“It’s difficult,” laughs Hans Troyer when requested about his relationship with the Black Canyon 100k.
When he strains up for the 2026 occasion this weekend, it gained’t be like in 2024 when he was a beginner to ultrarunning with a self-admittedly inflated ego. And it gained’t be like in 2025 when he was chasing a Western States 100 Golden Ticket, got here down with the flu the day earlier than, and couldn’t begin. This 12 months, with an computerized entry to this 12 months’s Western States 100 already in hand, Troyer says, “I’m simply so excited to race the Black Canyon 100k as a result of I’ve no purpose to be in it.”
Hans Troyer wanting happy along with his eighth place on the 2025 Western States 100 that secured him a spot within the 2026 race. Photograph: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Whether or not he likes it or not, Troyer’s 2024 Black Canyon run will seemingly at all times be one thing he’s recognized for, no matter what he goes on to do along with his working profession. He went out quick with Hayden Hawks and held on for practically 50 miles earlier than dropping again and ending tenth. Just a few days later, he was admitted into the hospital with rhabdomyolysis, a situation attributable to the shutdown of the kidneys because of muscle fiber breakdown and dehydration. He was severely in poor health and needed to keep 12 days to recuperate. Nonetheless tough it was, this very public expertise of flying too near the solar so early in his elite working journey has clearly modified Troyer’s strategy to working and, arguably, the trajectory of his profession.
In what looks as if a really transient time within the sport — simply over two years — Troyer has now gathered a wealth of profitable working expertise. From attempting to stroll away from working in 2023 after a profitable collegiate working profession to discovering success in ultras to having a well-liked documentary created about his quest for a Western States Golden Ticket in 2025 to profitable the 2025 JFK 50 Mile to signing with Hoka in 2026, Troyer has been on the quick monitor to the highest and has no intention of slowing down.
And thru all of it, he’s discovered a method to keep true to himself, his strategy to working, and his objectives.
Hans Troyer profitable the 2025 JFK 50 Mile. Photograph: Greg Holder/H3 Images
Rising Up Outdoors
Troyer grew up the center youngster of three brothers in Newnan, Georgia, a spot that he calls “cozy and enjoyable.” The trio of brothers had pretty free rein to roam their mother and father’ 35-acre property so long as they stayed out of hassle. In line with Troyer, “I’ve the kind of mother and father who stated, ‘We’re going to belief you till you give us a purpose to not.’” The youngsters spent loads of time outdoors driving mountain bikes and filth bikes, going to the lake, leaping off bridges, and simply being within the woods — for essentially the most half, making good choices.
Whereas Troyer’s father had run cross nation and monitor in highschool, Troyer picked up the game as a child to remain in form for soccer. He says, “I obtained sooner for soccer, however I ended up loving monitor.” He continues, “It was type of a love-at-first-sight factor the place I used to be getting sooner, making associates, and simply having a dang good time doing it.”
As soon as he found the enjoyment of doing lengthy runs within the woods outdoors of apply, solely final frisbee might compete for his consideration. When it got here time to resolve what to do after ending highschool, Troyer says, “My two faculty choices had been both to go to Kennesaw State College and play on their membership final frisbee group or to go to Augusta College and run.” Operating gained out.
A younger Troyer initially had hopes of being a soccer participant. Pictures courtesy of Hans Troyer.
Troyer obtained a small scholarship for his first 12 months at Augusta College, a Division 2 (D-II) faculty in Augusta, Georgia. To pay for that first 12 months of faculty, he supplemented the scholarship with a pupil mortgage. However constant working earned him scholarship will increase, and by his junior 12 months, his working scholarship lined his tuition. By the top of his collegiate working — which spanned 5 years throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — he was in a position to pay again his preliminary pupil mortgage and pocket a bit of cash, along with what he was incomes working on the native working store. He says, “I didn’t begin off as something particular, however I prefer to take the management position. So by the top of my 5 years, I might say I used to be the chief on the group, and I actually preferred doing that.”
Operating for a D-II group afforded Troyer alternatives he wouldn’t have had at a much bigger faculty. He says, “In D-II, I obtained to win some convention championships and go to nationals, and I simply had enjoyable.” The spotlight got here throughout monitor convention championships throughout his fifth 12 months, when he says, “I used to be in a position to pull off the victory within the 3-kilometer steeplechase and the 10k. It was a crazy-cool double.” The group did effectively, profitable the convention championships 4 occasions in a row beginning in his second 12 months and persevering with on after he left the varsity. Troyer remarks sadly, “That streak simply ended. They obtained seven in a row or one thing. They only misplaced this previous 12 months. So devastating.”
