In today’s era of maximally cushioned shoes, many trail runners crave connection: to the trail, to the sport, to the wild spaces they run through. The KEEN Wander, a new trail running shoe from a brand committed to environmental sustainability, delivers that connected feeling runners seek on their adventures — both to the trail and to the earth.

With a low stack height and agile build, the Wander is a go-to companion for runners who don’t just want to run the trail, but want to feel it, too. The shoes offer an alternative in a market where connection and ground feel are often sacrificed for ever-increasing stack heights.

Don’t let the low-profile build fool you; the Wander is plenty comfortable. It’s crafted with an eco-friendly foam that biodegrades at the end of its life and an incredibly durable rubber outsole that can handle all your favorite trails, from moderate singletrack to rugged backcountry routes. From the biodegradable midsole to the anti-odor coating made from natural probiotics that are safe for the environment, KEEN’s commitment to sustainability is apparent in this shoe’s design and production.

KEEN Wander Specifications

• Weight: 9.77 ounces for U.S. men’s 9/7.69 ounces for U.S. women’s 7
• Stack Height: 26/22 millimeters (heel/toe, men’s), 24/20 millimeters (heel/toe, women’s)
• Drop: 4 millimeters
• Upper Material: Engineered mesh with TPU yarn
• Midsole: KEEN.ReGENX foam with EcoEnd
• Outsole: KEEN.ALL-TERRAIN rubber
• Lugs: 3 millimeters
• Price: $140

KEEN Wander Unique Features

Naturally Fitting Upper

The KEEN Wander upper is made from a breathable engineered mesh to keep your feet cool and dry for the long haul. It also features overlays of structure and TPU yarns in the mesh for enhanced durability, so you can take these shoes on both smooth and technical trails without compromising comfort or performance. The upper strikes a balance between comfort and protection, two vital components for long days on the trail.

KEEN shoes are known for their generous toebox, and the Wander is no different. Unlike shoes with narrow toeboxes that constrict your feet, the Wander offers ample room for natural toe splay. Combined with a solid midfoot lockdown, feet stay comfortable without feeling like they’re swimming around inside the shoe. A wider forefoot offers plenty of stability, providing increased confidence on technical sections of the trail. In addition to the generous fit, the 4-millimeter drop encourages a more natural running pattern than typical high-drop shoes. The low stack height and drop, fit, and wide platform work together to make this shoe an extremely agile, fun, and trustworthy companion for mountain adventures of all kinds.

Eco-Friendly Midsole

Trail runners know that the midsole can be the most important component of a shoe, providing cushioning, energy return, and comfort for long days wandering in the wild. Even with its relatively low stack height, the Wander offers plenty of each.

The KEEN.ReGENX midsole is made of a compression-resistant foam that’s both light and soft. Low-stack shoes often sacrifice comfort for connection, but the KEEN.ReGENX foam provides enough protection, even on rough trails, while keeping the shoe close to the ground. The midsole complements the generous upper and low-drop geometry, offering a Goldilocks level of cushion throughout the foot: not too much to feel disconnected from the trail, but not too little to feel tenative traversing over sharp terrain features. The foam is also enhanced by EcoEnd to biodegrade organically at end of life, so it won’t stay in the landfill forever. The biodegradability is a nod to KEEN’s environmentally conscious mission.

The Wander features a three-quarter-length rock plate for extra protection and stability, so runners can take this shoe on a variety of terrain, from smooth singletrack to rocky and rooty trails. All of these features help you feel in total control of your movements on the trail.

A Lasting Outsole

KEEN is serious about minimizing its environmental impact by using eco-friendly materials and creating products that last. The Wander outsole exemplifies this mission.

Made from abrasion-resistant rubber with 3-millimeter lugs, the outsole was rated by Heeluxe, an independent footwear-testing lab, to last upward of 900 miles before it’s worn smooth. This is nearly double the industry average. This durability doesn’t come at the cost of performance, either. The lugs are deep enough to provide ample grip on a variety of surfaces, so no trail is off limits, yet they are unobtrusive enough to perform well on harder-packed surfaces. The outsole fits with the overall profile of this shoe, allowing you to run naturally and feel the ground underneath your feet.

When you’re ready to feel connected to the trails you traverse, the KEEN Wander will deliver the agility, cushion, and protection you need to feel part of the landscape you’re running across.

[Editor’s Note: This article is sponsored by KEEN. Thank you to the brand for its sponsorship of iRunFar, which helps to make iRunFar happen and free for all to enjoy. Learn more about our sponsored articles.]

Finding Connection With the KEEN Wander by Sponsored Post.

On the final day of a big weekend of racing in Olympic Valley, California, the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k serves up plenty of climbing, technical descending, and a staggered start time that will see the lead men and women finish at about the same time.

The second World Mountain Running Association Mountain Running World Cup race of the weekend — and the seventh of the series — runs 14.2 miles (22.9 kilometers) in a single loop around the mountains above Olympic Valley, totaling 4,500 feet (1,372 meters) of climbing. The first half is mostly up, and the second half is all downhill, except for the uphill parts — one of which is a 500-foot climb before a 3.5-mile plunge to the finish.

The final elite race of the 2026 Broken Arrow Skrace event starts at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, June 21, for the women, and 20 minutes later for the men.

That’s two days after the Friday Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent, which is also part of the Mountain Running World Cup, and for the runners doing the Triple Crown, it’s a day after Saturday’s Broken Arrow 46k. Competing in the earlier races might be a bit of a handicap for the runners in this race, so we’ll do our best to point out those competing in the Ascent or 46k, too.

