Joyce Njeru Repeats, Elhousine Elazzaoui Wins in Kick – iRunFar

Joyce Njeru (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Kenya and Elhousine Elazzaoui (pre-race and post-race interviews) of Morocco gained the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. For Njeru, it was a repeat win after dominating in 2024 too. She led all the race’s downhill second half. Men’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) in the ultimate 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 Running World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series (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 virtually $24,000 break up between the highest 10, with $3,473 going to the winners.

Thanks to the World Mountain Running Association for supporting iRunFar’s 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace protection.

Broken Arrow 23k Women’s Race

The elite ladies’s race began 20 minutes earlier than the lads, and all eyes had been on Broken 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 sequence common Mădălina Florea (Romania).

The elite ladies’s begin on the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

Two days after taking second in the Ascent, Njeru stretched the sector out early. Florea, Gibson, and Gregory adopted in that order a number of seconds behind because the lead 4 hit the 10-minute mark and turned onto singletrack path. Just 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 timber and began climbing, Florea and Njeru had dropped the 2 Americans, and Njeru had put a number 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 way in which to the course excessive level, with Florea, Njeru, and third-place Gregory conserving a working 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 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

At the 7.4-kilometer Snow King help station, Florea and Njeru led Gregory and Gibson by 40 seconds.

Njeru and Florea stayed collectively on the KT help station 9.6 kilometers in, and Gibson led Gregory by 19 seconds. Further again, Marie Nivet (France) and Alice Gaggi (Italy) stayed in competition.

A number of seconds right here, a number of seconds there, some mountaineering and a few working, the hole and order between Florea and Njeru got here and went, however the two had been once more collectively on the course excessive level, 2,700 meters above sea stage and 76 minutes into the race. Gibson and Gregory had 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 High Camp help station. Gibson and Gregory had been nonetheless third and fourth. And that order caught the remainder of the way in which.

Joyce Njeru, on her option to successful the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

After a sixth-place end and two drops in three of the 12 months’s first GTWS races, Njeru earned her first win of the 12 months. Her 2:01:16 time bettered her 2:11:52 end from final 12 months, 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 pair of:06:02, respectively — and all beat the previous course file too.

Mădălina Florea, the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k second girl. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

Broken Arrow 23k Women’s Results

1. Joyce Njeru (Kenya) – 2:01:16 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
2. Mădălina Florea (Romania) – 2:02:03
3. Anna Gibson – 2:03:46 (pre-race interview)
4. Lauren Gregory – 2:06:02
5. Alice Gaggi (Italy) – 2:08:23
6. Marie Nivet (France) – 2:08:53
7. Jade Belzberg (Canada) – 2:09:06
8. Allie McLaughlin – 2:09:54 (pre-race interview)
9. Alexa Aragon – 2:11:24
10. Sydney Petersen – 2:14:20
11. Lara Hamilton (Australia) – 2:14:27
12. Geneviève Lalonde (Canada) – 2:16:57
13. Kyla Christopher-Moody – 2:17:36
14. Kristina Mascarenas – 2:18:13
15. Amanda Basham – 2:20:28
16. Hillary Allen – 2:21:23
17. Alicia Vargo – 2:23:03
18. Emily Clarke – 2:25:05
19. Abby Stone – 2:26:02
20. Laurel Moyer – 2:26:07
21. Oakley Olson – 2:26:33

Full outcomes.

Broken Arrow 23k Men’s Race

It was the primary time this 12 months 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 12 months and gained the 12 months’s first two Golden Trail World Series races, however he couldn’t beat Elazzaoui late final 12 months. Kipngeno’s an excellent 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 damage.

The 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k males’s begin. Photo: 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 known as a downhiller, was seventh in the Ascent. Just 20 years previous, and only a month after a 28:40 10,000-meter observe end, Lukas Ehrle (Germany), Ascent third-placer Cam Smith, Taylor Stack, and Mason Coppi had been all in the combo. Race favorites Kipngeno and Elazzaoui had been a number 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 in the lead climbing group regarded 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. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

Allen and Ehrle fell out of the lead group on the excessive level, 11 kilometers in. Kiriago, Kipngeno, and Elazzoui had been nonetheless there. Kipngeno, the 2023 World Mountain Uphill world champion, was in the center of two superior downhillers. He was at first instantly dropped when the race turned down, however then in a déjà vu second from final 12 months’s Mammoth Trailfest, Kipngeno stunned to regain the lead group simply a few minutes later. Allen lurked solely 31 seconds again in fourth on the 17-kilometer High Camp help.

Not in any respect surprising, Elazzaoui sprinted to the lead 1:40 into the race. Kiriago chased, however Kipngeno couldn’t match the downhill tempo. Four 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 prime 5 males all beat Kipngeno’s course file from final 12 months.

Philemon Kiriago, the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k second place man. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks

Broken Arrow 23k Men’s Results

1. Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 1:43:53 (pre-race and post-race interviews)
2. Philemon Kiriago (Kenya) – 1:43:57 (pre-race interview)
3. Patrick Kipngeno (Kenya) – 1:44:11 (pre-race interview)
4. Christian Allen – 1:44:46 (post-2025 Broken Arrow Ascent interview)
5. Lukas Ehrle (Germany) – 1:45:19
6. Taylor Stack – 1:46:11
7. Cam Smith – 1:46:25
8. Mason Coppi – 1:47:32
9. Andy Wacker – 1:51:19
10. Remi Leroux (Canada) – 1:52:51
11. Hawk Call – 1:54:33
12. Sam Chelanga – 1:55:08
13. Grant Colligan – 1:55:30
14. Jeret Gillingham – 1:56:49
15. Charlie Hamilton (Australia) – 1:57:04
16. Ali Papillon – 1:58:33
17. Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 1:59:45
18. Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) – 2:00:23
19. Benjamin Townsend – 2:00:58
20. Josh Eberly – 2:01:03

Full outcomes.

Patrick Kipngeno takes third on the 2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks