BRADNER AND GOUDIE TAKE TOP 50-MILE HONORS AT MESQUITE CANYON

Matthew Bradner won the men's 50-mile race at the 2026 Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs in 9:06, crossing the finish line at White Tank Mountain Regional Park in Waddell, Arizona on March 14. Mandi Goudie took the women's title in 11:48 on Aravaipa Running's signature desert ultra.

The course does not offer easy miles. Runners contend with steep technical single-track, granite rock scrambles, and a relentless two-mile wash section in Ford Canyon where loose sand and boulders slow every stride. March in the Sonoran Desert brings warm temperatures and full sun — conditions that compound the physical toll of the 50-mile loop.

Men's Race

Bradner moved through the field steadily to secure the win. The 2025 champion Jonah Backstrom, who set the course's recent standard at 7:29:24 last year, was not in the field. The all-time men's course record of 7:25:45, set by Joshua Brimhall in 2016, remains intact.

Women's Race

Goudie's 11:48 finish gave her the top women's spot on a day when the terrain and conditions made every finishing time hard-earned. Kimberly Neely, the 2025 women's champion who ran 8:03:00, did not defend her title. The women's course record of 9:29:50 — set by Sarah Emoto in 2019 — stands.

50K

In the shorter distance, Cody McKesson won the men's 50K in 4:32 and Alicia Woodside took the women's title in 5:23.

What's Next

Mesquite Canyon is part of Aravaipa Running's Desert Runner Trail series. The result adds to the DRT series standings, with more desert racing ahead for Arizona runners before summer heat shuts down the calendar.