The Broken Arrow Skyrace has the biggest prize purse of any trail race in the world, with $150,000 spread out across the three main races. The 23k alone has a $102,200 prize purse, with $30,000 to the winners and money going 10 deep. That’s a lot!

Read on to learn about more of the top runners, and you can check out how everything unfolded last year in our 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k results article. We’ll also be updating this article through race day with any last-minute changes. You can also check out the full 2026 entrants list.

Thanks to the World Mountain Running Association for supporting iRunFar’s 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace coverage.

iRunFar will be providing coverage of both the Broken Arrow 23k and the Ascent. Be sure to check out our preview of the 2026 Broken Arrow Ascent as well.

2026 Broken Arrow 23k Men’s Preview

Race defending champion and curent Golden Trail World Series front-runner Elhousine Elazzaoui is back for a title defense. The Moroccan has been unbeatable to start 2026, and was mostly unbeatable for 2025, too. Typically running in a lead group until late, Elazzaoui is the best downhiller and the best kicker in the bunch. Top challengers again include Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago and Patrick Kipngeno. Taylor Stack, Mason Coppi, and Christian Allen are among the top American runners expected to run at the front.

Men’s Podium Contenders

Elhousine Elazzaoui

Morocco’s Elhousine Elazzaoui is the best short-course mountain runner in the world right now. He won last year’s race in 1:43, and he’s won the Golden Trail World Series each of the last two years. Most recently, Elazzaoui won the Zegama Marathon and Ledro Sky Trentino on back-to-back weekends in May of 2026. Like last year, Elazzaoui will be in the 23k with fresh legs, as he is not racing the Ascent or 46k.

Philemon Kiriago

Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago is the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships (WMRC) Up and Down race winner and a two-time Sierre-Zinal champion, but he’s never won at Broken Arrow. In 2025, he was second in the 23k, four seconds behind Elazzaoui. In 2024, he was third behind Patrick Kipngeno and Eli Hemming. Kiriago was second at Ledro Sky Trentino in May of this year, over a minute back of Elazzaoui. Kiriago is signed up for the Ascent this year, too.

Patrick Kipngeno

Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno was third here in 2025, finishing 14 seconds behind Kiriago. Race-day decisions may change, but Kipngeno is also currently signed up for the Ascent, which he originally signed up for but didn’t race last year. Kipngeno won the 23k in 2024, when Elazzaoui wasn’t present, in 1:45. He’s best known for his uphill speed and won the 2023 and 2021 WMRC Uphill races in Austria in 2023 and Thailand in 2022. So far in 2026, he was fifth at Ledro Sky Trentino, his first race back from injury.

Taylor Stack

Taylor Stack had a breakout run in taking third at this year’s Zegama Marathon. He beat a lot of world-class runners to get on the podium there, though he was over seven minutes behind race winner Elazzaoui. Stack was sixth at the Broken Arrow 23k in 2025 and fourth in 2024, and he could outperform both of those results. He was also 12th at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race. Stack is only signed up for the 23k.

Christian Allen

Christian Allen won the Ascent in 2025 and came back to finish fourth in the 23k — less than a minute behind race winner Elazzaoui. He was 13th at the Broken Arrow 23k in 2024, too. At the 2025 WMRC Uphill race, Allen was fourth and only eight seconds behind third-place Kipngeno. Allen was injured to start the year but won the Trail Alsace 50k and the Twisted Fork 15k in May 2026, and was third at the 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race at the Sunapee Scramble on June 7. Allen is again racing the Ascent this year.

Mason Coppi

Mason Coppi should improve on last year’s eighth-place 23k finish. He won the 2026 Gorge Waterfalls 30k and then ran 2:15 at the Boston Marathon a week later. In 2025, Coppi was 14th at the WMRC Up and Down race, 52 seconds behind Stack. Coppi is only registered for the 23k. On June 7, two weeks before Broken Arrow, Coppi won the 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race at the Sunapee Scramble and beat Allen by almost two minutes.

Cam Smith

Cam Smith is a perennial Broken Arrow runner. This year, he’s in for both the Ascent and 23k. In 2025, he was third in the Ascent and seventh in the 23k, in the latter, one spot behind Stack and one spot ahead of Coppi. In 2024, he was ninth in the Ascent and only 32nd in the 23k, while finishing fourth at the 46k in between. Smith doubled at the 2025 WMRC races, too, finishing 11th in the Uphill and 24th in the Up and Down races. This year, Smith won twice on June 7 at the GoPro Mountain Games in Colorado, championing both the 10k and Pepi’s Face-Off races. Earlier in 2026, he placed fourth, with top women’s entrant Anna Gibson, in the mixed relay ski mountaineering race at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Michael Selelo Saoli

Kenya’s Michael Selelo Saoli won the year’s first Mountain Running World Cup race, the São Brás Cross contest in Portugal. At the next world cup event, he was fifth at the 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill race and first at 2026 Beijing Changping Up and Down race. Most recently, he was third at Ledro Sky Trentino, too. In 2025, Saoli was sixth at the WMRC Up and Down race. He is also racing the Ascent.

Paul Machoka

Paul Machoka joins fellow Kenyans Kiriago, Kipngeno, and Selelo Saoli. He was third at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race, and fifth at the 2025 Sierre-Zinal, too. In 2026, Machoka was second at the Beijing Changping Uphill race and third at the Beijing Changping Up and Down race, both Mountain Running World Cup races, and sixth at Ledro Sky Trentino. He is also racing the Ascent.

