Breaking Down the Beast of Big Creek
August 7, 2026
In this newsletter we celebrate the Beast of Big Creek and the long awaited return of The Merrell Skyrunner® World Series to American soil. If there was any question if skyrunning could ever find a foothold in America again, that question has been answered. Skyrunning- it’s an American sport - it’s our sport!
The honors of the day went to Morgan Elliott (USA) and Eve Pannone (UK). Link to full results on ultra signup.
Race Director, Mathias Eichler shares his takeaways-
“These two photos capture Beast of Big Creek 2026 for me.
What’s not captured are the weeks of insane work, the sleepless nights fretting over every detail, the tireless commitment for days on end by my family and the best volunteers one could ask for. For a small team, in a challenging location, we build something really big. And not just big, but truly special. The grateful and heartwarming messages I’ve received from elite runners who got to experience this type of community event as part of the Skyrunner World Series and from regular runners who loved toeing the line with the pros on their home mountain made it all worth it.
But back to the photos.
After days of sunshine and blue skies race day morning weather added some spice to the upper mountain by providing clouds, high winds, and rain. This bummed out the drone photographers but created absolutely stunning moments on the mountain. We had an incredible race environment for the top athletes who reached the summit in these - short-lived, but gnarly - conditions. Back down in camp we cheered on the finishers in calmer weather and sunshine. Truly a mountain experience.
The photo of Eve Pannone, winner of the women’s race, bombing down the mountain shortly after reaching the summit turnaround and meeting her fellow competitors on their final uphill steps captures everything the athletes came for. An incredible race in a beautiful - albeit socked in - location.
The second photo though is what’s even more special for me. Here’s my daughter Ruby (on the far right) and her friend Eliza (far left) with Daniel Antonioli from Italy (and third place finisher) and Beñat Albisu Etxeberria from Spain (fifth and winner of the U-23 race) around the campfire making s’mores. The girls got up at 4am, were at the aid station all morning, then course swept a portion of the Skyrace. In the evening we all came together, elites, runners camping with us for the evening and volunteers - family. We ate together, laughed, watched inspiring trail running films, and shared stories. This is cultural exchange, It’s humans coming together over a shared experience and finding common ground, despite language challenges and maybe questionable campfire snack choices.”
Photo: @caymen.waughtel
“This is why I build Beast of Big Creek into an international skyrunning event. This is what trail running is all about for me.” -Mathias Eichler
Eve Pannone, race winner shares-
"Saturday’s race at Beast of Big Creek was pretty epic. I was not expecting to come away with the result I had, however the thing that made it so special was that the whole event had such a community feel to it. It’s definitely a race that I would return to!" -Eve Pannone
Photo @Merrell
We also had a chance to catch up with Carmen Graves- the first American female finisher in 4th place.
“It means a lot to be on the podium and represent both Merrell and the US at Beast of Big Creek in my first Skyrace. I was really proud of my race and so grateful to be able to rub elbows with some of the best skyrunners in the world.” -Carmen Graves
Not far off Carmen’s heels. Careth Arnold was getting back up to speed following an outstanding showing at the Hardrock 100 just a few weeks prior.
“I’m so glad I got to fit a Skyrace in! It was my first one and I loved it. I definitely came in a bit rusty in the speed department. Hardrock required such a different form of training. It was great testing the fast twitch muscles against a solid group of speedy ladies.” -Careth Arnold
Thank you to First to the Finish for supplying uniforms to The US Skyrunning World Championship Team!
First to the Finish has graciously offered to supply custom sublimated race uniforms and warmups to the US Skyrunning Team to represent at the Skyrunning World Championships in La Gomera, Spain, September 18-20th.
“Thank you to Austin Viano and The FTTF Crew for their generous support and work to custom craft uniforms for our 2026 Championship Team”, said coach Ryan Kerrigan
“it’s been a whirlwind of a skyrunning year so far and a lot of a work. It can be difficult to see the impact we’re having. Support from FTTF for uniforms is really encouraging and shows that we’re not the only ones that know skyrunning is on the rise…”
Whether you’re a coach or a run club leader consider First to the Finish for your next uniform order.
@nikos.fastlight
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What's on Your Running Playlist? We're building the ultimate skyrunning soundtrack — and we want your picks.
We've been adding new tracks to the official US Skyrunning playlist — give it a listen and send us your suggestions.
This month's additions:
“Ready to Start ”— Arcade Fire
“Built to Spill” — Built to Spill
“Feel the Pain” — Dinosaur Jr
🎧 Find us on Spotify at @skyrunningusa
