Allie McLaughlin on her way to a win at the Broken Arrow Skyrace (© Peter Maksimow)
Two-time world champion Allie McLaughlin and her US compatriot Eli Hemming won the classic mountain race while USA’s Anna Gibson and Italy’s Andrea Rostan claimed the vertical kilometre crowns as the Broken Arrow Skyrace in California kicked off the Valsir Mountain Running World Cup on Friday (16) and Sunday (18).
First up was the vertical kilometre on Friday and runners had to contend with long snowfields, broken up by patches of dirt trail, which presented a very challenging course.
The route starts on the valley floor and climbs up 954m over 6.8km to the summit of Washeshu Peak at 2708m. Along the way it takes in some brutally steep terrain, leading up to the Headwall Ridge and the ‘stairway to heaven’ bolted ladder to the summit of Washeshu Peak. After the KT22 summit at around halfway there is a slight respite in the form of a downhill section, where the runners can either recover a little, or just push even harder and try to open a gap.
Right from the start of the men’s race there was one runner determined to lay down the gauntlet and that was Rostan. There were a number of international runners in the men’s race, who all seemed determined to make their journey worthwhile. Italy’s Henri Aymonod and Ireland’s Zak Hanna chased Rostan hard, along with USA’s Darren Thomas, the 2021 champion from the vertical uphill race.
At the halfway point where the runners hit the downhill section after KT22, Rostan was still out in front, showing no signs of fading. Aymonod and Thomas were by this point together and changing positions, with Hanna just behind. Rostan opened a lead of 80 seconds and although Aymonod and Thomas were just starting to draw him in a little, there just wasn’t enough distance left to really make a difference. Rostan emerged at the stairway to heaven ladder first and took the win in 39:51. Thomas pulled away from Aymonod a little on the final climb and he finished second in 41:10, with Aymonod just behind in 41:29.
Andrea Rostan wins the vertical kilometre at the Broken Arrow Skyrace (© Peter Maksimow)
In the women’s race there was also a runner who struck out early on and that was Gibson, an athlete who has achieved track success as well as showing her strength in the mountains by finishing fifth at the 2021 USATF Mountain Running Championships and winning The Rut vertical race.
Behind Gibson there was a group of women who were attempting to stay in touch with her. This included the US trio of Jade Belzberg, Amanda Basham and Nicole Mericle, plus Britain’s Sara Willhoit, fresh from the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck.
Gibson stretched her lead to two minutes by the halfway point and, although anything could happen once they hit the final climb, she looked so strong that it seemed unlikely. Belzberg and Willhoit pulled away from the others in the chase group and it looked like a battle for second and third. Gibson couldn’t be caught and she took the title in 47:09. Belzberg won the duel with Willhoit and they managed to claw some time back on Gibson, with Belzberg finishing in 48:00 and Willhoit in 48:25.
The conditions for the classic race on Sunday were sunny and cool for the start, but the biggest issue for the runners wasn’t the snow, but the wind. The route usually consists of a single loop with 1533m of climbing, topping out at Washeshu Peak. However, organisers made the decision that the high winds (gusting up to 70mph on the summit) were a safety risk for the runners, and they modified the course, with the start time also delayed by 90 minutes. Therefore, runners took on a 22km two-lap route featuring around 1370m of ascent.
Both the women’s and men’s fields boasted big names. Although she pulled out of the vertical uphill race, it was announced that McLaughlin – second here in the 23k in 2022 – would be taking part in the longer event. Alongside her were vertical uphill winner Gibson and third-place finisher Willhoit, plus Janelle Lincks the 2021 winner here, and her US compatriot Rachel Drake.
It was Gibson and USA’s Tabor Hemming who led it out from the front, but within a few minutes they were both passed by McLaughlin. Lincks was just behind them in fourth. Gibson and Hemming remained together for a while on the first climb, but Gibson pulled away a little and by the time they hit the highest point it looked as if she was closing on McLaughlin, though there was still a significant gap.
Despite her lead, McLaughlin didn’t let up at all on the second lap. Gibson continued to chase hard and she had proven what a strong climber she is in the vertical uphill. Hemming was still in third place, ahead of Lincks and Willhoit.
McLaughlin took a few slides on the snow on the final descent, but the smile never left her face and she won in 1:51:46. Gibson struggled on the slush, which served to show what a masterful downhill running display it was from McLaughlin, and took second in 1:57:50. Hemming was third in 1:58:55, Lincks fourth in 2:01:33 and Willhoit fifth in 2:03:33.
In the men’s race the winner of the vertical uphill race, Rostan, was also back, as were Aymonod, Hanna and Mexico’s Abraham Hernandez – third, fourth and fifth respectively on Friday.
Hanna’s Irish compatriot Paddy O’Leary, plus Eli Hemming and his US compatriots Chad Hall and Liam Meirow, were also expected to feature.
It was Eli Hemming and Hall who made a break at the start. They were soon joined by USA’s Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau and the trio started to open up a lead from the chasing pack through the first lap.
Coming into the finish of the first lap, Hall – a 2:14 marathon runner and Ryan Hall’s younger brother – took the lead once they got off the snow and hit the road. Eli Hemming took the lead again on the second lap and tried to open a gap on the uphill, having seen how fast Hall was on the downhill. But there was still only 20 seconds between the top three men at this point.
Eli Hemming was able to hold off Hall to take the win, 1:34:46 to 1:37:13. Beaudoin-Rousseau took third in 1:38:33, while Hull overtook Aymonod to take fourth in 1:40:27.
Kirsty Reade (WMRA) for World Athletics