Other Fast Men

Andy Wacker

One thing you can count on, Andy Wacker will be in the lead at the start of the 23k. He’s a true any-distance, any-surface racer and just ran 29:01 for seventh in the professional BolderBoulder 10k road race. Wacker was ninth at last year’s Broken Arrow 23k and won the race in 2022. He is only racing the 23k.

Tyler McCandless

Tyler McCandless appears to be targeting the Mountain Running World Cup this year. He was sixth at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer and seventh at the Beijing Changping Up and Down race, both world cup races. In 2025, he was fourth at the Broken Arrow Ascent and 26th at the WMRC Uphill race. On June 7, McCandless was third at Colorado’s GoPro Mountain Games 10k. He is racing the Ascent this year, too.

Liam Meirow

Liam Meirow doubled at Gorge Waterfalls this year, taking second in the 30k and fourth in the 50k. He is also signed up for the Ascent.

Henri Aymonod

Henri Aymonod of Italy was third at the 2019 Broken Arrow 23k, fifth in 2023, and 17th in 2025. In the past year, he’s been 29th at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill race, first at the 2025 Kilometro Verticale Lagunc, and first at the 2025 Transgrancanaria Vertical Kilometer.

Cesare Maestri

Italy’s Cesare Maestri finished second at the 2026 Italian Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race, and he was 17th and fourth at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races. He is also racing the Ascent.

More Fast Men

• Morgan Elliott – 6th 2023 Broken Arrow Ascent; 3rd 2023 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race. Also racing Ascent.
• Lars Hogne – 7th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race; 1st 2025 Cranmore Mountain Race 10k. Also racing Ascent.
• Tate Knight – 3rd 2026 GoPro Mountain Games Pepi’s Face-Off; 2nd 2024 Pikes Peak Marathon. Also racing Ascent.
• Guang-Fu Meng (China) – 2nd 2026 Hong Kong 100k; 6th 2025 CCC
• Eddie Owens – 8th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race; 2nd 2025 Big Alta 50k; 4th 2025 Tamalpa Headlands 50k
• Ares Reading – 2nd 2026 Canyons 25k; 1st 2026 Big Alta 28k. Also racing Ascent.
• Alexandre Ricard (Canada) – 13th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race; 10th 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill race; 16th 2025 WMRC Uphill race

2026 Broken Arrow 23k Women’s Preview

Two-time defending champ Joyce Njeru of Kenya is back for a chance at a third straight win. U.S. runners Anna Gibson and Lauren Gregory are counted on as her biggest rivals, and Nienke Brinkman from The Netherlands will race after a nearly two-year injury cycle and a win at the recent 2026 Zegama Vertical Kilometer.

Women’s Podium Contenders

Joyce Njeru

Kenya’s Joyce Njeru is the defending champ. She won the 23k in 2025 and was second in the Ascent. In 2024, she won the 23k and the Ascent. Njeru will double up on the racing again this year. On the big stage in 2025, Njeru was fourth at the WMRC Up and Down race, and in 2026, she already has six races in the books. Top highlights for this year include a win at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, a second-place run in the Transvulcania Half Marathon, and a third-place finish at Ledro Sky Trentino.

Anna Gibson

Anna Gibson has been racing near Njeru for the last two years. In 2025, Gibson won the Broken Arrow Ascent and was third in the 23k. In 2024, Gibson was second at the Ascent and didn’t race the 23k. She’s signed up for both this year. Unlike Njeru, these will be Gibson’s first races of the year. She was, though, part of the fourth-place U.S. team in the ski mountaineering mixed relay at the Winter Olympics in February 2026. As with the Ascent, even with a little race rust, Gibson is among the race’s biggest favorites.

Lauren Gregory

Unlike Njeru and Gibson, Lauren Gregory is only signed up for the 23k. She was fourth last year in her only appearance at Broken Arrow. Later in 2025, Gregory won the Golden Trail World Series race in Mexico, placed 15th at Sierre-Zinal, and finished fifth at the WMRC Up and Down race. In 2026, she won the Gorge Waterfalls 30k and was second at the Canyons 50k. After that 30k, she didn’t start the Zegama Marathon and then was sixth at the USATF 4-Mile Road National Championships.

Makena Morley

Makena Morley beat Gregory at the Canyons 50k. A 2:30 road marathoner, Morley is new to trails but has won everything she’s raced in the past year. In 2025, that was a victory at the Kodiak 50k, and in 2026, in addition to the Canyons 50k, she won Montana’s Don’t Fence Me In 25k. Like Gregory, Morley will only race the 23k. 

Élisa Morin

Canada’s Élisa Morin was 25th at the 2025 WMRC Uphill race and 10th in the WMRC Up and Down race. After that, she won both the Défi des Couleurs Uphill and Up and Down races in Canada on back-to-back days in October 2025. On June 7, Morin won the Sunapee Scramble, which also served as the U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race for U.S. runners. She, too, will race the Ascent before the 23k.

Valentine Rutto

Kenyan runner Valentine Rutto has sometimes been great, and sometimes been well off the podium. She was only 18th at the 2026 Zegama Marathon and 42nd at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race, but was fourth at the 2025 Trofeo Nasego, first at the 2025 Giir di Mont, and won both 2025 Mountain Running World Cup races in China. Rutto is racing the Ascent, too. 

Nélie Clément

French runner Nélie Clément was eighth at the 2025 WMRC Uphill race and seventh in the WMRC Up and Down race. Clément was third at the April 2026 São Brás Cross race in Portugal, the year’s first Mountain Running World Cup race, and then she was sixth and first, respectively, at the French Mountain Running National Championships Uphill and Up and Down races. Two weeks before the Broken Arrow Ascent, Clément was third at both the European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races. She, too, is racing the Ascent.

