“We are thrilled to bring a 100-mile distance to Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB,” said Chaz Sheya, Founder and Race Director for the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB®. “This new offering will provide a uniquely challenging test to our already stellar set of races while continuing to utilize portions of the Western States that have proven to be an unforgettable experience for all that toe the start line at Canyons. We can’t wait to push the envelope and see who steps up to the challenge of conquering 100-miles through the Sierras in 2023.”
The new 100-mile distance in 2023 will be a point-to-point uphill run from Auburn to the China Wall off of Foresthill Road. Testing the limits of the athletes, the route will experience some of the most scenic and challenging sections of the iconic Western States Trail and other classic trails with 24,000 feet of vertical gain.
It all starts in historic downtown Auburn, Calif. before crossing Ann Trason’s White Bridge, up to Robie Point and jumps on the historic Western States Trail for a fast descent to No Hands bridge. From No Hands bridge the race turns up the infamous K2 climb over to Cool, down the Coffer loop to the American River, up to Olmstead loop and back to Cool. Leaving Cool, runners will follow the Western States Trail across Hwy 49 to Quarry trail, up Brown’s Bar to Auburn Lake Trails (ALT), to American Canyon down to the Quarry trail and back to the Western States Trail to No Hands Bridge as they rejoin the 100km route. They will then take the Confluence Trail to Mammoth Bar to Drivers Flat and rejoin the Western States Trail along Cal Street to Foresthill, through Volcano Canyon to Michigan Bluff, down into Eldorado Canyon and up to Deadwood. From there, it will be down the steep Devil’s Thumb descent to Swinging Bridge and back up to Loop 6 where runners will be met with amazing views. As they enter the home stretch, runners will head back to Deadwood with a big drop into Eldorado Canyon before finishing with the final big climb to China Wall. The cutoff for the 100-mile distance will be 36 hours.
This year’s edition of the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB® is set to take place on April 23 and will start in the historic gold-rush town of Auburn, birthplace of mountain ultras in the northern California foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Over 1,100 runners from more than 15 countries, regions, and territories are registered to embark on one of the three distances offered at the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB®.
The Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB®, the second ever event in the 2022 UTMB® World Series the world’s leading trail running circuit, is a dual qualifier for the iconic UTMB® World Series Finals taking place in Chamonix, France, and is also a Western States 100 Golden Ticket race.
For more information about the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB® visit e3running.com/canyons. For more information about the 2022 UTMB® World Series visit utmb.world.