Riley Brady has been steadily climbing up the ranks of ultrarunning since putting second of their first 50k again in 2014, however within the house of six months, the now-29-year-old has taken an enormous leap ahead onto the highest tier — profitable the Javelina 100 Mile within the fall of 2024, earlier than setting a course document on the ever-competitive Black Canyon 100k in spring of 2025. As Brady — who identifies as non-binary however competes within the ladies’s race — gears up for this yr’s Western States 100, we caught up with them to seek out out about their background and what’s clicked of their latest coaching to make them one of many high contenders for the win at this yr’s Western States.
Riley Brady, the 2025 Black Canyon 100k ladies’s winner. Brady identifies as non-binary and competes within the ladies’s race. Photograph: World Path Majors
Early Years
Riley Brady grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania, an hour north of Philadelphia, and was not born into a very sports-centric household. Nonetheless, they dabbled in basketball and soccer. Though Brady claims to not have been significantly gifted when it got here to ball-handling, they added, “however I might simply run all day. And I used to be the one particular person on the group who was like, ‘I can’t look ahead to the Friday time trial.’”
They added, “Additionally in highschool, my dad took my brother and me to the ice rink each Sunday afternoon. I actually loved ice skating.” By junior yr of highschool, Brady had taken up cross-country operating, and though nonetheless enjoying lacrosse within the spring, they have been leaning extra towards particular person sports activities.
In faculty, Brady’s rising love of operating took an sudden flip. They stated, “I noticed that there are different individuals on the market who wished to simply go run for a very very long time within the woods … I met my buddy, Amelia [Kaufman], and she or he was like, ‘There’s this race in my hometown, Ithaca, New York, the Cayuga Trails 50 Mile, we should always do it.’ And I used to be like, ‘That sounds enjoyable.’”
Needing a qualifying race to entry the 50 miler, Brady first signed up for the 2014 New Jersey Extremely Path Competition 50k, and positioned second to Kaufman. They stated, “Between having some early success, despite the fact that it was only a actually small native occasion, and having this buddy who I used to be aggressive with, that sort of launched stepping into the game extra severely.”
Riley Brady (left) on the 2016 Vermont 100 Mile. All images courtesy of Riley Brady, until in any other case famous.
The Western States 100 Golden Ticket Chase
By age 21, Brady had stepped up the space, operating the Vermont 100 Mile in 2016, ending in seventeenth place. They continued to hone and enhance, and in 2018 positioned second at each the Vermont 50 Mile and 100 Mile, and third on the JFK 50 Mile.
Though solely beginning to make a reputation for themselves, Brady already had excessive ambitions, and stated: “I bought on the Western States 100 Golden Ticket chase fairly younger, even once I had no enterprise chasing a ticket.” Their first Golden Ticket race was the 2019 Black Canyon 100k, the place they completed fifth, proving that securing a Golden Ticket to the Western States 100 was not an unattainable purpose. Whereas they racked up wins at distances starting from 50k to 100 miles, the Golden Ticket continued to elude, till 2022.
A solo run in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Altering Up Coaching
Early within the yr, Brady enlisted the assistance of David Roche as their coach, who nonetheless coaches them to at the present time. Their coaching shortly grew to become extra intentional, and so they shared: “I truly began doing exercises as an alternative of simply being like, I’m going to run for so long as I can.” The construction was a welcome change for Brady, who stated, “I didn’t come to operating from a conventional operating background. I used to be by no means on a university group, my highschool was not very aggressive. So, I simply didn’t have an understanding of the best way to do exercises and stuff like that. As soon as I began doing them, I used to be like, That is enjoyable. Though my favourite is at all times the long term.”
Later that yr, a possibility for the massive break that Brady had been working towards introduced itself, within the type of a newly added Golden Ticket race — the Javelina 100 Mile.
They shared, “When Javelina grew to become a Golden Ticket occasion, I used to be like, Sure, that is my alternative, as a result of it’s 100 miles. The terrain didn’t actually matter a lot to me. It was extra simply that it was longer and I’ve at all times felt like I’m higher at competing on the 100-mile distance than any of the under distances.”
Brady ran a affected person race at Javelina, and moved up the sphere to take second place behind Devon Yanko, lastly securing their place on the beginning line of the 2023 Western States 100.
2023 Western States 100
When Western States rolled round, Brady suffered abdomen points, which they put all the way down to taking over an excessive amount of salt. They shared, “Main into Western States, I used to be like, Okay, I’ve bought to get my vitamin dialed. I’m not taking in sufficient salt … After which after that I found that I’m an especially low salt sweater, and that I used to be most likely taking in method an excessive amount of. So, it was a studying expertise … I simply spent a variety of time throwing up on the aspect of the path.”
Regardless of this, Brady nonetheless managed to make it to the end of the bucket listing race in 14th place, and stated: “I really feel like with Western States, you may’t go there and drop out. So many individuals work so arduous to get there.”
Following on from their Western States debut, Brady knew that they had extra to offer on the course, however had but to resolve the vitamin puzzle, which continued to be their Achilles’ heel. On the 2024 CCC, they once more suffered abdomen issues, and have been compelled to drop from the race.
Recalling CCC, their first expertise on the UTMB Mont Blanc competition, they shared: “It was my first time ever at UTMB Mont Blanc, and that was simply an enormous funding. I didn’t have a sponsor on the time. It’s so costly to recover from there. I additionally simply don’t actually just like the UTMB occasions … However it’s important to do them, and among the programs are very nice.”