Maya Rayle

Maya Rayle was the 26-year-old surprise winner of this year’s U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race. Contested at the Sunapee Scramble, Rayle was the second woman and only seven seconds behind race winner, Canadian Morin, and she was minutes better than Courtney Coppinger and Tayler Peavey. Rayle is only signed up for the 23k.

Courtney Coppinger

Courtney Coppinger has already raced twice in this year’s Mountain Running World Cup. She was third at the Beijing Changping Uphill race and second at the Beijing Changping Up and Down race, finishing behind Njeru in both. She was fourth at the 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race at the Sunapee Scramble in June, too. Last year, on a larger stage, Coppinger finished 14th in the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race. She is also racing the Ascent.

Tayler Peavey

Tayler Peavey is a former collegiate teammate of Morley and is new to trails as well. Peavey was one spot and 15 seconds behind Coppinger at this year’s U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race as the sixth-place woman. She was second behind Gregory at this year’s Gorge Waterfalls 30k, too.

Nienke Brinkman

The ceiling is high for Nienke Brinkman from The Netherlands. Up until a month ago, she was the course record holder at the Zegama Marathon. That time had stood since 2022. In 2023, she was sixth at Sierre-Zinal. Brinkman had a long-term injury and didn’t race again until this year’s Zegama Vertical Kilometer, which she won. She’s expected to race the 23k but not the Ascent. Her second comeback race was a little rougher. She was just 10th at the European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill race in June.

Other Fast Women

Jade Belzberg

Jade Belzberg of Canada was seventh here in 2025 and second in 2024. She races the Ascent, too, and was third in 2025. In 2026, she dropped at the Black Canyon 100k and was eighth at the Gorge Waterfalls 30k.

Tabor Hemming

In 2024, Tabor Hemming was third at the Broken Arrow 23k. She was eighth in the Ascent that year, too. After not racing here in 2025, Hemming will double both races again. So far in 2026, she’s won the Rothrock 25k and the GoPro Mountain Games 20k.

Marie Nivet

French runner Marie Nivet has raced in both the Mountain Running World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series in 2026. She was 24th and ninth, respectively, at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races, eighth at the 2026 Ledro Sky Trentino, and fifth at the 2026 São Brás Cross. In 2025, she was 11th at the WMRC Up and Down race. She is racing the Ascent, too.

Jazmine Lowther

Jazmine Lowther of Canada is one of the few racing all three events over the weekend, so she’ll show up to Sunday’s event with a bit of fatigue in her legs. Lowther was third at the 2026 Madeira Island Ultra Trail and had a successful 2025, where she placed fourth at the Trail World Championships Long Trail, eighth at OCC, and fourth at the Speedgoat 50k.

Sara Willhoit

The U.K.’s Sara Willhoit is racing the Mountain Running World Cup this year. She was eighth at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, fifth at the Beijing Changping Uphill race, and ninth at the Beijing Changping Up and Down race. In 2023, she was fifth in the Broken Arrow 23k and will race both races this year.

Allie Avatar (née McLaughlin)

Allie Avatar (née McLaughlin)is a regular at Broken Arrow. She sometimes races the Triple Crown. This year, it’s just a double with the 23k and the Ascent. In 2025, she was 29th in the Ascent and eighth in the 23k. In 2024, she was third in the Ascent and fourth in the 23k. In 2023, she won the 23k.

Camilla Magliano

Italian runner Camilla Magliano is racing a lot of the 2026 Mountain Running World Cup too. All this year, she’s been 11th at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, fourth at both the Beijing Changping Uphill and Up and Down races, and eighth at São Brás Cross. She’s also racing the Ascent.

More Fast Women

• Alexa Aragon – 10th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent; 9th 2025 Broken Arrow 23k. Also racing Ascent.
• Jessie Diggins – Three-time cross-country skiing Olympic medalist, including one gold; seven-time Nordic World Ski Championships medalist, including two golds. Also racing Ascent and 46k.
• Pema Franchi Antelme (Ecuador) – 5th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent; 23rd 2025 Broken Arrow 23k; 5th 2025 Mammoth Trailfest 26k. Also racing Ascent.
• Lara Hamilton (Australia) – 7th 2026 Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer; 7th Transvulcania Half Marathon; 11th 2025 Broken Arrow 23k; 9th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent. Also racing Ascent.
• Janelle Lincks – 1st 2026 GoPro Mountain Games 10k; 4th 2025 Broken Arrow 23k; 8th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent. Also racing Ascent.
• Erin Moyer – 3rd 2026 & 2025 Big Alta 50k; 3rd 2026 Gorge Waterfalls 100k; 2nd 2025 Mammoth Trailfest 26k. Also racing Ascent.
• Camila Noe – 6th 2026 Beijing Changping Up and Down race; 6th 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill race. Also racing Ascent.
• Oakley Olson – 8th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race; 21st 2025 Broken Arrow 23k
• Sydney Petersen – 31st 2025 WMRC Uphill race; 10th 2025 & 12th 2024 Broken Arrow 23k; 4th 2025 & 12th 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent. Also racing Ascent.
• Rena Schwartz – 3rd 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race; 2nd 2026 Big Alta 28k; 3rd 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent; 1st 2025 Cirque Series Arapahoe Basin. Also racing Ascent.
• Alicia Vargo – 17th 2025 Broken Arrow 23k; 2nd 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent. Also racing Ascent.

Call for Comments

That was a lot! Who are we right about, and who’s going to outperform this list?

