A relative newcomer to trails with a formidable background in different working disciplines, Makena Morley arrives on the 2026 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k able to see what occurs. Within the following interview, our first with Makena, she talks about her historical past in working, how she turned intrigued by path working, her perceived strengths and weaknesses, and the way she plans on approaching the 23k.
To see who’s racing the 23k, try our Damaged Arrow 23k preview and comply with our stay protection on Sunday morning.
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Makena Morley Pre-2026 Damaged Arrow Skyrace Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Makena Morley. It’s the day earlier than the 2026 Damaged Arrow 23k. We’re at a path race, Makena.
Makena Morley: So excited. Sure. It’ll be a enjoyable one.
iRunFar: You might be pretty new to path working. Is that truthful to say, like as of fall of final yr?
Morley: Yeah, actually new too. I suppose perhaps have been dabbling in it for a yr however not racing. I didn’t race until actually final fall, so yeah.
iRunFar: And also you convey to path working fairly an fascinating pedigree. You raised Division I in faculty actually efficiently.
Morley: Thanks.
iRunFar: You had been a part of a Division I Nationwide Championships Cross-Nation profitable workforce. After which whenever you graduated, you crossed over to street working.
Morley: Yeah.
iRunFar: And you’ve got some nice PRs in street working too.
Morley: Thanks. Yeah.
iRunFar: And now you convey all that with you off-road.
Morley: I’m making an attempt. Yeah. It’s been a very cool transition, truly. One in all my first races ever, after I was little, was truly the Large Mountain Hill Climb in Whitefish, Montana. So I’m like, “Okay, I’m coming again to my roots a bit bit.” I feel I began there after which went to cross-country, observe, after which roads. I don’t know, perhaps I’m doing full circle. I don’t know. Yeah.
iRunFar: Yeah. Beginning and getting again there once more.
Morley: Sure.
iRunFar: However I really feel like all the great collegiate cross-country runners have these tales of like, “Oh, our coach would ship us out on our long term and deliberately put us off-road, so we had been working on comfortable surfaces and stuff.” So there’s like this, I don’t know, you begin to love a bit bit the off-road working even whenever you’re a observe runner and a cross-country runner.
Morley: Oh, yeah. All people all the time like, “We have to get on the comfortable floor, our muscular tissues, our bones.” So I really feel like in faculty we all the time, particularly Colorado, there was that article too that simply got here out about it too.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Morley: However yeah, we went on the paths, and we’d go on no less than all of the grime roads. And a few of these grime roads had been actually rolling. And so, yeah, we received every kind of sentimental surfaces. So that you form of had been like, “Ooh, I’m within the mountains. That is intriguing.”
iRunFar: Yeah. So your collegiate profession was from 2016 to 2020?
Morley: Yeah, I used to be 2015 to 2020. After which I used to be truly in Missoula, at College of Montana, first semester after which transferred over to Colorado. So most of my time was at Colorado after which graduated in 2020.
iRunFar: After which in 2020, you formally transformed to roads and the skilled form of racing circuit. You bought an ASICS sponsorship, of which you continue to have. However then in 2025, you had been like, “Oh, what is that this? What is that this fascinating off-road working?”
Morley: Sure. I really feel like Adam [Peterman] and Erin [Clark] are good mates of mine, after which my boyfriend Zach [Perrins], he was getting all into it, and I used to be crewing them at these 100k races. And I used to be like, “Hmm.” At first I used to be tremendous anti. All they speak about is vert, and it’s so annoying.
iRunFar: “That is the flawed piece of knowledge. I’m not . You’re speaking about vert?”
Morley: After which they’d simply ask a lot I used to be doing, and I used to be like, “Oh my God.” After which I used to be like …
iRunFar: “200 toes, okay?”
Morley: Yeah, actually. I get a thousand every week, as a result of I used to be like, none. However I used to be secretly actually intrigued, however didn’t inform any of them that. I used to be similar to, “That is dumb.” However then I used to be like, “Possibly I’ll simply must attempt it.” However the extra occasions I went to, I used to be like, “Oh, the individuals are actually cool.” And it simply appeared like a enjoyable, I don’t know, completely different problem. And street working was simply form of feeling a bit bit stagnant for me at that time, too. So I used to be like, “Nicely, perhaps I can work on some power on the paths and perhaps even convey that into the street working, too, or vice versa.” In order that’s form of what began. Largely them. I used to be intrigued by their races.
iRunFar: So now you reside in Missoula, Montana, which is a little bit of a quiet hotbed for path working. Such as you stated, you’ve received some fairly tremendous starry sort path runners there. You’ve got Adam Peterman, Erin Clark, you will have your boyfriend, Zach Perrin, additionally Jen Lichter. There are others who it’s unhappy that we’re not mentioning. You’re in a path hotbed, woman.