Life in Colorado
Brady, who now lives in Boulder, Colorado, prefers racing nearer to house within the U.S. They’re lucky to have the right coaching floor proper out the door, and in addition profit from the sturdy path operating neighborhood that exists in Boulder. They stated, “I’ve a very good group of about 5 associates who run collectively fairly usually, or some mixture of us. After which clearly I’ve different associates that I additionally run with. That’s top-of-the-line components of residing in Boulder, simply having so many associates and individuals who wish to do the factor that I wish to do.”
Not like among the increased altitude mountain cities round Colorado, Boulder has a wide selection of trails that keep accessible year-round. Brady says, “There’s a bunch [of trails in Boulder] that keep dry all through the winter. Like Lion’s Lair, it simply will get a variety of solar and tends to dry out in a short time, even when we get snow.” They added, “However then in the summertime, I positively wish to get to the mountains somewhat bit extra. Now we have actually wonderful entry right here.”
A run with associates on the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop in Colorado. Pictured from left to proper are Amanda Basham, Clare Gallagher, Brady, and Abby Levene.
The 2024 Javelina 100 Mile and 2025 Black Canyon 100k
In October 2024, returning to a race that had been sort to them earlier than, Brady secured their second probability at Western States in a extra decisive trend than earlier than — with a win on the Javelina 100 Mile and the Golden Ticket that adopted.
With an entry to Western States already secured by means of one of many earlier Golden Ticket races, Brady might have loved a quieter buildup to the race. Nonetheless, by no means one to shrink back from a aggressive subject, they determined to line up for the 2025 Black Canyon 100k. When requested what drew them to the beginning line, they reasoned: “A part of it’s that it’s a very aggressive race. The opposite half is it’s sort of a mini Western States — it’s web downhill. In order that’s sort of good. After which I actually like that occasion. I like that path, I like that the vegetation and terrain sort of change from the place you begin in Mayer, Arizona, all the way down to Phoenix. I simply suppose it’s a cool race and I’m an enormous fan of Aravaipa Operating and the whole lot they do for the game.”
Moreover, Brady felt that they had by no means had race on their earlier 4 makes an attempt on the Black Canyon 100k, and so there was a way of unfinished enterprise on the course. The day unfolded superbly, ending in one other win and a course document. Brady recalled: “The have been no actual lows. I used to be simply doing my factor. My massive focus has been vitamin … and ensuring I used to be staying on high of hydration. However yeah, no abdomen points. And I used to be simply having enjoyable the complete time, there was no level the place I used to be like, This sucks. I want this to be over.”
Riley Brady profitable the 2025 Black Canyon 100k in course document time. Photograph: World Path Majors/Howie Stern
Turning Professional
Outdoors of operating, Brady has packed lots into their younger life up to now, and their skilled resume is stuffed with surprises. Having studied anthropology in faculty, they labored a broad vary of jobs earlier than not too long ago securing an expert operating contract with Nike.
They recalled, “I labored at a daycare for some time … I did get pleasure from that as a brief factor, but in addition I used to be sick on a regular basis, so I used to be like, I can’t.” They added, “I used to be simply sort of doing a smattering of issues. After which I ended up making use of for a few jobs at bike retailers.” In doing so, they stumbled upon a possibility from Trek, who supplied coaching in addition to a job, opening a gateway to a profession as a motorbike mechanic. Brady shared: “I bought a ton of expertise in a short time working within the bike business. I actually did get pleasure from being a mechanic for some time, after which I simply sort of reached some extent the place I wasn’t studying as a lot as I wished to be studying.”
Whereas Brady has by no means ridden competitively, they get pleasure from bike touring, and biking nonetheless varieties a key a part of their coaching for operating. Securing sponsorship with Nike has now allowed Brady to run full time, whereas additionally working as a coach.
Cheeky parking on a U.S. West Coast bike tour with associates.
A Second Try on the Western States 100
Like a lot of the elite path operating world, Brady is now firmly centered on the 2025 Western States 100. Though in a really completely different place with their operating than they have been in 2023, they’ve nonetheless benefited from the expertise and might method their second run with a cool head.
They shared: “I feel simply getting the nerves out of the best way the primary time operating [Western States] is a big deal. The beginning line was sort of irritating for me. You’re feeling such as you’re on this press of individuals, it’s darkish, you may’t see, however you don’t wish to have a headlamp as a result of it’s going to get gentle in 10 minutes. And so simply realizing that, and I feel realizing what to anticipate on that begin line, makes me really feel higher about it.”
They added, “It began so quick and I wasn’t anticipating that, and I feel my mindset round racing has actually modified. I’m far more keen now to simply be like, Alright, we’re sending it from the beginning.”
Though not underestimating the competitors, Brady was not shy about sharing their ambitions for the race, saying: “I feel it’s important to line as much as win, proper? I feel it’s important to have the unreasonable purpose, as a result of in any other case you’re by no means going to hit it.”
Past Western States, they’ve signed up for Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile later in the summertime, and can then swap gears within the fall to coach for a quick street marathon at CIM, the California Worldwide Marathon. For now, nevertheless, it’s arduous to look previous June 28, after we stay up for watching Riley Brady ship it arduous on the Western States Path.
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