Joyce Njeru (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Kenya and Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Morocco gained the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k. For Njeru, it was a repeat win after dominating in 2024 too. She led all the race’s downhill second half. Males’s winner Elazzaoui used his downhill velocity to drag away from the Kenyan pair of Philemon Kiriago (pre-race interview) and Patrick Kipngeno (pre-race interview) within the remaining downhill mile.
The Sunday, June 22, 23-kilometer (14 miles) race was the spotlight of the three-day occasion. The race was a part of each the Mountain Working World Cup and the Golden Path World Sequence (GTWS) and was held on a single-lap course, climbing to a excessive level round kilometer 12, earlier than rocketing downhill to the end.
There was prize cash of just about $24,000 cut up between the highest 10, with $3,473 going to the winners.
Because of the World Mountain Working Affiliation for supporting iRunFar’s 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace protection.
Damaged Arrow 23k Girls’s Race
The elite girls’s race began 20 minutes earlier than the lads, and all eyes have been on Damaged Arrow Skyrace Ascent winner Anna Gibson (pre-race interview), 2024 GTWS breakout star Lauren Gregory, defending race champ Joyce Njeru of Kenya (pre-race and post-race interviews), and GTWS collection common Mădălina Florea (Romania).
The elite girls’s begin on the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Two days after taking second within the Ascent, Njeru stretched the sphere out early. Florea, Gibson, and Gregory adopted in that order a couple of seconds behind because the lead 4 hit the 10-minute mark and turned onto singletrack path. Simply three minutes after that flip, Njeru stepped apart to nudge Florea into the lead, and the 4 bunched up once more.
Thirty minutes in, because the group exited the bushes and began climbing, Florea and Njeru had dropped the 2 People, and Njeru had put a couple of toes on Florea, too, regaining the lead. Florea leapfrogged Njeru once more because the pitch steepened, however the two principally stayed collectively all the best way to the course excessive level, with Florea, Njeru, and third-place Gregory holding a operating stride, and additional again, Gibson broke right into a powerhike whereas in fourth. Gibson’s hike was as quick as Gregory’s run at this level.
Anna Gibson racing the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
On the 7.4-kilometer Snow King assist station, Florea and Njeru led Gregory and Gibson by 40 seconds.
Njeru and Florea stayed collectively on the KT assist station 9.6 kilometers in, and Gibson led Gregory by 19 seconds. Additional again, Marie Nivet (France) and Alice Gaggi (Italy) stayed in rivalry.
A number of seconds right here, a couple of seconds there, some mountaineering and a few operating, the hole and order between Florea and Njeru got here and went, however the two have been once more collectively on the course excessive level, 2,700 meters above sea stage and 76 minutes into the race. Gibson and Gregory have been nonetheless third and fourth, however now one and two minutes behind the leaders.
When the course turned downhill, Njeru dropped in first, and with 11 downhill kilometers to go, made her bid for the win. She led Florea by eight seconds on the 17-kilometer Excessive Camp assist station. Gibson and Gregory have been nonetheless third and fourth. And that order caught the remainder of the best way.
Joyce Njeru, on her strategy to successful the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
After a sixth-place end and two drops in three of the yr’s first GTWS races, Njeru earned her first win of the yr. Her 2:01:16 time bettered her 2:11:52 end from final yr, and beat Sophia Laukli’s 2:06:18 course file from 2022 additionally.
Florea, Gibson, and Gregory got here in at second, third, and fourth — in 2:02:03, 2:03:46, and a couple of:06:02, respectively — and all beat the previous course file too.
