There were plenty of fantastic stories coming out of the 2026 Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB last weekend.
And one of the best was seeing popular American ultrarunner Zach Miller wear his heart on his sleeve again to grab the last opportunity for a spot in this year’s Western States, the historic 100-miler from Olympic Valley to Auburn in late June.
Canyons saw over 1,800 runners head to Auburn, California for 25K, 50K, 100K, and 100‑mile races on parts of the Western States Trail and surrounding canyons.
Golden trio
The 100km event once again acted as the final “Super” Golden Ticket Race, with the top three men and women earning automatic entry to Western States.
And it delivered brilliant racing, with Adam Peterman winning in 8:18:47, Miller second in 8:21:05, and Hayden Hawks third in 8:23:28, with all three accepting their Golden Tickets.
In the women’s race it was another USA clean sweep, Riley Brady winning in 9:41:09, followed by Careth Arnold in 9:56:36 and Sarah Allaben in 10:14:58. Arnold and Allaben passed on the Golden Tickets as they have other prioriries so they rolled down to Sarah Humble and Ellaney Matarese.
‘Sometimes you have to wait’
And afterwards there was a heartfelt Instagram post from Miller which underlined how much the Golden Ticket meant – and how hard he’d had to work for it.
He wrote: “Sometimes you have to wait. For the girl. For the race. For the ticket. For the chance to dance.
“It feels like I’ve been waiting since UTMB 2023. There has been a lot of good since then, but also a lot of races that left me unsatisfied.
“A lot of work that didn’t quite add up (yet). Seventh at TGC. Appendicitis before Hardrock. A cranky knee, a scary MRI report, and a surgery. Missed Canyons, but found a groove and made it to Hardrock. Finished fifth, grateful, but hungry. Trained hard. Won @devil_on_the_divide . Went to Worlds. Ran strong, not great. Still hungry. Went back to PA and won Call of The Wilds 50k. Felt the magic of the sport again. Won a turkey trot. Knee got cranky. Bailed on Tarawera. Got married instead. Re-strategized training. Lowered run volume. Lapped Leeway with @elchristopherjones . Rode the bike. Built the house (still going). Sat in the sauna. Signed up for Canyons.
“One race. One shot. @adampeterman_ , a re-match with @hawks_hayden , and a bunch of up and comers whom I totally considered a threat (cause they are).
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure I had this sort of race in me anymore. I’ve been pretty deep in the big, long, mountain game. Nine years since my last TNF 50, ten since my last win there. How did we run that fast? And the sport has evolved. People fuel now. And do threshold. And heat train. Honestly, it’s not all new stuff. But it feels more focused. More serious. More dialed. Where do I land in all that? Is the sport faster? Am I slower? Can I still hang? Will my knee and hip even hold up?
“Only one way to find out: put yourself in it and see if it sticks. @moises.jimenez told me to believe. I toed the line, took the first stride, and kept going. I felt good, then not so much. But @hawks_hayden caught me and I chose to try. And there it was, the magic of competition. He fought. I fought. We chased @adampeterman_ and @canhualuo824 . It was a race all the way home. I like to think we brought out the best in each other. And at the finish? Well, I got the ticket, my girl, and a chance to dance. See you at States.”
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