Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent: Backholm rules the M50-59 climb

• Ari Backholm, 51, wins in 51:32 — a 14:17/mi average up a course ranging from 6,257 to 8,845 feet, finishing more than three and a half minutes clear of the field.
• Tav Streit takes 2nd in 55:10, with Aaron Ostrovsky (3rd, 57:19), Shawn Bearden (4th, 57:48), and John Burroughs (5th, 57:58) all arriving within 40 seconds of each other.
• The closing segment told the story: Backholm posted the 62nd-fastest KT 22→Finish split among all men, while Streit (85th), Ostrovsky (98th), and Bearden (100th) faded relative to the field on that same stretch — the gap at the top was already sealed.
• 39 finishers completed the M50-59 race, with the top 20 spanning a range from 51:32 to 1:12:42.

Ari Backholm of Los Altos, CA made the M50-59 race look straightforward from the front. His 51:32 finish — averaging 14:17 per mile up a relentless high-altitude ascent — was never seriously threatened. He moved from 76th to 68th among all men on the final segment, posting the 62nd-fastest closing split in the men's field. On a course where the air thins above 8,000 feet and the legs can turn to concrete, holding that kind of pace to the line is no small thing.

Behind him, the real drama was a four-man scramble for the podium. Tav Streit of Truckee — racing practically in his backyard — secured 2nd in 55:10, but Ostrovsky, Bearden, and Burroughs all finished within 39 seconds of each other across 3rd through 5th. Ostrovsky (57:19), Bearden (57:48), and Burroughs (57:58) ran the closing segment at nearly identical race positions, but it was Ostrovsky who edged ahead when it mattered.

Further back, a deep and competitive mid-pack stretched through the hour mark. Greg Tew (6th, 58:10) and Joost Schreve (7th, 59:59) rounded out a strong top seven, all finishing under the hour. Ben Geiger (8th, 1:00:46) and Chris Orton (9th, 1:02:06) followed, with David Learned (10th, 1:04:51) rounding out the top ten. With 39 finishers in total, this was a full and hard-fought field — every one of them earning their finish on one of the more demanding ascents in American trail racing.