Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago (pre-race interview) and Romania’s Mădălina Florea won a giant $30,000 cash prize at the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Kiriago broke the race’s year-old course record with a 1:42:59, and Florea was just back of the women’s mark in 2:02:18.
Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago rings the bell to win the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k after taking control of the race in the final couple hundred meters. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Kiriago led for most of the race and fought off late challenges from Moroccan defending champion Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race interview) in the final minutes of the race. Florea dominated the race’s second-half downhill to improve on last year’s second-place finish.
The Mountain Running World Cup race, held on Sunday, June 21, highlighted the last day of a big weekend of competitive racing in Olympic Valley, California. The single loop race started at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time for the women, and the men started 20 minutes later, resulting in the leaders finishing nearly at the same time. The course went 14.2 miles (22.9 kilometers) and had 4,500 feet (1,372 meters) of climbing. The course ran mostly uphill for the first half and mostly downhill in the second, except for a 500-foot climb out of Shirley Canyon halfway down the descent.
Mădălina Florea of Romania, 2026 Broken Arrow 23k champion. This follows up on her second place at this race last year. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Many of the competitors in the 23k raced the Broken Arrow Ascent two days prior, also a Mountain Running World Cup race. While the Ascent had a highly lucrative prize purse, the 23k went above and beyond what is seen in trail racing with a $102,200 prize purse, with $30,000 to the winners and money going 10 deep.
Thanks to the World Mountain Running Association for supporting iRunFar’s 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace coverage.
Read on for the full race story.
You can also check out our 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent results article.
2026 Broken Arrow 23k Men’s Race
Andy Wacker sprinted to the very earliest lead in the men’s race, but when the climbing got going in earnest, Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago (pre-race interview) moved to the front. Kiriago was second in 2025 and perhaps was working to get away from the typically fast finish of Morocco’s defending champion Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race interview). Elazzaoui won last year’s race by four seconds, and he runs late-race downhills and kicks better than nearly anyone else in the world.
Brayan Rodríguez climbing his way to a fourth-place finish at the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
At the 2.6-mile checkpoint, Kiriago’s strategy was further revealed. He was an incredible 15 seconds ahead of second-place Wacker, and it was another 10 seconds behind Wacker to the chase group. Taylor Stack, Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno (pre-race interview), Mexico’s Brayan Rodríguez, Elazzaoui, and Mason Coppi were third through sixth and all within a second of each other. Christian Allen was nine seconds behind the chase pack in eighth, and Paul Knight and Cam Smith (pre-race interview) were a few seconds behind Allen to round out the then top 10.
At the 30-minute mark, Elazzaoui left the chase group and started his pursuit. Kiriago came through the 4.5-mile checkpoint in 33:28, a significant 25 seconds ahead of Elazzaoui, and Kipngeno and Rodríguez ran together in third and fourth about seven seconds behind. Fifth- and sixth-place Stack and Coppi were now 35 seconds back of that pair. Early leader Wacker soon fell out of the top 10.
Elhousine Elazzaoui on his way to taking second at the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
At mile 5.8, Elazzaoui was already back in his favorite second-place position, only two seconds behind Kiriago, with the two holding a sizable lead on everyone else. Kipngeno was third but 30 seconds behind Elazzaoui, and Rodríguez was fourth another 20 seconds back. Stack had pulled away from Coppi for fifth, and Smith was up to seventh.
Kiriago and Elazzaoui stayed together through all of the second-half downhill, and Kipgneno and Rodríguez remained in third and fourth.
At roughly the 1 hour, 40 minute mark, Elazzaoui had taken the lead, but Kiriago wasn’t done. When the pair hit the final dirt road together, instead of Elazzaoui creating a gap like last year, it was Kiriago who stepped on the gas to pull away in the final minute of the race.
Patrick Kipngeno runs to third place at the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
That aggression propelled Philemon Kiriago into the ultimate lead and he rung the finish line bell first, winning the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k in 1:42:59. It was a new course record, bettering Elazzaoui’s 1:43:53 mark from 2025.