Morley: Yeah. It’s truly. I do know we’re stoked, as a result of Bozeman, the place we had been earlier than, I really feel prefer it could possibly be a great place to run. It’s, however it doesn’t actually appeal to the those who Missoula has form of attracted. So Missoula’s received a bit extra gentle winter. So I feel, I don’t know, perhaps that’s why. It’s actually fairly there.
iRunFar: So share a bit bit in the event you would about your transition to the paths. You raced Kodiak 50k final fall, gained that. You raced additionally Canyons 50k this spring. I feel you’ve performed a pair different smaller native ones.
Morley: Little ones, yeah. I do know. Truthfully, the primary one I did was Don’t Fence Me In 25K in Helena, and that was final Could.
iRunFar: Actually nice little path race by the best way.
Morley: Yeah, it’s wonderful.
iRunFar: Non-profit primarily based, et cetera.
Morley: So cool, and their trails are wonderful. The Helena trails are like … Truthfully, I feel they’re higher than the Missoula, than Bozeman. I feel they’re most likely the most effective within the state, however yeah, so cool to go there. I did it on a whim. I signed up every week earlier than. My boyfriend was going to do the 50k, and I used to be coaching for Grandma’s Marathon, and I used to be like, “Oh, this could possibly be good. It’s about 5 weeks out. I want a tough, long term anyway.” So I signed up for the 25k and it was form of my … I used to be like, “Nicely, if this goes horribly, I’m by no means going to inform anyone about it. I’m by no means going to path run.” And so then, however I used to be like, “If this goes good, perhaps I might join one thing else.” And it went fairly good. So I used to be like, “Oh, I’ll join one thing else.” It form of received the engine going, and I used to be all enthusiastic about it.
iRunFar: The cascade, the slippery slope downhill was taking place.
Morley: Sure, it was. I used to be like, “Ah, but when it goes terribly, properly, nobody will know.”
iRunFar: Yeah. And so Kodiak perhaps was a bit bit like that too, like a bit little bit of a quieter 50k, not a lot stress. However then the subsequent one you selected to do was Canyons, which was a fairly aggressive subject. You ran in entrance of an Olympian that day.
Morley: I do know. I used to be like, “Oh God, right here’s Molly [Seidel].” Yeah. I imply, I pitched Kodiak extra for like, it was a bit bit extra … I imply, good timing too and I used to be form of fascinated by OCC after seeing all of the, I don’t know all of the individuals.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Morley: I form of heard about it, so I used to be like, “Ooh, that could possibly be enjoyable.” So I received myself into Kodiak, which was truly actually arduous. I emailed Paula, the UTMB lady, actually 45 occasions. I used to be like, “Please let me in.”
iRunFar: Hello, Paula, thanks.
Morley: Yeah. Thanks. Thanks.
iRunFar: You modified the course of her life.
Morley: You truly did. I informed her after, I used to be like, “Thanks.” And in order that one was additionally fairly runnable, I feel, for a path. So I used to be like, “Wonderful. It’s like I can do that. It’s not too …” I’m nonetheless engaged on my technical expertise and stuff, so I used to be like, “It’s not technical.” After which yeah, Canyons was a great time too. And I really feel prefer it’s additionally not a brilliant technical course. That is going to most likely be my most technical course thus far.
iRunFar: Yeah. So transitioning ourselves from these 50k races, much less technical than what we’re going to seek out tomorrow, to one thing that’s now half the space and simply a variety of fascinating terrain options.
Morley: Yeah.
iRunFar: What has impressed you to return to this race?
Morley: I don’t know. I’m truly fairly nervous, as a result of it’s form of like, “Okay, I’ve to recollect it’s like two hours lengthy. It’s like a marathon form of.” However for me, I’m like, “It’s a dash. You simply go straight up and straight down.” And so I’m making an attempt to be like, “Okay, no, Makena, that’s not truly as unhealthy as you’re pondering it’s.” However actually, I used to be like, “Nicely, OCC goes to be a variety of up and down.” So I used to be like, “This could possibly be a good time to simply be taught.” And actually, I really feel like these 50ks are a bit bit extra the place I really feel snug, no less than proper now.” So I feel that is out of my consolation zone a bit bit, and so I needed to do it simply because it scares me a bit bit greater than the opposite ones. However I feel it’s good to do. So it felt form of scary.
iRunFar: Yeah, that’s an fascinating query, just like the concern half. I imply, I went by the collegiate and street working system, such as you only a lot slower PRs. However there’s a sure, I don’t know, consolation with working ultras and the longer stuff that you simply’re like, “Oh, you will have like 4 or 5 hours to make errors and repair them.” Whereas one thing shorter, it’s simply began and it’s performed, and in the event you make a mistake, you’re simply performed.
