Broken Arrow Skyrace 2024 results: Njeru and Kipngeno do the ‘double double’

Joyce Njeru and Patrick Kipngeno, just as they had in Friday’s Vertical Kilometre race, dominated from virtually start to finish to make it another Kenyan double in the Broken Arrow Skyrace over 23km at Palisades Tahoe in California on Sunday.

The events were the first two in the 2024 Valsir Mountain Running World Cup schedule and the pair already look tough to catch.

After last year’s snow-affected race, where the course was amended to be two laps, this year conditions couldn’t have been better. Warm conditions, blue skies and a mostly snow-free course awaited the runners. Here’s how it all panned out…

Women’s race – Njeru powers away from rivals

Both races followed a similar pattern, with the eventual winners powering into significant leads early on and then maintaining their advantage in the second half.

Njeru was nearly two minutes clear of Tabor Hemming (USA) at the first checkpoint and had extended that to three minutes by ‘Siberia’ at 7.8 miles.

But she was given a potential scare late on as Jade Belzberg (USA) had moved into second and was only just over half a minute down on Njeru at the finish. Heming was 1:39 back in third, with her Allie McLaughlin (USA), the winner last year, fourth this time.

Men’s race – Action replay for Kipngeno

‘Snow King’ at 4.6 miles was the first checkpoint and Kipngeno had already opened up a lead of nearly a minute on his rivals after reaching it in 32:50.

Defending champion Eli Hemming (USA) was his closest pursuer, with Philemon Kiriago (KEN) in third and that trio would end up staying in those slots throughout the race.

Kipngeno stopped the clock in 1:45:37, with Hemming not losing much more time after the early stages as he came in at 1:47:00.

There was then more than a three-minute gap to last year’s Sierre-Zinal winner Kiriago as he rounded out the podium.

Broken Arrow Skyrace results, Sunday 23 June 2024, 23km

WOMEN:

1. Joyce Njeru (KEN) – 2:11:52
2. Jade Belzberg (USA) – 2:12:29
3. Tabor Hemming (USA) – 2:13:31

MEN:

1. Patrick Kipngeno (KEN) – 1:45:37
2. Eli Hemming (USA) – 1:47:00
3. Philemon Kiriago (KEN) – 1:50:23