Every April, the annual running of the London Marathon pretty much guarantees two main things: the largest participation race in the world, and the best women’s elite field ever assembled. In 2025, the three fastest women in history (who have not been busted for doping) claimed the podium spots, in Tigst Assefa, Joyciline Jepkosgei, and Sifan Hassan. Back in fifth was 42-year-old Vivian Cheruiyot, a five-time global champion on the track. Eilish McColgan placed eighth in her long-awaited marathon debut in front of an adoring home crowd. And that’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect each time out!

This year figures to be just as great, with all three podium finishers returning to face off against World champ Peres Jepchirchir and NYC champ Hellen Obiri. But the race is still over two months away, so why are we talking about it now?

It’s probably a safe bet that most of our readers recognize most, if not all the names on the London list for their historic marathon accomplishments and generational talent. Jennifer Lichter, however, is probably not a household name… unless your household is really into trail running. Lichter is a 29-year-old based in Missoula, Montana. She was a walk-on at the University of Toledo and finished out her college career with 16:48 5000m and 34:22 10,000m PBs. Oh, yeah, she’s also the 2023 JFK 50 Miler champ, the Speedgoat 50K course record holder, and now the Black Canyon 100K champ.

The Black Canyon Ultras were held last weekend about an hour north of Phoenix, Arizona, where Lichter took a decisive—but ultimately pretty narrow, by 100K standards—win in 7:57:05 Anne Flower, the 50-mile world record holder, finished just 70 seconds behind her. 12 minutes behind Flower was Tara Dower, whose claim to fame is that she holds the overall record—male or female—for fastest southbound hike of the Appalachian Trail. She also broke the course record at last year’s Javelina Jundred, which was previously held by another ultrarunning legend, Camille Herron (you can read her Wikipedia article to learn more!).

Rounding out the top five were Molly Seidel—yes, that Molly Seidel—and Abby Hall, the surprise winner at last year’s Western States 100-miler. (Seidel wasn’t even the only Olympic marathoner on the course, as Des Linden finished 13th in the 50K the next day as a training run for April’s Marathon des Sables in Morocco.) Until just before halfway, Seidel held the lead in the women’s race, but the combination of the brutal desert heat and the step up in distance got the better of her. She still hung on for fourth, securing a golden ticket to this year’s Western States. Should she compete, it would set up another huge clash between the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist and the best pure trail runners in the country.

Molly Seidel running Black Canyons felt a bit like a glitch-in-the-Matrix moment. Technically, everything from 100 meters to 100 miles falls under the umbrella of “running,” but ultras and especially trail races really feel like a totally different sport, with their own culture, circuits, and celebrities. So it might be helpful to frame things in road-running terms to realize what a bonkers race this was.

This year’s Black Canyon, featuring the Appalachian Trial FKT holder, the Western States champ, the 50 mile WR holder, and the Speedgoat course record holder all going head-to-head with a 2:23 marathoner really is the equivalent, in terms of field quality, of a London elite field. And the results delivered, just like London’s do, as three women finished underneath the old course record. Thanks to the pressure of their tight battle all the way to the finish, Lichter and Flower became the first and second sub-eight hour finishers in the race. And Seidel, to her great credit, ventured WAY outside her comfort zone and still proved she belonged.

There was a men’s race too! And Black Canyon champ Hans Troyer is, in some ways, the Sabastian Sawe of trail running: a preternaturally talented up-and-comer who pretty much emerged onto the scene a star and is only getting better. Just like London, however, the best narratives from the race came from assembling a field of internationally-renowned greats, all with different skill sets but meeting on the starting line of a high-stakes test. And like any world marathon major, the prestige of winning becomes more about the field you beat than the records you set along the way.

Comparing any race to the London Marathon makes for a high bar, but this year’s Black Canyon women cleared it. Now the standard is set. If Black Canyon can retain its newfound reputation as the place to be for every top female ultra runner, it could easily become the kind of race that escapes from niche status to broader recognition.

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