2026 Broken Arrow 23k Preview by Justin Mock.

The Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent is the first race of a big weekend of racing in Olympic Valley, California, at the 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace. It’ll probably be the most competitive uphill race in the world this year.

The Ascent starts at 8 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, June 19, and goes 3.6 miles in distance and up 2,840 feet. That’s 5.8 kilometers and 865 meters. The race famously finishes at the top of almost 9,000-foot Washeshu Peak, with a ladder climb up the final stretch.

Last year’s race was limited to the lower slopes due to high wind, and you can read more about how the race unfolded in our 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent results article. Let’s hope the weather cooperates this year for that iconic mountaintop finish.

The race is both a World Mountain Running Association Mountain Running World Cup contest and the U.S. Mountain Running Championships Uphill race for 2026. The top four U.S. women and men earn spots at the Mountain Running World Cup Uphill Final in October 2026 in Canada. If that’s not enough, there’s a $28,200 total prize purse, with $6,000 to the winners and cash paid 10 deep.

Read on to learn more about the top runners. We’ll be updating this article through race day with any last-minute changes. Also, here’s the 2026 entrants list.

Thanks to the World Mountain Running Association for supporting iRunFar’s 2026 Broken Arrow Skyrace coverage.

iRunFar will be providing coverage of both the Broken Arrow Ascent and the 23k. Read our in-depth 2026 Broken Arrow 23k preview, too.

2026 Broken Arrow Ascent Women’s Preview

Incredibly, the top five women from 2025 are all expected back. That group includes the winner and runner-up, Anna Gibson and Joyce Njeru. A slew of international and national athletes will be nipping at these ladies’ heels, however, including France’s Nélie Clément and Courtney Coppinger.

Top Women

Anna Gibson

Anna Gibson was third at the 2025 World Mountain Running Championships (WMRC) Uphill race in September 2025, and she hasn’t raced on foot since. Gibson was, though, part of the fourth-place U.S. team in the ski mountaineering mixed relay at the Winter Olympics in February 2026. She’s since taken some time off racing, gone rock climbing, and traveled to Greece. Even with a little race rust, Gibson is among the race’s biggest favorites. She also won here in 2023 and was second to Njeru in 2024.

Joyce Njeru

Kenyan Joyce Njeru has been a regular across short-course global racing the last few years, and she’s been a regular at Broken Arrow too. Njeru won this race in 2024, beating Gibson, and was second last year to Gibson. Njeru took fourth at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race. While Gibson has yet to race in 2026, Njeru already has five races in the books. Her top 2026 finishes so far include a win at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, second at the Transvulcania Half Marathon, and third in the Ledro Sky Trentino.

Nélie Clément

French runner Nélie Clément was eighth at the 2025 WMRC Uphill and seventh in the WMRC Up and Down races. Clément was third at the April 2026 São Brás Cross race in Portugal, the year’s first Mountain Running World Cup race, and then sixth and first, respectively, at the French Mountain Running National Championships Uphill and Up and Down races. Two weeks before the Broken Arrow Ascent, Clément was third at both the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races.

Élisa Morin

Last September, Canada’s Élisa Morin was 25th at the 2025 WMRC Uphill and 10th in the WMRC Up and Down races. After that, she won both the Défi des Couleurs Uphill and Up and Down races in Canada last October. A few weeks ago, on June 7, Morin won the Sunapee Scramble race. This was the U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race for this year, and Morin beat all the Americans. 

Courtney Coppinger

Courtney Coppinger is due for a big win. She was third at the Beijing Changping Uphill race earlier this year, behind Njeru, and then was second in the Beijing Changping Up and Down race the next day, again behind Njeru. She was 14th at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race. Now racing on U.S. soil, Coppinger may look to close the gap on Njeru, but she’ll have U.S. competition too. She was fourth overall and third American at the June 7 Sunapee Scramble race, this year’s U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race.

Jade Belzberg

Representing Canada, Jade Belzberg was 13th at the 2025 WMRA Uphill race. At Broken Arrow, she was third in the 2025 Ascent, and ninth and second in 2024 and 2023. In 2026 thus far, she dropped at the Black Canyon 100k and was eighth at the Gorge Waterfalls 30k.

Valentine Rutto

Kenyan runner Valentine Rutto runs hot and cold. She was 18th at the 2026 Zegama Marathon last month and 42nd at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race last fall, but was fourth at the 2025 Trofeo Nasego, first at the 2025 Giir di Mont, and won both 2025 Mountain Running World Cup races in China.

Allie Avatar (née McLaughlin)

Allie Avatar (née McLaughlin) is frequently at Broken Arrow, often racing the Ascent, 46k, and 23k as part of the Triple Crown. In 2025, she was 29th in the Ascent after finishing third in 2024. She won gold at the 2021 WMRC Uphill race, contested in 2022 in Thailand, and was third in the 2021 WMRC Up and Down race there as well.

Pema Franchi Antelme

Talk about an up-and-comer. Now 13 years old, Pema Franchi Antelme of Ecuador has been racing trails since the fall of 2024. Last year, she really shone at the Ascent, where she took fifth. She also finished 23rd at the 23k. Later last year, she finished fifth at the 2025 Mammoth Trailfest 26k.

Jazmine Lowther

Canada’s Jazmine Lowther should contend for a top-10 spot. Generally known for doing longer races, she was third at the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail in April. Her top 2025 results are fourth at the Trail World Championships Long Trail and a win of the Speedgoat 50k. On brand, she’s signed up for the Triple Crown.

