, too. Lichter’s finish bettered Riley Brady’s 8:16:18 course record from 2025. She was ninth overall. Lichter is next registered for April’s Gorge Waterfalls 50k in Oregon.
Anne Flower built on last year’s breakout success with a second-place 7:58:15 finish. She was 10th overall and also way under the former course record.
Tara Dower finished third in 8:11:46, making it a full podium under the prior course record. She was second in 8:25:08 last year.
Molly Seidel was fourth in 8:25:13, and Abby Hall finished in fifth position in 8:27:50.
Lichter, Flower, and Seidel earned Western States 100 Golden Tickets. Dower was already in for this year’s race.
2026 Black Canyon 100k Women’s Results
- Jennifer Lichter – 7:57:05
- Anne Flower – 7:58:15
- Tara Dower – 8:11:46
- Molly Seidel – 8:25:13
- Abby Hall – 8:27:50
- Shea Aquilano – 8:34:03
- Ellaney Matarese – 8:56:27
- Riley Brady – 9:14:08
- Carla Molinaro (U.K.) – 9:21:18
- Nicole Hanson – 9:24:16
Riley Brady identifies as non-binary but competes in the women’s division.
