Race Info

Race Date

100K Saturday, February 8, 2025

50K Sunday, February 9, 2025

Mayer, Arizona

100K Wave Starts: 7:00AM-8:00AM MST
50K Starts: 7:00AM MST

Course Summary

Point to point on the non-motorized Black Canyon Trail (a National Recreation Trail) featuring a mixture of single track trail, jeep roads, and pieces of an old stagecoach route. The Black Canyon Trail is located on Bureau of Land Management land and is overseen by the Black Canyon Trail Coalition.

Weather

Forecast for Mayer, AZ 

Forecast for New River, AZ

Bib Pickup

Shuttle Bus Details

Logistics
There will be a shuttle bus available on race morning for the 100K & 50K Tickets must be purchased online with registration or click the link below.

100K passengers will park and be shuttled from the Anthem Outlet Mall located a couple of miles from the finish line at Emery Henderson Trailhead to the start line at Mayer High School. Bus leaves on time and a schedule of bus times will be published closer to the race based on waves. All runners are encouraged to park in the southwest corner of Anthem Outlets which is a 6 mile/10minute shuttle ride from the finish line at Emery Henderson. After you finish your run, there will be a shuttle to take you back to your car at Anthem Trailhead. The shuttle to the start is $20 / person.

Transportation (Finish)
There will be a shuttle running from the Emery Henderson Trailhead (100K Finish Line) to the Outlets at Anthem. This will be free to runners and crews as a continuous round trip shuttle operating from 1:00 pm on Saturday until 5:00 am Sunday.

Shuttle Bus Schedule

100K Shuttle & Race Start

Directions

Camp at Deep Canyon Ranch

Participants who would like to camp close to the 50K finish line may choose to camp at Deep Canyon Ranch for the 2025 event! Participants can camp via tent, car or RV. Please note there are no hookups or dumping on property for RVs – dry camping only.

Camp at Deep Canyon Ranch

Camp at Bumble Bee Ranch

Beautiful Bumble Bee Ranch is hosting the Bumble Bee Aid station at mile 19.2! Bumble Bee Ranch will be one of our main crew access points. Campsites are available for $10 per night which include tent camping or dry vehicle camping. RV camping with electrical hookups are also available for $15 per night. Campers or participants who choose to stay on the property may also take advantage of the meals prepared and offered on site! For information on reservations, the ranch’s event menu, or more on the wild west activities provided visit their website by clicking the button below.

Camp at Bumble Bee Ranch

Creekside Lodge & Cabins

Relax before your race Creekside! Nestled right up against Big Bug Creek, Creekside Lodge & Cabins, in Mayer, is minutes away from the start of the Black Canyon Ultras and is a perfect lodging experience in heart of Arizona! For information on reservations and more check out their website.

Reserve A Cabin at Creekside

Camping & Other Lodging

Other close lodging can be found off Happy Valley Road or in North Phoenix off I-17. The drive from Happy Valley Road & I-17 is approximately 15 minutes to the shuttle and 45 minutes to the race start. Camping is allowed in parts of Prescott National Forest, and dispersed camping on BLM land. No camping is allowed at the finish line at Emery Henderson Trailhead.

Aid Stations

100K Aid Stations

Nine aid stations spaced 4.5-9 miles including water, electrolyte drink, sweet snacks, salty snacks, and fruit.

50K Aid Stations

Six aid stations spaced 4.5-8 miles including water, electrolyte drink, sweet snacks, salty snacks, and fruit. Four crew access points and four drop bags are allowed on course.

Drop Bags

Drop bags for the 100K may be brought to the expo for early drop or to start line of your race. Drop bags for the 100K are permitted at the Bumble Bee Ranch, Deep Canyon Ranch, Table Mesa, and Emery Henderson (Finish Line) Aid Stations. Please label your drop bag with the appropriate aid station name, your bib number, last name, and place in the corresponding bin at the expo or at the start line. After you utilize your drop bag during the race, place it in the used drop bag zone for transport to your finish line. As we have vehicles to do so, we will bring drop bags from the used zone to the finish line of your race. All remaining bags will be brought to the finish at the closing of each aid station (please keep this in mind if you are finishing early on in the day).