Camilla Magliano

Italy’s Camilla Magliano is racing many of the 2026 Mountain Running World Cup events. So far this year, she’s taken 11th at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, fourth at both the Beijing Changping Uphill and Up and Down races, and eighth at São Brás Cross.

Tabor Hemming

Tabor Hemming returns to the Ascent after a year off. In 2024, she placed eighth at the Ascent and third at the 23k. To date this year, she’s won the Rothrock 25k and the GoPro Mountain Games 20k.

Stephanie Bruce

We love to see the road crossovers, and Stephanie Bruce is a brilliant one! We think this is the first trail race for the former pro track and road runner, who has a 10,000-meter best of 31:24 and a marathon PR of 2:27.

More Fast Women

• Alexa Aragon – 10th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent; 8th 2025 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down
• Jessie Diggins – Three-time cross-country skiing Olympic medalist, including one gold; seven-time Nordic World Ski Championships medalist, including two golds.
• Hali Hafeman – 18th 2025 & 4th 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent
• Lara Hamilton (Australia) – 7th 2026 Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer; 42nd 2025 WMRC Uphill race; 9th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent
• Janelle Lincks – 1st 2026 GoPro Mountain Games 10k; 8th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent; 4th 2025 Broken Arrow 23k
• Erin Moyer – 3rd 2026 Gorge Waterfalls 100k; 3rd 2026 Big Alta 50k
• Marie Nivet (France) – 24th & 9th 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races; 8th 2026 Ledro Sky Trentino; 5th 2026 São Brás Cross
• Camila Noe – 6th at both the 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill and Up and Down races
• Sydney Petersen – 31st 2025 WMRC Uphill; 4th 2025 & 12th 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent
• Rena Schwartz – 3rd 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down; 3rd 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent; 1st 2025 Cirque Series Arapahoe Basin
• Alicia Vargo – 14th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent; 2nd 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent
• Sara Willhoit (U.K.) – 8th 2026 Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer; 5th 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill; 9th 2026 Beijing Changping Up and Down; 3rd 2023 Broken Arrow Ascent

2026 Broken Arrow Ascent Men’s Preview

Christian Allen, the 2025 winner, will defend his title against 2024 champ Patrick Kipngeno and other Kenyan challengers. Many of the top Ascent runners will also race the Broken Arrow 23k two days later, some will race both the 23k and 46k, and even some others will race the Western States 100 one week later.

Top Men

Patrick Kipngeno

Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno was third at the 2025 WMRC Uphill, and first in both 2023 and 2022. He won the 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent too. He was just fifth in a comeback from injury last month at the 2026 Ledro Sky Trentino race, though. He is the race favorite, but looks vulnerable to an upset as he finds his race fitness again.

Christian Allen

Christian Allen won last year’s Broken Arrow Ascent and was fourth in 2024, too. At the 2025 WMRC Uphill race, Allen was fourth and only eight seconds behind Kipngeno. Allen was injured earlier this year, too, but won the Trail Alsace 50k and the Twisted Fork 15k in May 2026. Just two weeks before Broken Arrow, he was third at the Sunapee Scramble, which was this year’s U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race.

Cam Smith

Cam Smith was 11th at the 2025 WMRC Uphill race. At Broken Arrow, he was third in the Broken Arrow Ascent in 2025 and ninth in 2024. Smith shook off any 2026 race rust with a June 7 double win at the GoPro Mountain Games, winning both the 10k and the Pepi’s Face-Off races. Earlier in 2026, he placed fourth, with top women’s entrant Anna Gibson, in the mixed relay ski mountaineering race at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Philemon Kiriago

Kenya’s Philemon Kiriago is better in up-and-down races than only vertical races, but he was still 17th at last year’s WMRC Uphill race as part of the first-place Kenyan team. He won the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race just after that, too. In 2026, Kiriago has been second at the Ledro Sky Trentino race and won the Transvulcania Half Marathon. At Broken Arrow, he’s been seventh in the Ascent in 2025 and 2024.

Paul Machoka

It’s not just Kipngeno and Kiriago for Kenya. Paul Machoka was third at the 2025 WMRC Up and Down race. He was fifth at Sierre-Zinal in 2025, too. In 2026, Machoka was second at the Beijing Changping Uphill, third at the Beijing Changping Up and Down, and sixth at Ledro Sky Trentino. This is his first time racing at Broken Arrow, and in the U.S., and Machoka seems due for a breakout win in international competition.

Michael Selelo Saoli

Kenya’s Michael Selelo Saoli won the year’s first Mountain Running World Cup race, the São Brás Cross contest in Portugal. He was fifth at the 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill, first at the Beijing Changping Up and Down, and third at Ledro Sky Trentino, too. In 2025, Saoli was sixth at the WMRC Up and Down race.

Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau

In 2024, Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau was third at the Broken Arrow Ascent, finishing ahead of Allen but behind Kipngeno. Last year, he took seventh at the 2025 Pikes Peak Ascent and won the 2025 Défi des Couleurs Uphill race. 

Rory Linkletter

Now here’s a fun entrant. Rory Linkletter is a prolific Canadian marathoner and Olympian, trying out the trails. In January 2026, he ran 59:49 at the Houston Half Marathon. In April 2026, he ran 2:06:04 at the Boston Marathon, and in May 2026, he ran 2:09:43 at the Ottawa Marathon. Different from other road athletes who cross over after their road running career, Linkletter is at the height of his.

Tyler McCandless

Tyler McCandless returns to this event after taking fourth in 2025. Also, last year, he was 26th at the WMRC Uphill race. So far in 2026, McCandless has finished third at the GoPro Mountain Games 10k, sixth at the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer, and seventh at the Beijing Changping Up and Down race.

