The following article was written by Jason Bryant and showcases results from the 2025 Gorge Waterfalls 100K, the first selection race for Team USATF slated to compete at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc, Spain this September. Bryant is the vice chair of USATF’s Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council and was the USATF liaison at the event.
On Saturday, April 12, four athletes – the top two US men and the top two US women – earned spots at the Gorge Waterfalls 100K in Cascade Locks, OR, to represent their country at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships racing the long trail race on Saturday, September 27, in Canfranc, Spain. Adam Peterman, 29, Missoula, MT, and Tracen Knopp, 26, Anchorage, AK on the men’s side who went one-two in the race, and Shea Aquilano, 23, Boulder, CO, and Klaire Rhodes, 26, Anchorage, AK, who went one-three in the race (Canadian Jade Belzberg finished in second place for the women). Eight more team positions will be awarded by resume selection in the coming weeks – four men and four women.
Editor’s Note: To see the Team USA selection criteria visit this link.
Gorge Waterfalls 100K course
The 62-mile route along the Columbia River Gorge, featured several stunning waterfalls and a variety of surfaces including rocky semi-technical single track mixed with more smooth dirt single track and some intermittent sections of paved pedestrian/bike path connectors and some rural road shoulder sections to connect some trail segments. Considered to be very runnable, the course had many punchy hill climbs and some very rocky technical sections through the many open talus slopes. Total elevation gain from start to finish was approximately 11,000 feet.
The race began in darkness at 5:00 AM, under ideal race conditions – cool and calm. Headlamps illuminated the early morning sky at the start line, as the runners set off.
Men’s race
The men formed a chill pack of about eight early on and held together for nearly 25 miles, which, as Peterman described it during a post-event interview, was unique stating that a pack usually breaks up within four to five miles. The tactical and conservative strategy may have contributed to the eventual record-setting performances as the top five men all went under the previous course record.
Knopp threw a punch, as Peterman described it, at around 33 miles. Knopp held a small lead until Peterman reestablished contact nearing the 40 mile point. Peterman would drop the hammer on a climb around 43 miles causing both guys to suffer over the final miles. Peterman took the win with a new course record in 7:59:30, sprinting down the final meters on grass to go under eight hours, his personal best over the distance.
Knopp commented that he was hanging on from 48 miles onward. Both men confirmed that the end of the race got rough, which is expected when a large group toes the line with Red, White & Blue tickets for Team USA at stake. Knopp finished in a time of 8:05:16 and Philip Royer, 34, Boston, MA, rounded out the podium in 8:19:30. Jeffrey Colt, 34, Carbondale, CO, was fourth in 8:20:12. Peterman and Colt were teammates on the long trail team in 2022 at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand along with Eric LiPuma and Adam Merry with the foursome earning team gold for USA with Peterman winning the championship title.
Peterman said, “On the 2022 USA team, the guys developed a close and meaningful connection. These team USA experiences are unique. I want that experience again. It’s a super cool way to represent the USA.”
Knopp said, “It will be a privilege to wear the team USA kit. It’s a dream come true and something I’ve wanted all my life.”
Gorge Waterfalls 100K women’s race
On the women’s side, Shea Aquilano would take the lead from start while a small pack of women laid chase behind. Around 33 miles, Aquilano got her first true gap check on Jade Belzberg of Canada as she could see her on some switchbacks in and out of the gorge. Klaire Rhodes chased a little further back holding down 3rd place.
On a day without any mental lows, Aquilano commented that she felt really locked in and in the zone. That zone resulted in a new course record and win with a time of 9:14:49. Rhodes would check her shoulder at 48 miles to note that 4th place was close. Knowing the last Red, White & Blue ticket of the day must be taken, Rhodes pushed over the final miles to take third in 9:34:25, behind Belzberg’s second place 9:27:39 time. All three women went under the previous course record.
“I kept telling myself to stay in the arena, in reference to a Theodore Roosevelt quote. A Red, White & Blue ticket was the worthy cause. I think this is my best race thus far,” said Aquilano who was on the 2023 US Long Distance Trail Team in Austria at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.
“I’m very proud of how I executed the race today. I’m excited and honored to represent team USA, to represent the USA multiple times is extra special,” said Rhodes, who was a teammate of Aquilano’s in 2023, but on the short trail team. This was Rhodes’ debut at the 100K distance.
Daybreak Racing
Organizers of the event – Daybreak Racing, a co-owned business of brothers Jeremy and Austin Long – embraced the trail atmosphere with many in the Long family showing up to lend a hand on race day. The Gorge Waterfalls was part of a three-day festival of running April 11-13, starting with a 30K on Friday, the 100K on Saturday, and a 50K on Sunday. Each of the events reached its 450-runner limit.
Said Jeremy Long, “We’ve had such a successful Gorge Waterfalls 100K today and our plan really came together. It was awesome to see so many elite athletes competing for the Red, White and Blue tickets and the team USA spots. We were honored to be a team USA selection race and host these world-class athletes to Cascade Locks, Oregon.”
Complete results at this link.