Reaching New Heights: A Conversation with Riley Brady

Riley Brady has been steadily climbing up the ranks of ultrarunning since putting second of their first 50k again in 2014, however within the house of six months, the now-29-year-old has taken an enormous leap ahead onto the highest tier — successful the Javelina 100 Mile within the fall of 2024, earlier than setting a course file on the ever-competitive Black Canyon 100k in spring of 2025. As Brady — who identifies as non-binary however competes within the ladies’s race — gears up for this 12 months’s Western States 100, we caught up with them to search out out about their background and what’s clicked of their current coaching to make them one of many high contenders for the win at this 12 months’s Western States.

Early Years

Riley Brady grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania, an hour north of Philadelphia, and was not born into a very sports-centric household. Nonetheless, they dabbled in basketball and soccer. Though Brady claims to not have been notably gifted when it got here to ball-handling, they added, “however I may simply run all day. And I used to be the one individual on the group who was like, ‘I can’t watch for the Friday time trial.’”

They added, “Additionally in highschool, my dad took my brother and me to the ice rink each Sunday afternoon. I actually loved ice skating.” By junior 12 months of highschool, Brady had taken up cross-country working, and though nonetheless enjoying lacrosse within the spring, they had been leaning extra towards particular person sports activities.

In faculty, Brady’s rising love of working took an surprising flip. They mentioned, “I spotted that there are different folks on the market who wished to only go run for a extremely very long time within the woods … I met my pal, Amelia [Kaufman], and he or she was like, ‘There’s this race in my hometown, Ithaca, New York, the Cayuga Trails 50 Mile, we should always do it.’ And I used to be like, ‘That sounds enjoyable.’”

Needing a qualifying race to entry the 50 miler, Brady first signed up for the 2014 New Jersey Extremely Path Pageant 50k, and positioned second to Kaufman. They mentioned, “Between having some early success, although it was only a actually small native occasion, and having this pal who I used to be aggressive with, that sort of launched moving into the game extra significantly.”

Riley Brady (left) on the 2016 Vermont 100 Mile. All photographs courtesy of Riley Brady, except in any other case famous.

The Western States 100 Golden Ticket Chase

By age 21, Brady had stepped up the gap, working the Vermont 100 Mile in 2016, ending in seventeenth place. They continued to hone and enhance, and in 2018 positioned second at each the Vermont 50 Mile and 100 Mile, and third on the JFK 50 Mile.

Though solely beginning to make a reputation for themselves, Brady already had excessive ambitions, and mentioned: “I received on the Western States 100 Golden Ticket chase fairly younger, even after I had no enterprise chasing a ticket.” Their first Golden Ticket race was the 2019 Black Canyon 100k, the place they completed fifth, proving that securing a Golden Ticket to the Western States 100 was not an unattainable aim. Whereas they racked up wins at distances starting from 50k to 100 miles, the Golden Ticket continued to elude, till 2022.

A solo run in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Altering Up Coaching

Early within the 12 months, Brady enlisted the assistance of David Roche as their coach, who nonetheless coaches them to today. Their coaching shortly turned extra intentional, they usually shared: “I really began doing exercises as an alternative of simply being like, I’m going to run for so long as I can.” The construction was a welcome change for Brady, who mentioned, “I didn’t come to working from a conventional working background. I used to be by no means on a school group, my highschool was not very aggressive. So, I simply didn’t have an understanding of methods to do exercises and stuff like that. As soon as I began doing them, I used to be like, That is enjoyable. Though my favourite is at all times the long term.”

Later that 12 months, a chance for the massive break that Brady had been working towards introduced itself, within the type of a newly added Golden Ticket race — the Javelina 100 Mile.

They shared, “When Javelina turned a Golden Ticket occasion, I used to be like, Sure, that is my alternative, as a result of it’s 100 miles. The terrain didn’t actually matter a lot to me. It was extra simply that it was longer and I’ve at all times felt like I’m higher at competing on the 100-mile distance than any of the beneath distances.”

Brady ran a affected person race at Javelina, and moved up the sector to take second place behind Devon Yanko, lastly securing their place on the beginning line of the 2023 Western States 100.

2023 Western  States 100

When Western States rolled round, Brady suffered abdomen points, which they put right down to taking up an excessive amount of salt. They shared, “Main into Western States, I used to be like, Okay, I’ve received to get my vitamin dialed. I’m not taking in sufficient salt … After which after that I found that I’m an especially low salt sweater, and that I used to be most likely taking in approach an excessive amount of. So, it was a studying expertise … I simply spent quite a lot of time throwing up on the facet of the path.”

Regardless of this, Brady nonetheless managed to make it to the end of the bucket checklist race in 14th place, and mentioned: “I really feel like with Western States, you’ll be able to’t go there and drop out. So many individuals work so exhausting to get there.”

Following on from their Western States debut, Brady knew they’d extra to offer on the course, however had but to resolve the vitamin puzzle, which continued to be their Achilles’ heel. On the 2024 CCC, they once more suffered abdomen issues, and had been compelled to drop from the race.