Crewing & Pacing

Crewing

Crews will be allowed at Bumble Bee Ranch Adventures, Deep Canyon Ranch, and Table Mesa for the 2025 race. We ask crews to please follow any signage and directions from aid station staff at each aid station and please not to block any public roadways. Crew access to Emery Henderson (100K finish line) is by shuttle bus only; there is no parking at the trailhead. Crews are asked to park in the southwest corner of the Anthem Outlets to board a 10 minute shuttle to Emery Henderson. These shuttles are free for crews and runners and begin at 1:00 pm Saturday. Directions to crew accessible remote aid stations are linked above.

Pacing

Pacers are permitted to start with their runner at the Deep Canyon Ranch aid station (mile 31.9). Pacers must be human and on foot. Only one pacer is allowed at a time, but pacers may switch out at the Table Mesa Aid Station (Mile 50.9). Pacers are only permitted for the 100K.

Runner Tracking

Radio volunteers will be located at each aid station along the course. They will be recording runner bib numbers as they pass through aid stations and be in contact with the finish line throughout the day.  If there is a problem somewhere along the trail, please report to the next aid station team.

Race Timing

All runners will be provided with a race bib that must be worn at all times during the race.  You will be checked in and out of all aid stations on the course as well as chip timed at the finish line. Please make sure bibs are secured to the front of your person for accurate timing and tracking on race day.

Course Marking

The course will be well marked with orange plastic ribbons with black polka dots. Trail junctions and turns will be well marked with colorful laminated signs. Please pay attention to these signs at each junction. In addition, WRONG WAY flagging (blue & white checkerboard) and red signage will be posted to designate non-race trails. All runners are responsible for understanding the layout of the courses. Please familiarize yourself with the course maps on our website prior to race day and/or print a map to bring along with you.

Trail Running & Trash

Please respect the trails and the beauty of the land by disposing of any trash at one of our aid stations. Do not throw trash on the ground–runners caught littering will be disqualified. We ask that you practice “Leave No Trace” along the course to ensure the race continues for many years.

Cupless Race & Terra Cycling

We are so lucky to make the outdoors our passion and we want to continue to keep the beautiful trails we enjoy beautiful and free from trash and wrappers. In an effort to reduce our race footprint and preserve the trails we love, Black Canyon Ultras is a cupless event.

What does that mean? There will be no paper cups at the aid stations at this race. Runners will be responsible for carrying their own containers to refill along the way. UltrAspire reusable cups may be purchased with registration or on race day OR we encourage you to bring your own. Grab a cup, a hydration vest, pouch, or water bottle and we will fill it at each aid station along the way. We ask you to help us in our efforts by preparing for a cup-free race day and thank you in advance for being good stewards of the trail.

Also new to this year, we have paired with a Terracycle company to help collect and recycle gu packets, energy bar wrappers, and other generally non-recyclable materials that we find every day in the running community. Look for our Terracycle containers at each aid station.

Parking

Parking / Start Area
The start of the 100K & 50K is located at Mayer High School. There is no parking at Mayer High School. Crews may drop off their runners but may not park in the school lot. Parking for crews will be in neighboring lots at the church and pharmacy lots just northwest of the school as you come into Spring Valley

Please note there is NO SHUTTLE back to the high school after the race. Free shuttles for crews and runners are provided from the finish line at Emery Henderson back to the Anthem Outlet Mall. All 100K runners are encouraged to park in the Southwest corner of the Anthem Outlets parking lot which is a 6 mile / 10 minute shuttle ride from the finish line at the Emery Henderson Trailhead. We will have shuttles at the finish to go back to Anthem. For 50K participants we will have parking at Deep Canyon Ranch where the shuttle pickup is that morning which is also your finish line.

Volunteer at Black Canyon

Join the adventure at Black Canyon and help runners for the 2025 race!

VOLUNTEER