Race: The Golden Ultra 60K – Stage 2 – Sweat & Conquer
Runner: TRR Coach Jennifer Kozak
Race Date: 09/13/2025
Location: Golden, British Columbia, Canada
Result: 9th/46 in age group for the single day event, 19th/90 of all women running the 60K (both single and three-day participants)
Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/15801575706/overview
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
The Golden Ultra is a three-day stage race or a one-day ultra running race in Golden, BC, Canada. I chose the one-day, 60K ultra option.
1. Volunteers/Aid stations: This was by far the highlight of the race for me! The aid station volunteers went so above and beyond, it felt like I had crew! I would arrive, and immediately one person was helping me find my drop bag, while two other people were filling my bottles, and a fourth was holding my poles. They put ice in my hat, dumped water down my back, offered me tater tots, bacon, and quesadillas, all while telling me how good I looked, ha! As we approached the summit for the day, we were greeted with a team of dancing men dressed as fairies encouraging us up to the top. All of these amazing people meant I had a smile on my face for most of the day.
2. Flagging: The course was very well marked for the day. The few instances where I was worried that I had taken a wrong turn, I simply had to wait one minute, and the next flag would appear. Any turn was either manned or flagged so well that you knew exactly where to go. Despite some hesitancy that I missed something when I ultimately would zone out for a while, not a single turn was missed.
3. Course: The mountainous course is beautiful and challenging, and you get a little bit of everything: flowy single track through the forest, a technical, steep ridge climb to the top of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Gondola, and some quad busting descents.
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
1. Timing: From a participant perspective, it seemed like something went awry with the timing. When crossing the finish line, the zone4.ca updated your time automatically based on the chip you are wearing. Then, later in the day, all of the times had between 45 seconds to a couple minutes added to them. We were informed that this was an adjustment for gun time. This would seem fine, except for the fact that even with video evidence of crossing under the timing clock at a certain time, it was still off by nearly a minute. While it might not seem like a big deal, as it did not affect placements, for those of us who were aiming for a certain time and thrilled to squeak in just under, it was frustrating to not have that time be ‘official’. Why did we wear those bulky chips around our ankles then?!
2. Medal mishaps: They forgot to hand out medals for the 60K/30K racers. Oops! They have offered to mail them out though if we want it!
3. No watermelon? All I wanted was watermelon at the aid stations!
4. Drop bags: They only had drop bags available at one aid station (though runners visited it twice), which was at 7.5 miles (11 km) and 29 miles (47 km) into the race. I did utilize it, but it seemed too early/late in the race to need much. I would have preferred one 21 miles (34 km) into the race, at Aid Station 3, especially if I had no crew/supporters on course to help bring things.
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
- Overall pacing: The Golden Ultra 60K was my first ultra, so I wasn’t too sure how exactly to pace for a longer race. In hindsight, I feel like I did go out a bit hot, but felt soooo so good up until the last 12k, when the temps hit 27oC (81oF) and the quads had had enough.
- Fueling: I am very happy with how fueling went for the most part. I had practiced hard for this, and it paid off!
Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
Bring a headlamp! The 6 am start isn’t too early, but it is dark at this time of year until around 7 am. You’ll need a headlamp to feel confident on the forest trails. The headlamp can be dropped at the first aid station if you’ve got a drop bag there.
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around
If I could go back and do it again, I would have slowed down for the first 6 miles. That said, it is very challenging to be on single track, with a group of people behind you, and not push a little more than you intend.
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race
I think the most challenging part of the Golden Ultra 60K course is the final 12 km (6-7 miles). There are lots of little punchy climbs and descents that feel so challenging after pushing on the main climb/descent earlier on in the race. If you can manage your effort, or build your durability to withstand the last 12 km, you’ll be golden (I had to)!
Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?
Beautiful! Unfortunately, some wild fire smoke had entered the area for the weekend. That said, it wasn’t too bad as we ascended into the alpine, and it gave the mountains a very moody feel (see picture below). The smoke cleared later in the day, and we were treated to some epic views at the top of the gondola. Running through the lower trails was also really enjoyable.
Difficulty – Is it a tough course?
Yes! The Golden Ultra 60K is ~59 km with 2500 m (or around 8200 feet) of vertical gain. The course progresses from rolling trails into one giant climb, followed by one giant descent, and then more rolling trails to the finish. There are a few sections that also require careful footing, such as the approach the aid station at the top of the gondola, and when descending the first section of the ski resort.
Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?
Everything (aside from the timing) seemed like a well-oiled machine. Package pick up/drop bag drop off was super smooth. Helpfully, race information was shared quite a few times leading up to the race via email or on the Golden Ultra Facebook forum. As mentioned above, the aid stations were incredible.
Competition – Is there a strong field?
Yes, there are some very strong runners in this race! People travel from all over to attend, but you’ll find the majority from in and around BC/Alberta.
Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.
They usually have tiered pricing for the Golden Ultra event, so, if you are the first to register, you’ll get a cheaper price than if you book a month after registration opens. Because of this, they had a lot of traffic the first day of registration and it caused a few glitches. They worked hard to remedy this, and fixed any issues people had with their registration. The race itself did not seem to sell out though until a month or two before the actual race start. Accommodation was trickier as the town is quite small. If you stay at the resort (where a lot of the vacation rentals are), be prepared to be trained getting to the start line!
Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?
As mentioned above, these were the best aid stations! This was more so for the people than the food itself (which I barely ate any of). They had Xact Bars as their sponsored nutrition and F2C as their electrolyte. I knew neither of these would work for me, so I didn’t partake. And despite their lack of watermelon, they had seemingly everything else: oranges, grapes, cookies, candy, chips, pretzels, tater tots, bacon, quesadillas, and more.
Weather and typical race conditions
Last year, the weather was colder and quite socked in (perfect running temps)! This year, it was hot with a bit of smoke in the air. With it being a higher alpine environment, the weather can change very quickly: expect every type of weather from blazing sun to snow.
Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?
They have a required gear list for the Golden Ultra 60K: jacket, gloves, toque/beanie, and emergency blanket. Bear spray is optional. Personally, I liked having poles for the major climb and tucked them away for the rest of the race after that. While it’s not on the required list, a headlamp is 100% needed for the first hour or so.
Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?
Yes, there are quite a few spots to view. The first spot would be at the first aid station (I believe you can walk/drive in). The most popular spot would be at the top of the gondola. Spectators would need to buy a sightseeing gondola pass for the day from the resort, and make it up there to see your runner (and the views)! I was able to see my family at the top of the gondola (where they provided aid), at the bottom of the long descent down the ski hill, and again at the finish line.
How’s the Swag?
I loved it! Runners received a T-shirt (non-technical) and a metal cup branded with Golden Ultra at check in. Before the race start, the race director was handing out collapsible cups for use at aid stations during the race (which is great because I had forgotten mine). At the finish, a hard-earned medal (pending…see above) and pint glass await.
The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?
4.5/5! I loved the Golden Ultra 60K and would 100% run it again! My little annoyances of the race pale in comparison to the overall event and weekend, which was nothing but enjoyable. I would highly recommend any runner coming to BC to try one of these events!
Jennifer Kozak is a coach with Team RunRun who knows how to balance training with family, on both the roads and the trails. Jenn works with athlete of all abilities, from those dipping their toes in trail races or tackling new goals on the roads, from the 5k up to the marathon.