Troyer throughout his years working for Augusta College. Pictures courtesy of Hans Troyer.
Discovering Distance
Even along with his profitable collegiate working profession, Troyer didn’t severely think about skilled working after commencement. “I truly had what I thought of on the time as a practical perspective once I knew that working post-college competitively didn’t actually exist for me as a result of I wasn’t that quick.”
As an alternative of chasing working desires, Troyer determined to see what life was like with out working. He’d been working severely for eight years and says, “I didn’t even know what life was like with out coaching on a regular basis. So, I took just about a month off.”
The outcome? “I didn’t prefer it.”
Troyer climbs throughout the 2025 Western States 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
With a newfound understanding of what working meant to him, Troyer did what’s logical for anybody who’s simply taken a month off from the game, moved again house after faculty, and has not discovered an actual job but. He says, “I awakened on the morning of July 5 in Georgia, so sizzling as might be. And I simply ran 50 miles with no coaching.” He fueled with Goldfish, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew, and says, “I keep in mind my legs cramping, and it simply being tremendous tough as a result of I had no concept what I used to be doing.”
However the day ignited one thing in Troyer. “In a time when nothing was seemingly going my means, I had simply run 50 miles. I discovered it so beneficial, regardless that it served no actual objective. It was simply pure, intrinsic motivation.”
Troyer began coaching once more.
Entering into Ultras
With little idea of what an extremely truly entailed, Troyer admits to having some misconceptions early on. Studying that the typical tempo for profitable Western States on the time hovered round 8:45 minutes per mile, he says, “I used to be like, ‘That’s not even that tough.’ I had no concept.” He learn Scott Jurek’s “Eat and Run,” Kilian Jornet’s “Run or Die,” and David Goggins’ “Can’t Damage Me.” He raced the FATS 50k in Georgia, and regardless of affected by leg cramps within the closing six miles as a result of he “didn’t know something about hydration or diet,” he managed to set a course document. Simply over a month later, he set one other course document on the Psychological Well being 50k in his hometown of Newnan.
Troyer says a good friend — who’s now’s agent — informed him, “These occasions are good, however sadly no person actually cares. You’re not getting any eyes on you from stuff like that.” He advised that Troyer join the Bandera 100k and see what occurred. Troyer says, “It was the primary time I used to be listening to that perhaps I ought to get eyes on what I’m doing.”
Troyer throughout his 2024 Bandera 100k run. Photograph: Jesse Ellis/Let’s Wander Images
Troyer nonetheless thought it will be a extremely aggressive Golden Ticket race, an occasion in Western States’ Golden Ticket collection the place prime finishers earn Western States entries, not realizing it had been faraway from that 12 months’s checklist. “I keep in mind standing on the beginning line, terrified as a result of I had by no means run 100k, but in addition wanting round and never understanding who was skilled and who wasn’t.” Troyer took it out quick, gained the occasion, and for the next three days, believed he’d damaged Jim Walmsley’s course document till the race group circled again and informed him that the course had modified, so his document would include an asterisk.
Asterisk or not, the working world took discover, and Troyer was hooked, saying, “After Bandera is once I actually dove into the aggressive facet of issues and have become a real fan of the game.”
A Black Canyon 100k Relationship
Coming off his win on the 2024 Bandera 100k in January of that 12 months, Troyer signed up for the Black Canyon 100k the subsequent month, saying, “I didn’t even know what Black Canyon was once I first signed up. I simply did it as a result of I obtained the chance to, they usually informed me it was a Golden Ticket race and there can be loads of big-time competitors there.” He signed up three weeks earlier than the occasion.
There had been some hype about his run at Bandera, and he says, “I keep in mind pondering that I used to be nonetheless being humble, however wanting again on it, that small little bit of media consideration I obtained inflated my ego bit. And naturally, it solely took one particular person to say, ‘This child could possibly be the subsequent Jim Walmsley.’” The remark caught in his head. Headed into Black Canyon, he says, “I keep in mind pondering, I’m unstoppable. Nobody can beat me. I’m about to go loopy.” Now, with practically two years of hindsight on the occasion, Troyer can chortle on the state of affairs, “I believed I had some type of particular capability, which now I believe is hilarious. I knew nothing in regards to the sport. I had an enormous ego, and that’s in all probability what obtained me into hassle.”