Mădălina Florea, the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k second lady. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Damaged Arrow 23k Girls’s Outcomes
- Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 2:01:16 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
- Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 2:02:03
- Anna Gibson – 2:03:46 (pre-race interview)
- Lauren Gregory – 2:06:02
- Alice Gaggi (Italy) – 2:08:23
- Marie Nivet (France) – 2:08:53
- Jade Belzberg (Canada) – 2:09:06
- Allie McLaughlin – 2:09:54 (pre-race interview)
- Alexa Aragon – 2:11:24
- Sydney Petersen – 2:14:20
- Lara Hamilton (Australia) – 2:14:27
- Geneviève Lalonde (Canada) – 2:16:57
- Kyla Christopher-Moody – 2:17:36
- Kristina Mascarenas – 2:18:13
- Amanda Basham – 2:20:28
- Hillary Allen – 2:21:23
- Alicia Vargo – 2:23:03
- Emily Clarke – 2:25:05
- Abby Stone – 2:26:02
- Laurel Moyer – 2:26:07
- Oakley Olson – 2:26:33
Damaged Arrow 23k Males’s Race
It was the primary time this yr that Patrick Kipngeno of Kenya (pre-race interview) and Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco (pre-race and post-race interviews) had raced face to face. Kipngeno gained right here final yr and gained the yr’s first two Golden Path World Sequence races, however he couldn’t beat Elazzaoui late final yr. Kipngeno’s an ideal climber, Elazzaoui’s a tremendous downhiller, and Elazzaoui has a deadly late-race kick too. Rémi Bonnet of Switzerland, the 2023 GTWS general winner, was a late scratch with harm.
The 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k males’s begin. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Christian Allen, the Ascent winner two days earlier, overtook the sprinters for the early lead with Kenyan Philemon Kiriago (pre-race interview) giving the closest chase because the entrance two turned onto the singletrack path. Kiriago, higher often called a downhiller, was seventh within the Ascent. Simply 20 years outdated, and only a month after a 28:40 10,000-meter monitor end, Lukas Ehrle (Germany), Ascent third-placer Cam Smith, Taylor Stack, and Mason Coppi have been all within the combine. Race favorites Kipngeno and Elazzaoui have been a couple of seconds and some locations additional again.
Kiriago handed Allen 25 minutes into the race and, after a cautious begin, Elazzaoui and Kipngeno joined Kiriago and Allen on the entrance. Ehrle was there too, making a lead group of 5. Elazzaoui’s spot within the lead climbing group seemed harmful for everybody else with the downhill second half to come back.
Patrick Kipngeno leads Elhousine Elazzaoui and Philemon Kiriago with 5 kilometers to go. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Allen and Ehrle fell out of the lead group on the excessive level, 11 kilometers in. Kiriago, Kipngeno, and Elazzoui have been nonetheless there. Kipngeno, the 2023 World Mountain Uphill world champion, was in the midst of two superior downhillers. He was at first instantly dropped when the race turned down, however then in a déjà vu second from final yr’s Mammoth Trailfest, Kipngeno shocked to regain the lead group simply a few minutes later. Allen lurked solely 31 seconds again in fourth on the 17-kilometer Excessive Camp assist.
In no way surprising, Elazzaoui sprinted to the lead 1:40 into the race. Kiriago chased, however Kipngeno couldn’t match the downhill tempo. 4 seconds was the lead on the end, with Elazzaoui main Kiriago in at 1:43:53 to 1:43:57.
Kipngeno held onto third in 1:44:11, and Allen stayed in fourth at 1:44:46 on the end.
The highest 5 males all beat Kipngeno’s course file from final yr.
Philemon Kiriago, the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k second place man. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Damaged Arrow 23k Males’s Outcomes
- Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 1:43:53 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
- Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 1:43:57 (pre-race interview)
- Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 1:44:11 (pre-race interview)
- Christian Allen – 1:44:46 (post-2025 Damaged Arrow Ascent interview)
- Lukas Ehrle (Germany) – 1:45:19
- Taylor Stack – 1:46:11
- Cam Smith – 1:46:25
- Mason Coppi – 1:47:32
- Andy Wacker – 1:51:19
- Remi Leroux (Canada) – 1:52:51
- Hawk Name – 1:54:33
- Sam Chelanga – 1:55:08
- Grant Colligan – 1:55:30
- Jeret Gillingham – 1:56:49
- Charlie Hamilton (Australia) – 1:57:04
- Ali Papillon – 1:58:33
- Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 1:59:45
- Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) – 2:00:23
- Benjamin Townsend – 2:00:58
- Josh Eberly – 2:01:03
Patrick Kipngeno takes third on the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
