We are excited to announce the addition of a new 18k race at the 2024 Broken Arrow Skyrace, powered by Salomon! 

 

On Friday, June 21, 2024 (at 12 p.m.), runners will have the opportunity to experience a brand new challenge at the Broken Arrow Skyrace on some of Palisades Tahoe’s most iconic high alpine trails! 

 

Race weekend is a short two months from today. So why add a new distance now?

 

We are responding to the demand and trying to make Broken Arrow accessible to as much of our community as possible. 

 

We are incredibly grateful for — and, indeed, deeply humbled by — the incredible response we received when registration opened for this year’s Broken Arrow Skyrace. In only eight years, the Broken Arrow Skyrace has grown to become one of the largest trail and ultra events in North America…all because of YOU!!! 

 

Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be welcoming nearly 3,000 runners to Broken Arrow…in a single year!!! And, of course, we could never have imagined that the demand would be so great that it would break the registration platform…two years in a row!

 

And yet, here we are. 

 

For the first time ever, every race distance has a waitlist (nearly 1,400 runners in total, with the 23k distance accounting for nearly 1,000). Even the epically-gnarly 46k has over 225 runners hoping to get the call-up for one of the coveted spots on the starting line.

 

While this is fantastic, it does leave us — and, more importantly, many of you — disappointed that we cannot offer more runners the opportunity to experience Broken Arrow and what has become a special annual gathering of our trail-running community. 

 

We have not taken lightly the decision to add another race distance to our already packed weekend. After all, the Broken Arrow Skyrace already features eight events spread over three days: the VK, Iron Face Challenge, 11k, 23k, 46k, Triple Crown (VK+23k+46k), Iron Crown (Iron Face+23k+46k), and a Kids race. It is a LOT, and, whether it looks like it or not, we are a small, independently owned and operated race organization!!! 

 

Two things were non-negotiable: 1) adding an 18k distance could not diminish the high-quality and unique runner experience that participants deserve — and have come to expect — from our existing race distances, and 2) the 18k distance must offer something new and exciting…it must live up to the Broken Arrow name.   

 

The 18k is not a watered-down version of the 23k but a true, stand-alone challenge. 

 

For those who may have run the Vk or 11k in the past, it is an opportunity to “level up.” With nearly 3,800 feet of climbing over a mere 11 miles, this will challenge even the heartiest of trail runners. And, while it is certainly easier than the 23k, the 18k does represent a significant jump in difficulty from the 11k, showcasing some of the most beautiful features of the 23k course: Red Dog Ridge, the Stairway to Heaven ladder, and the ripping downhill of the Western States trail.

 

Like any Broken Arrow race, each finisher will ring the finish-line bell and be greeted with a hug, high-five, or handshake from one of our race directors. Runners will also receive best-in-class swag from our friends at Salomon, Boco, and more. This personal touch is incredibly important to us and, we hope, to each of you.  

 

The new 18k fits perfectly into our model of a European-style mountain running event. More than just a race, Broken Arrow is a multi-day, multi-distance "experience." And, while it incorporates many elements of the iconic European races, it puts a North American spin on things. Broken Arrow is a celebration of the culture, tradition, and values of our sport, celebrating the fact that it is the people who make our community so unique, compelling, and welcoming. 

 

Appropriately, we strive to celebrate all runners equally, a concept exemplified by our mantra that,  “At the Broken Arrow Skyrace, whether you finish first or last, you are a rockstar!” 

 

So remember, on Friday, June 21, 2024, the clock doesn’t stop until you #ringDASbell! 

 

Some registration specifics: 

 

• On Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 10 am PST, invites will be sent to ALL runners (regardless of distance) who are currently on our 2024 waitlists. 

• As there are only 400 spots available for the 18k, we will first send invites to those highest on each waitlist and then spread them out to those at the end of the list over several days. 

• You will have 48 hours to redeem your invite before it is void. 

• If you accept the 18k invite, you are NOT removed from any other waitlist. 

• If you are sent an 18k invitation, you can accept or decline it, but if you do accept, your credit card will be charged at that time. 

• Once all currently waitlisted runners have been invited and allowed 48 hours to redeem their invitation—and if there are still spots available—we will open the 18k to the general public (Monday, April 29th, at 10 a.m. PST).