RacesCalifornia Sierra
Broken Arrow Skyrace
Demand
4 out of 5
How much it asks
Worth
4 out of 5
Worth the flight + fee
Olympic Valley, California, United States
Scorecard · is it worth it?
Worth the flight if the mountains match what you want.
The card
We score the Broken Arrow 46K, not the VK and not the festival. The 46K is the mountain race: granite, steepness, a skyrunning course out of Olympic Valley that asks for hands as much as lungs. Demand is 4 because the technicality is a 5 and the vert is dense, and because 46 kilometers of this terrain is a full day for people who train on trail. It is not a 5 because it is not a 100, and because Palisades Tahoe is still a resort, not a wilderness 48-hour problem.
Worth is 4. The Sierra granite around the Valley is a reason to fly if you wanted this sport rather than a buckle. Western States starts in the same neighborhood and is a different race: heat, canyons, history. Broken Arrow is the mountain day WSER is not. Logistics are easy. Value is dinged by resort pricing. Organization confidence is medium. Date and fee stay on brokenarrowskyrace.com.
If you wanted an ultra, this is still in the catalog because skyrunning at this scale is mountain running. If you wanted a 100, look up the hill at Western States and then decide whether you wanted canyons or granite.
Palisades Tahoe will try to make this a festival. The 46K is still a skyrunning race: granite, steepness, hands, a high point around 9,000 feet, a distance that is not a 100 and does not need to be. We put it in the 50K band because that is how the catalog filters. We scored the 46K because that is the mountain product. VK tourism is out of scope. The 2027 date is not yet posted by the RD. If you wanted Western States from the same valley, that card is an icon with canyon heat. If you wanted to actually climb the Sierra granite the 100 miler leaves behind, this is the destination 46K.
Who it is for
Technical mountain runners who want a skyrunning 46K in the Sierra and do not need a 100-mile identity to fly.
Who should skip
Road ultras, first 50Ks, and anyone who will be on their hands and unhappy about it.
Weekend
Official handbook facts
- Start
- 07:00
- Crew
- 14.3 mi
- Drop bags
- 14.3 mi
- Poles
- Allowed
- Course file
- Open
Broken Arrow 46K race page · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Field
Last editions · 50K 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
- 627
- Finishers
- 552
- DNF
- 12%
- Win
- 3:58:01
- Median
- 7:50:07
2024
- Starters
- 593
- Finishers
- 502
- DNF
- 15%
- Win
- 4:01:08
- Median
- 8:24:18
2023
- Starters
- 583
- Finishers
- 527
- DNF
- 10%
- Win
- 3:58:02
- Median
- 7:38:01
Scored 46K. 2025 omitted: the 46K was halted by lightning about 7 hours in, so it is not a full-course field for the scored distance.
Overall field only. Not a pro or sponsored subset.
Climate
Typical June at the start area · historical race-week weather
- Typical high
- 72°F (22°C)
- Typical low
- 45°F (7°C)
- Typical precip
- 0.50 in (14 mm) / June
- Days with rain
- 11% of days
- High point
- 8,999 ft (2,743 m)
2015–2024 June means at the start / massif. · Open-Meteo ERA5 / climate · retrieved 2026-09-06 (repo record)
Map
RD's interactive CalTopo course map for the 46K (also hosts the GPX download)
Retrieved 2026-09-06
Dimensions
Ten 1–5 scores with a one-line why. Organization has a separate confidence tag.
Supporting dimensions · organization confidence medium
A 46K skyrunning loop, not a 100 miler. We score the 46K because that is the mountain race.
Dense Sierra climbing on granite. Short, steep, repeated.
Hands, granite, exposure, skyrunning terrain. This is the technicality 5.
June Sierra: snow possible, sun certain, afternoon weather on the high points.
High points around 9,000 ft. Real, not the story.
Olympic Valley / Palisades Tahoe. Resort access, still a mountain weekend.
A serious skyrunning field in a ski-area cathedral. Not an ultra icon.
Professional skyrunning event, public course materials. Medium-high from the public record.
You pay resort prices for granite that is actually worth it. Not a 5, not a skip.
Granite, lakes, the Valley. If scenery is a dimension, this is why the 46K is on the card.
| Dimension | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|
Distance & format How much does the advertised distance and format actually ask? | 3 out of 5 | A 46K skyrunning loop, not a 100 miler. We score the 46K because that is the mountain race. |
Vertical How serious is the climbing, not just the mile marker? | 4 out of 5 | Dense Sierra climbing on granite. Short, steep, repeated. |
Technicality Hands, poles, route-finding, or just a long dirt road? | 5 out of 5 | Hands, granite, exposure, skyrunning terrain. This is the technicality 5. |
Climate Heat, monsoon, ice, or a friendly summer afternoon? | 3 out of 5 | June Sierra: snow possible, sun certain, afternoon weather on the high points. |
Altitude Does the air change the race, or is it a talking point? | 3 out of 5 | High points around 9,000 ft. Real, not the story. |
Logistics How hard is the weekend around the race: travel, crew, lodging, rules? | 3 out of 5 | Olympic Valley / Palisades Tahoe. Resort access, still a mountain weekend. |
Prestige & field Does the start list and history change what the weekend feels like? | 3 out of 5 | A serious skyrunning field in a ski-area cathedral. Not an ultra icon. |
Organization From public evidence, does the event look competently run? | 4 out of 5 | Professional skyrunning event, public course materials. Medium-high from the public record. |
Value Entry fee, travel tax, and lottery friction versus what you get on course. | 3 out of 5 | You pay resort prices for granite that is actually worth it. Not a 5, not a skip. |
Adventure & scenery Would you fly for the place even if nobody kept score? | 5 out of 5 | Granite, lakes, the Valley. If scenery is a dimension, this is why the 46K is on the card. |