Troyer with only some miles left of the 2025 Western States 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The story of Troyer’s 2024 Black Canyon run is kind of well-known. After working his coronary heart out for the lead, he fell again late to complete tenth and ended up hospitalized with a extreme case of rhabdomyolysis. His 12-day hospital keep allowed for loads of time for reflection.
A New Method to Operating
If the Troyer earlier than the 2024 Black Canyon 100k was somebody who believed, “I’m simply going to coach tougher and run tougher than everyone,” then the one which got here out of the hospital was a lot totally different. “After these races and the prolonged hospital keep after which the construct again into working, I spotted that was tremendous unsustainable. And that pressured me into a distinct position the place I’m very element oriented.” Troyer began working with David Roche as his coach, had his sweat fee examined, and, maybe most significantly, started dialing in his diet and hydration for ultras.
The next 12 months of Troyer’s life is effectively documented within the movie “The Child,” which follows him on his quest to return to the 2025 Black Canyon 100k to attempt to earn a Western States Golden Ticket. It’s the final word hero’s journey storyline that couldn’t have been scripted higher. The protagonist, Troyer, is crushed down by the 2024 Black Canyon 100k, solely to return for redemption in 2025, solely to fall in poor health with the flu the day earlier than the race and might’t begin. Undeterred, he refocuses and indicators up for the Canyons 100k, the final Golden Ticket race of the season, the place he finishes second to earn his coveted entry to Western States. The movie has 1.8 million views on YouTube as of February 2026.
Troyer taking second on the 2025 Canyons by UTMB 100k. Photograph: Jacob Banta
It was a rollercoaster of a spring racing season for Troyer, however with a 12 months’s extra life expertise underneath his belt, together with his brush with rhabdomyolysis, the media consideration after incomes the Golden Ticket didn’t get to him fairly as a lot.
After the Canyons 100k, he returned house to Georgia to an overgrown garden. it, he says, “I used to be like, You’ve obtained to be kidding me. And so with my torn-up quads, I mowed the grass one afternoon. I keep in mind simply pondering, I don’t know what I anticipated this to be, however I’m nonetheless the very same person who I used to be per week in the past, earlier than this Golden Ticket.” He developed the mantra, “The grass nonetheless grows, and I nonetheless mow it.”
9 weeks later, Troyer returned to California to race Western States. He completed eighth in his debut on the occasion, securing his spot for the 2026 race, as annually’s top-10 finishers are awarded with entries for the subsequent 12 months.
The Future
Troyer isn’t shy about speaking about his objectives for the longer term. He needs to win Western States and UTMB sometime. He needs to do effectively on the world’s greatest levels. He says, “I think about myself a showman. I actually prefer to placed on a present with my racing, and out of doors of racing. It’s enjoyable to me.”
The Black Canyon 100k might not be the most important stage on this planet, and for Troyer, there isn’t even the strain of attempting to earn a Western States Golden Ticket with a prime inserting. For Troyer, “It’s private now.”
It’s solely been two years since Troyer’s first try on the race, and rather a lot has modified. He’s established himself as a prime runner within the sport. He just lately modified shoe sponsors. He works with a coach and is aware of his sweat fee. He hydrates and takes in diet whereas racing.
Troyer, at all times the showman, waves to followers on the Rucky Chucky river crossing throughout the 2025 Western States 100. Photograph: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
With larger occasions on the 2026 calendar, together with Western States in June and CCC in September, Troyer is lining up for the Black Canyon 100k with solely intrinsic motivations in thoughts, very similar to when he first ran 50 miles on that sizzling day in Georgia, fueled by Goldfish crackers, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew.
He says, “I need to try to win, after all, however I believe it’s going to be enjoyable to run a few of the later sections of the course and simply chortle at myself once I keep in mind how I felt two years in the past working it, once I was fairly actually dying and simply working my coronary heart out.”
“It’s going to be a cool, full-circle second.” Troyer pauses and provides, “Except one thing unhealthy occurs.” However even when one thing does go unsuitable, Troyer will simply add it to his rising checklist of classes realized within the sport and preserve shifting ahead towards his objectives.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever watched “The Child” on YouTube? What did you suppose?
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