Congratulations to Liz Ryen, the first and only woman finisher for this year’s Arizona Trail 800 race! After successfully pushing through multiple days of adverse weather in Northern Arizona, Liz completed the route in 14 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes. See more here…

Additional photos by Liz Ryen

When heavy rainfall hit northern Arizona on day 10 of the race, it forced Liz Ryen to detour from the route at 3 a.m., taking shelter at a Flagstaff hotel as precipitation, cold temperatures, and death mud made forward progress nearly impossible. The persistent storm conditions led most of the remaining riders to scratch, but Liz committed to doing whatever it took to complete the route. After a day of rest, she returned to the route and slowly worked through the mud, at times hiking with her bike strapped to her back as the rain continued.

A note from Liz about her ride: “That is one hell of a trail. Phew! The bikepacking world is such an amazing community. I loved how every time I passed another racer, we would stop to hug, laugh, fist-bump, and cheer each other on. Everyone looked out for each other and was truly happy to see each rider push forward. It was such an amazing experience!”

On Thursday, Liz reached the end of the trail, becoming the first and only woman to do so in 14 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes. The perseverance it took to complete a route of this caliber in such poor weather is nothing short of amazing. Congrats on such an incredible ride!

Check out the 2026 Arizona Trail Race Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, and stay tuned for more event coverage. Find it here.

Further Reading

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