Non-Binary Ascent: Rocky West completes the sweep

• Rocky West wins the non-binary race in 1:06:17 (30:29/mi), leading wire-to-wire from the first checkpoint to the summit
• West's victory completes a remarkable weekend treble: 1st Non-Binary in the 23K, 1st in the 46K, and now 1st in the Ascent
• Daniel Darby, 58, of Loomis, CA takes 2nd in 1:37:54, gutting out the climb in 91°F heat
• West posted the faster Snow King→Finish split of the two, closing hard all the way to the line

This wasn't just a win — it was a coronation. Rocky West, 37, of San Miguel, Mexico, arrived at the Ascent start line already holding non-binary titles in both the 23K and the 46K, and left Palisades having conquered every race on offer. The 3.5K climb to nearly 8,000 feet was the final piece, and West never let it wobble: first at the opening checkpoint, first at the finish, 1:06:17 on the clock.

The manner of the win matched the résumé. West didn't just hold the lead — they finished with the faster Snow King→Finish split of the group, accelerating through the final push to the summit rather than merely surviving it. On a day when the thermometer read 91°F and the thin air above 7,000 feet punished every hard breath, closing strong on the steepest terrain is the mark of an athlete in complete command.

Behind them, Daniel Darby earned every step of his 2nd-place finish. At 58, climbing in brutal heat at altitude, Darby crossed in 1:37:54 at 45:01/mi — and notably held the 2nd-fastest Snow King→Finish split in the group, keeping his effort honest right through the finish rather than fading on the final wall.

Two finishers, two very different races: one a victory lap sealing a clean sweep of the weekend, the other a hard-won summit in punishing conditions. Both earned the view from the top.