Trueheart
The Black Canyon 100k and the importance of rooting for others
Yesterday, struggling to garner motivation for a much-needed recovery spin on the bike trainer, I popped on the most recent episode of The Trail Network podcast. The guest was Trueheart Brown, a trail running cult-hero who shocked the sport with his win at the 2022 Black Canyon 100k.
For the uninitiated, the Black Canyon 100k is the premier early-season North American ultra, taking runners on a classic point-to-point course through the rugged hills and valleys of the Black Canyon, just north of Phoenix, AZ. The top 3 finishers in both the female and male races win “Golden Tickets”, guaranteeing their entry into the prestigious Western States 100.
2022 was a pivotal year in the trail scene. Coming out of the pandemic, the popularity of the sport was on the rise and the media entities we know and love today were beginning to gain real traction. Unlike today, where the professionalization of trail is at a high, 2022 still allowed the opportunity for a complete unknown to snag a statement win.
That’s exactly what Trueheart did. He ran away from the field early and solo’d to victory. Hoisting a Golden Ticket while capturing the hearts and minds of the dedicated weirdos following along live.
Unfortunately, he never saw the start line of Western States.
Trueheart works in forest and fire management. During the summer of 2022 a large fire erupted and decimated thousands of acres in northern Arizona. It not only impacted his ability to train, but he could not in good conscious take time off work to race during such an emergency.
Nevertheless, Trueheart remains grateful for everything that happened in 2022. During the episode he brings the hosts (and myself) to tears while sharing the sense of joy he experienced to be able to share that win with his family. When asked about the upcoming Black Canyon race (which is this weekend!!) he focused on celebrating a colleague of his who will be returning to the race after DNF’ing the year prior.
The people like her that are waking up at 4:00 AM to run before going to work, all while supporting their families. Everybody knows someone like her, the folks who aren’t chasing a ticket or anything, but they are lining up and giving it their all. Everything that it took to get to the start line, that’s amazing in my mind. In the grand scheme of things, that’s what inspires me.
I needed this reminder. The tumultuous and frenzied nature of the world tends to fuel a more critical side of me. This is usually focused on mainstream issues but I’ve found it seeping into how I approach trail running at times. I never want to root against anyone. Everyone at the start line of an ultra has cycled through early mornings, late nights, cramming it in, quelling self-doubt, just to be there. That’s always worth rooting for.
So, ahead of the 2025 Black Canyon 100k tomorrow, I might have some favorites in mind, but I’ll be perusing the live tracking deep down to the back of the pack. Knowing that every single person out there is giving it their all. Rooting hard for them to have a good day and a finish they can be proud of.