David Sinclair

While David Sinclair is likely using this as a final workout ahead of the following weekend’s Western States 100, he should fare well given his prior experience of taking a respective fifth and 12th at the 2025 and 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent, as well as an even longer racing history at this event. He was most recently the 2026 Transvulcania Ultramarathon champ.

Henri Aymonod

Henri Aymonod of Italy was third at the 2019 Broken Arrow 23k, fifth in 2023, and 17th in 2025. He also took third at the 2023 Broken Arrow Ascent. In the past year, he’s been 29th at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill, first at the 2025 Kilometro Verticale Lagunc, and first at the 2025 Transgrancanaria Vertical Kilometer.

Cesare Maestri

Italy’s Cesare Maestri took second at the 2026 Italian Mountain Running Championships Up and Down, and he was 17th and fourth, respectively, at the 2026 European Off-Road Running Championships Uphill and Up and Down races.

Liam Meirow

Liam Meirow doubled at Gorge Waterfalls this year and was second in the 30k and fourth in the 50k. Last year, Meirow raced the 46k at this event and took 14th.

More Fast Men

• Jonathan Aziz – 2nd 2026 GoPro Mountain Games 10k; 1st 2025, 2024, 2023, & 2022 Pikes Peak Marathon; 11th 2025 Broken Arrow 46k
• Ryan Becker – 9th 2025 & 8th 2024 Broken Arrow Ascent
• Lars Hogne – 7th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down; 1st 2025 Cranmore Mountain Race 10k
• Tate Knight – 3rd 2026 GoPro Mountain Games Pepi’s Face-Off; 2nd 2024 Pikes Peak Marathon
• Chris Myers – 1st 2026 Mt. Fuji 100 Mile; 2nd 2025 Western States 100
• Caleb Olson – 2nd 2026 Twisted Fork 30k; 1st 2025 Western States 100
• Rajpaul Pannu – 1st 2026 Jackpot Ultras 100 Mile
• Ares Reading – 4th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down; 2nd 2026 Canyons 25k
• Alexandre Ricard (Canada) – 13th 2026 U.S. Mountain Running Championships Up and Down; 10th 2026 Beijing Changping Uphill; 16th 2025 WMRC Uphill
• Noah Williams – 14th 2025 Trail World Championships Short Trail; 11th 2025 Broken Arrow Ascent

Call for Comments

• Wow, that’s a lot of names! Who needs to be moved up to the “top” group and who might’ve been overlooked on these lists?
• There’s still movement on the entry lists. Let us know if you see changes, and we’ll keep this article updated through race morning.

2026 Broken Arrow Ascent Preview by Justin Mock.

It is June, and the temperatures across North America are warming up. That can mean only one thing: It’s Western States 100 time! Over the next few weeks, the eyes of the ultrarunning world — and those of this columnist! — will be squarely directed to the race’s 2026 edition.

Taking place on June 27, this year’s event, like every year, has countless intriguing stories to follow. I’d like to highlight three of what I think are the most interesting stories coming into this year’s race, and also propose 12 runners — we’ll call them AJW’s Dirty Dozen — who I think are likely to be at the front of the group come sundown at the finish line at Placer High School in Auburn, California, on race day.

1. Stephanie Irving

For the past nine years, in honor of former race director Greg Soderlund, the Western States race organization has reserved the Silver Legend spot in the race for a runner 60 years of age or older who has made significant contributions to ultrarunning, and Western States in particular. The Silver Legend entrant for 2026 is 64-year-old Stephanie Irving from Trout Lake, Washington. Irving is the co-founder of Wild Women Trail Runs, a women-only trail marathon in the Columbia River Gorge that has been held since 2012. A 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile finisher and a 2026 Canyons 100k finisher in April in 17:49, Irving is lining up for her first-ever run at Western States, and I’m excited to see how she does.

2. Abby Hall

The last time there was a repeat winner of the women’s race at Western States was in 2012, when Ellie Greenwood won for the second year in a row. Since then, a different woman has won every year, with the exception of Courtney Dauwalter, who won the race twice during that period — in 2018 and 2023. Abby Hall is going for the repeat win this year, and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out now that she has another year of injury-free training under her belt.

3. Zach Miller

In my opinion, Zach Miller is the most successful American male ultrarunner on the scene today to have never run Western States. Long-time fans of the sport will remember that Zach earned a Golden Ticket to Western States at the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile back in 2014 but declined it, saying he was not quite ready to take on the 100-mile distance. Fast forward 12 years, and Zach once again scored a Golden Ticket, this time at the Canyons 100k in April. At long last, we will see Miller toeing the line.

Last Year’s Western States 100 Race Predictions

Before I list my 2026 predictions, I’m looking back at my 2025 predictions and seeing how they played out.

2025 Men’s Predictions and Their Final Result

1. Kilian Jornet – 3rd
2. Rod Farvard – DNF
3. Adam Peterman – 68th
4. Daniel Jones – 5th
5. Caleb Olson – 1st
6. Jia-Sheng Shen – DNS

2025 Women’s Predictions and Their Final Result

1. Tara Dower – DNF
2. Emily Hawgood – 10th
3. Eszter Csillag – DNF
4. Fu-Zhao Xiang – 2nd
5. Abby Hall – 1st
6. Marianne Hogan – 3rd

AJW’s 2026 Western States 100 Race Predictions

With neither last year’s first- nor second-place men returning, it would have been a wide-open field were it not for the return of four-time winner and course-record holder, Jim Walmsley — even if he’s been nursing an injury. Hall has to be the favorite for the women, but Jennifer Lichter set a massive course record at the 2026 Black Canyon 100k and could definitely challenge.