Morley: You’re performed. I do know. And I feel simply all just about at first, you simply comprehend it’s going to be painful. I feel these women on this race, too, are clearly wonderful. They’ve received fairly a pedigree of stuff coming from them. So I’m actually excited to race them, but additionally it’ll be like simply form of completely different than the 50ks the place you possibly can go and also you form of die within the center, and you’ll come again, and I really feel like this one, there’s most likely none of that.
iRunFar: Being reborn.
Morley: Yep. None of that on this one, however I did do The Rut VK additionally final yr in September, so I’m form of like channeling that. I’m like, “That was horrific. It was like mile-effort for 40 minutes.” So I used to be like, “Possibly this might be mile-effort for 70 minutes after which straight down.”
iRunFar: After which down once more.
Morley: Yeah, yeah.
iRunFar: Yeah. What’s the angle you’re bringing to tomorrow’s race? Is it form of like eyes broad open, and attempt to simply watch what’s taking place and reply as finest as you possibly can? Have you considered strategically the way you’re going to method this?
Morley: Yeah. I imply, I feel actually, after watching what’s occurred earlier than and particularly these women on this race, I feel if you wish to be in it to attempt to win, I imply, they’ll’t even have 30 seconds on you on the high. So I feel I can’t carry on the down, I imply, in the event that they’re a minute forward of me, I’m not catching them. So I form of suppose a kind of is simply making an attempt to see how lengthy I can hold on, and hopefully I can hold on to the highest. After which I don’t know, go ship it from there. That’ll be fascinating for me on the downhill.
iRunFar: Yeah. Yeah. Deliberately, simply go and attempt to stick to whoever’s …
Morley: Whoever’s up there. Yeah.
iRunFar: … taking it out so long as you possibly can.
Morley: Yeah. See if I can do it.
iRunFar: So most likely it’s truthful to say that tomorrow’s race goes to characteristic your first set of stairs and wires and all of these like actually distinctive elements of path working.
Morley: Yeah, I do know. I truly ran it on Tuesday with my good friend Erin Clark. She took me on the entire path. We missed like a two-mile part, however I did the steps. I’m actually terrified of heights, so it was good of me to do this, or good for me to have a look at it. And I used to be like, “Nicely, in the event you simply fall off, you’ll die, however it’s effective. Simply don’t fall off.” So I did fairly good.
iRunFar: That’s wonderful.
Morley: Hopefully within the race, my adrenaline goes, I might be like …
iRunFar: Don’t even discover.
Morley: Yeah, I gained’t discover. I might be redlining, so I’m like, “Okay, simply hold onto the steps.”
iRunFar: Actually. Simply exit, take it because it comes, after which see.
Morley: And simply attempt to get down.
iRunFar: There’s a enjoyable little deviation late within the race into Shirley Canyon the place you dump down, after which you need to climb again out.
Morley: Was that that final climb, that one?
iRunFar: Mm-hmm.
Morley: Sure, I did that with Erin.
iRunFar: Okay, good. So that you’ve seen that.
Morley: I noticed it, and I really feel prefer it was chunky. Individuals had been all the time speaking about that it’s a bit bit extra of the technical a part of it, as a result of a lot of the course truly isn’t too unhealthy, however yeah, that was form of chunkier rocks, and it’s a little climb. You do go up. So I used to be pleased to see it as a result of I really feel like that will have been tough in the event you didn’t actually know what it seemed like or didn’t comprehend it was coming.
iRunFar: Precisely.
Morley: And also you’d be like, “That is by no means going to finish.”
iRunFar: I imply, in the event you didn’t comprehend it was there, it’s fairly a bit climb.
Morley: Sure. And when you already know it’s there, you’re like, “Okay.” You’ll be able to form of keep in mind the place it’s. However yeah, I feel if I didn’t know, I might have been like, “Oh my God.”
iRunFar: I find it irresistible. I significantly, I really feel just like the runnable elements are simply going to return to you so easily and so simply tomorrow …
Morley: Yeah, thanks.
iRunFar: … with simply the velocity pedigree from different sports activities or different disciplines of working that you simply convey to this. So for me, what might be fascinating for you is to see what occurs within the technical bits.
Morley: I feel so too. That’s fascinating for me additionally, so we’ll see. Yeah.
iRunFar: You’re going to be having fun with watching your self simply as a lot as we’re.
Morley: Yeah, I’m going to must go watch it again and be like, “Oh, wow. Ooh, she appears to be like good or unhealthy.”
iRunFar: “She appears to be like nice there.”
Morley: Yeah. “Oh, trying good. A pair steps completely different subsequent time.”
iRunFar: “We’ll try this one completely different.”
Morley: Yeah, yeah.
iRunFar: Makena Morley, better of luck at tomorrow’s Damaged Arrow 23k.
Morley: Thanks a lot.