Elhousine Elazzaoui was second in 1:43:12, and Patrick Kipgneno was third in 1:44:34. It was Kipngeno’s second straight third-place finish here.
2026 Broken Arrow 23k Men’s Results
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 1:42:59 (pre-race interview)
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 1:43:12 (pre-race interview)
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 1:44:34 (pre-race interview)
- Brayan Rodríguez (Mexico) – 1:47:25
- Taylor Stack – 1:48:48
- Mason Coppi – 1:49:11
- Cam Smith – 1:50:19 (pre-race interview)
- Cesare Maestri (Italy) – 1:51:00
- Paul Knight – 1:51:47
- Christian Allen – 1:52:32
Philemon Kiriago leads Elhousine Elazzaoui with 4k left in the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k and pulled away in the final corners of the race. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
2026 Broken Arrow 23k Women’s Race
The women’s race started 20 minutes before the men, and after five minutes of running, Makena Morley (pre-race interview) was at the front with Kenya’s Joyce Njeru (pre-race interview) on her shoulder. Njeru was the race’s two-time defending champion, and she was second in the Broken Arrow Ascent race two days earlier.
Lauren Gregory, who finished second, leads Tabor Hemming, Nienke Brinkman, and Makena Morley 11k into the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
At the 2.6-mile checkpoint, Morley, Njeru, Tabor Hemming, and Romania’s Mădălina Florea were all within six seconds of each other as a lead group of four. Lauren Gregory (pre-race interview), France’s Nélie Clément, Nienke Brinkman of The Netherlands, 2026 Broken Arrow Ascent winner Anna Gibson, Kenya’s Valentine Rutto, and Erin Moyer were in sixth through 10th and within a minute of the front.
As the climb progressed, race favorites Njeru and Florea took their positions at the front. Morley was still in the podium mix at 4.5 miles, but by mile 5.8, only Njeru and Florea were in the lead. It was starting to look a lot like last year: a two-woman race between Njeru and Florea for the win and the big $30,000 cash prize.
Njeru was first up the Stairway to Heaven ladder section, just like she was in the Ascent two days earlier, but Florea was immediately behind her. Brinkman was third up and over the ladder to start the second-half downhill, but she was 87 seconds behind Florea. Morley had fallen back to seventh.
Kenya’s Joyce Njeru finished third at the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The race then turned downhill to the finish, with only a 500-foot climb to interrupt the fast descent. It was here that Florea ran into the lead past Njeru, shouting “flower power” to the on-race cameraman as she flew past. At 10.4 miles, Florea’s lead was 16 seconds and ballooned the rest of the way.
Njeru was dangerously clutching her left side on the final descent while behind her, Hemming and Gregory were rocketing downhill. In the closing downhill section on the final dirt road, Gregory launched past both Hemming and Njeru, moving up from fourth to second place in a matter of moments.
After a second-place finish in 2025, Mădălina Florea won the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k in 2:02:18. It just missed Njeru’s 2:01:16 course record from 2025.
After finishing in fourth last year, Lauren Gregory was second in 2:03:56, and two-time defending champion Joyce Njeru was third in 2:03:59. Tabor Hemming took fourth place after a finish-chute sprint with Njeru. The pair had the same finish time, but Njeru was declared in third place.
Mădălina Florea leads the 2026 Broken Arrow 23k with 5k to go. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
2026 Broken Arrow 23k Women’s Results
- Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 2:02:18
- Lauren Gregory – 2:03:56 (pre-race interview)
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 2:03:59 (pre-race interview)
- Tabor Hemming – 2:03:59
- Nienke Brinkman (The Netherlands) – 2:04:45
- Anna Gibson – 2:05:33 (pre-race interview)
- Makena Morley – 2:09:49 (pre-race interview)
- Nélie Clément (France) – 2:10:34
- Valentine Rutto (Kenya) – 2:11:32
- Marie Nivet (France) – 2:14:59
The top three women of the 2023 Broken Arrow 23k (left to right): 1. Mădălina Florea, 3. Joyce Njeru, and 2. Lauren Gregory. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