Men

1. Jim Walmsley
2. Jeff Mogavero
3. Zach Miller
4. Hayden Hawks
5. Hans Troyer
6. Will Murray

Women

1. Abby Hall
2. Jennifer Lichter
3. Tara Dower
4. Anne Flower
5. Fu-Zhao Xiang
6. Hannah Allgood

Bottoms up!

AJW’s Beer of the Week

This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Moonraker Brewing in Auburn, California. Puzzle Dust is a refreshingly sweet New England-style pale ale that has a touch of bitterness and a smooth finish. Crisp and light, Puzzle Dust presents a new and fresh take on a classic variety.

Call for Comments

• What do you think of AJW’s predictions?
• Who would you put as your top five men and women?

Intriguing Storylines and Predictions for the 2026 Western States 100 by Andy Jones-Wilkins.

A throwback to the mid-90s, the new Smith Sliders ($197) bring back the look of these classic sunglasses with all the modern upgrades that make Smith sunglasses among the very best.

I bought my very first pair of performance sunglasses — Smith Sliders — in 1996 while interning as a physical therapy student in Vail, Colorado. My fair eyes weren’t handling the alpine sun very well, and the ultrarunners I’d become friends with let me in on the secret: Protecting the eyes made mountain running a lot more fun. My Sliders — black with black lenses — became my constant companion in all my outdoor adventures, even as I returned to the Midwest. The “progressive sporty look” and interchangeable lenses raised a few eyebrows, but I was sold.

Fast forward to this past year, and Smith has done an amazing job of recreating those icons of the 90s with the shape and fit of the new Sliders. With their color- and contrast-enhancing ChromaPop lenses, these are far improved from the originals in terms of lens technology.

It’s been a treat to slide my new matte black frames and ChromaPop black lens Sliders on again and run some of the same trails I did with my original pair. If, like me, you like to kick it old school but still want performance, the retro-looking Smith Sliders have the modern technology to deliver, no matter what your sunny or snowy mountain or trail adventure may bring.

Smith Sliders Frame and Fit

The Smith Sliders offer a medium fit and medium coverage that works on about any face shape and head size, even the larger ones. They’re pretty mild compared to the large, flashy frames and lenses common today, but the high level of curvature provides the perfect wrap-around fit to keep sun glare, wind, dust, and precipitation out of the eyes with no distortion at the periphery. My cheeks are very involved when I smile, and the Sliders take no issue with this and snug right in. Over the past three years, I’ve grown to prefer the large lens of the Smith Vert PivLock (review) for most of my runs — something about those dainty eyes and blustery environs — but the new Sliders do a terrific job of offering a similar level of protection in a more modest package.

The frame is constructed with Evolve, a bio-based material. In hand, the weight of the Sliders feels very similar to the Vert PivLock, but on my face, they seem heavier through the nose and under the eyes. When weighed, the Sliders come in at 26 grams, and the 2023 Vert PivLock are 29 grams, so the difference is negligible. It really is the style of fit that changes how it feels on my face.

Smith uses their reliable AutoLock hinges on the frames so the arms stay out when needed, but also fold easily with a firm bump against the torso. The brand’s Megol material on the nose pads and temples provides grip on the face, but I did notice the new Sliders occasionally slid down a bit, particularly on downhills or more technical trails. It was nothing a quick smile or squinch of the cheeks couldn’t remedy. If you’re one to slip your glasses onto the top of your head when you go inside, the Sliders handle that with ease — and no hair gets pulled out when you go to put them back on. If only other manufacturers would take note of this!

Smith Sliders Lenses

The Smith Sliders come with the brand’s ChromaPop lenses. These are my favorite lenses on the market, providing a clear view, enhanced contrast, and natural color vision without polarization. I don’t enjoy polarized lenses, and I’m thankful Smith continues to put top-of-the-line lens technology in their non-polarized lenses. The contrast between trail features and surroundings in the sun and in the trees remains crisp, and my eyes don’t fatigue in the bright sun when using the ChromaPop Black lens. It is designed for bright sun, and I can run about any trail in Colorado, across snow patches and in and out of trees without needing to take the glasses off.

For lower-light dawn and dusk running, the included amber and clear lenses are simple to switch out and slide into place. To be fair, it does take some firm pressure between thumb and fingers to get the lenses in and out — and then a lens cloth and some cleaner to restore the optics — but it’s simple enough to do, at least when not under duress deep in a race. The lenses have a smudge- and water-resistant coating to help keep them clean, but after a lens switch, a quick clean is a must. The Sliders come with a fleece carrying pouch with a zippered pocket to hold the two pairs of lenses that you’re not using. I keep a lens cloth in the pouch to use as needed.

Smith Sliders Overall Impressions

It’s a lovely walk down memory lane to pop the new Smith Sliders on and head out for a run. The modern lens and frame technology allow the iconic design to perform exceptionally well while retaining its old-school vibe. The durability and crisp optics are on par with other Smith sunglasses, and the understated look means it goes from the trail to regular life with ease.

Cheers to Smith for bringing back the Sliders 30 years later. It goes to show that good design and top-tier performance are timeless.

Call for Comments

• Did you have a pair of Smith Sliders back in the 1990s?
• Have you tried the new version? What do you think about them?

Our Favorite Running Sunglasses

Check out our Best Running Sunglasses article to learn about our current favorite sunglasses for running!

Smith Sliders Review by Kristin Zosel.