RacesSouthwest
Black Canyon 100K
Demand
3 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
3 out of 5
Worth the flight + fee
Mayer to Black Canyon City, Arizona, United States
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the flight if the mountains match what you want.
The card
Black Canyon is a destination 100K because of the airport and the Golden Ticket, not because of the mountains. The Black Canyon Trail from Mayer toward Black Canyon City is a mostly downhill, largely runnable desert point-to-point in February. Demand is 3: 100 kilometers is still 100 kilometers, the sun can still come out, the trail can still be rocky. Vertical is a 2. Technicality is a 2. This is a speed course with a prestige field, not a mountain 100K. Fast is a valid product. Fast is not a ridge.
Worth is 3. People fly to Phoenix for this, which is why it is not regional. They fly to run fast and to get a ticket, which is why it is not a 4. The Sonoran desert is real scenery. It is not a reason if you wanted Lone Peak or the San Juans. Destination in this catalog can mean a flight for a scene or a qualifier. It does not automatically mean you should spend that flight. Organization confidence is high: Aravaipa's public pages are complete. The 2027 100K runs Saturday, February 13. The fee band is $350 to $380.
Javelina is the Halloween loop 100 in the same desert metro. Black Canyon is the February point-to-point 100K. Both are 3/3 destination. Neither is a skip. Neither is a mountain. If this catalog only listed alpine, we would be lying about how Americans actually spend ultra weekends. We listed them, scored them, and declined to launder a Golden Ticket into a ridge. If you wanted the mountain Arizona does not have, leave the state. A destination 3 is a valid Phoenix weekend. It is not a mountain 100K.
Who it is for
Runners who want a fast, mostly downhill 100K in February with a Golden Ticket and a Phoenix flight, not a mountain test.
Who should skip
Anyone who thought Arizona in the catalog meant high country. If you wanted mountains, look at The Rut or Wasatch.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
- Start
- 07:00
- Crew
- 19.4, 31.9, 51.1 mi
- Drop bags
- 19.4, 31.9, 51.1 mi
- Pacer from
- 31.9 mi
- Poles
- Allowed
- Tracker
- Open
Aravaipa Black Canyon Ultras 2027 event page · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 100K scored distance
Field evidence: who showed up, who finished, how long. DNF is that evidence, not a difficulty score. Public results, scored distance only.
2026
- Starters
- 958
- Finishers
- 765
- DNF
- 20%
- Win
- 7:20:00
- Median
- 14:52:19
2025
- Starters
- 1,003
- Finishers
- 776
- DNF
- 23%
- Win
- 7:24:55
- Median
- 15:00:10
2024
- Starters
- 929
- Finishers
- 740
- DNF
- 20%
- Win
- 7:30:18
- Median
- 15:11:22
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Climate
Typical February at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 58°F (14°C)
- Typical low
- 36°F (2°C)
- Typical precip
- 1.9 in (47 mm) / February
- Days with rain
- 15% of days
- High point
- 4,265 ft (1,300 m)
BewareRain on race weekend in 2 of the last 3 years.
2015–2024 February means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Map
Dimensions
Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.
Supporting dimensions · organization confidence high
A fast 100K point-to-point. The format is speed, not a mountain siege.
Net downhill on the Black Canyon Trail. Vert is not the demand.
Desert trail, runnable, rocky in places. Not a scramble.
February in the Arizona desert: can be perfect, can be a furnace if the year is wrong.
Start higher than the finish. Thin air is not the story.
Phoenix-area desert. Easy airport. That is why it is a destination 3.
Golden Ticket 100K. The field is fast. The mountain identity is not.
Aravaipa, large, public. Competent spring classic.
A destination for a fast qualifier, not for ridges. Worth 3 is that honesty.
Sonoran desert, saguaro, a canyon trail. Pretty. Not alpine.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 3 out of 5 | A fast 100K point-to-point. The format is speed, not a mountain siege. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 2 out of 5 | Net downhill on the Black Canyon Trail. Vert is not the demand. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 2 out of 5 | Desert trail, runnable, rocky in places. Not a scramble. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 3 out of 5 | February in the Arizona desert: can be perfect, can be a furnace if the year is wrong. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 2 out of 5 | Start higher than the finish. Thin air is not the story. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 2 out of 5 | Phoenix-area desert. Easy airport. That is why it is a destination 3. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 4 out of 5 | Golden Ticket 100K. The field is fast. The mountain identity is not. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Aravaipa, large, public. Competent spring classic. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 3 out of 5 | A destination for a fast qualifier, not for ridges. Worth 3 is that honesty. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 3 out of 5 | Sonoran desert, saguaro, a canyon trail. Pretty. Not alpine. |