Recalling CCC, their first expertise on the UTMB Mont Blanc pageant, they shared: “It was my first time ever at UTMB Mont Blanc, and that was simply an enormous funding. I didn’t have a sponsor on the time. It’s so costly to recover from there. I additionally simply don’t actually just like the UTMB occasions … However it’s important to do them, and among the programs are very nice.”

Life in Colorado

Brady, who now lives in Boulder, Colorado, prefers racing nearer to dwelling within the U.S. They’re lucky to have the right coaching floor proper out the door, and likewise profit from the sturdy path working neighborhood that exists in Boulder. They mentioned, “I’ve a extremely good group of about 5 mates who run collectively fairly repeatedly, or some mixture of us. After which clearly I’ve different mates that I additionally run with. That’s probably the greatest components of residing in Boulder, simply having so many mates and individuals who wish to do the factor that I wish to do.”

In contrast to among the increased altitude mountain cities round Colorado, Boulder has a wide selection of trails that keep accessible year-round. Brady says, “There’s a bunch [of trails in Boulder] that keep dry all through the winter. Like Lion’s Lair, it simply will get quite a lot of solar and tends to dry out in a short time, even when we get snow.” They added, “However then in the summertime, I positively wish to get to the mountains a little bit bit extra. We’ve got actually wonderful entry right here.”

A run with mates on the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop in Colorado. Pictured from left to proper are Amanda Basham, Clare Gallagher, Brady, and Abby Levene.

The 2024 Javelina 100 Mile and 2025 Black Canyon 100k

In October 2024, returning to a race that had been sort to them earlier than, Brady secured their second likelihood at Western States in a extra decisive trend than earlier than — with a win on the Javelina 100 Mile and the Golden Ticket that adopted.

With an entry to Western States already secured by one of many earlier Golden Ticket races, Brady may have loved a quieter buildup to the race. Nonetheless, by no means one to shrink back from a aggressive subject, they determined to line up for the 2025 Black Canyon 100k. When requested what drew them to the beginning line, they reasoned: “A part of it’s that it’s a extremely aggressive race. The opposite half is it’s sort of a mini Western States — it’s internet downhill. In order that’s sort of good. After which I actually like that occasion. I like that path, I like that the vegetation and terrain sort of change from the place you begin in Mayer, Arizona, right down to Phoenix. I simply suppose it’s a cool race and I’m a giant fan of Aravaipa Operating and all the pieces they do for the game.”

Moreover, Brady felt they’d by no means had a superb race on their earlier 4 makes an attempt on the Black Canyon 100k, and so there was a way of unfinished enterprise on the course. The day unfolded fantastically, ending in one other win and a course file. Brady recalled: “The had been no actual lows. I used to be simply doing my factor. My massive focus has been vitamin … and ensuring I used to be staying on high of hydration. However yeah, no abdomen points. And I used to be simply having enjoyable the complete time, there was no level the place I used to be like, This sucks. I want this to be over.”

Riley Brady successful the 2025 Black Canyon 100k in course file time. Photograph: World Path Majors/Howie Stern

Turning Professional

Outdoors of working, Brady has packed quite a bit into their younger life to this point, and their skilled resume is stuffed with surprises. Having studied anthropology in faculty, they labored a broad vary of jobs earlier than not too long ago securing knowledgeable working contract with Nike.

They recalled, “I labored at a daycare for some time … I did get pleasure from that as a brief factor, but additionally I used to be sick on a regular basis, so I used to be like, I can’t.” They added, “I used to be simply sort of doing a smattering of issues. After which I ended up making use of for a few jobs at bike retailers.” In doing so, they stumbled upon a chance from Trek, who supplied coaching in addition to a job, opening a gateway to a profession as a motorcycle mechanic. Brady shared: “I received a ton of expertise in a short time working within the bike business. I actually did get pleasure from being a mechanic for some time, after which I simply sort of reached a degree the place I wasn’t studying as a lot as I wished to be studying.”

Whereas Brady has by no means ridden competitively, they get pleasure from bike touring, and biking nonetheless types a key a part of their coaching for working. Securing sponsorship with Nike has now allowed Brady to run full time, whereas additionally working as a coach.

Cheeky parking on a U.S. West Coast bike tour with mates.

A Second Try on the Western States 100

Like a lot of the elite path working world, Brady is now firmly centered on the 2025 Western States 100. Though in a really completely different place with their working than they had been in 2023, they’ve nonetheless benefited from the expertise and may strategy their second run with a cool head.

They shared: “I feel simply getting the nerves out of the best way the primary time working [Western States] is a large deal. The beginning line was sort of demanding for me. You are feeling such as you’re on this press of individuals, it’s darkish, you’ll be able to’t see, however you don’t wish to have a headlamp as a result of it’s going to get mild in 10 minutes. And so simply realizing that, and I feel realizing what to anticipate on that begin line, makes me really feel higher about it.”

They added, “It began so quick and I wasn’t anticipating that, and I feel my mindset round racing has actually modified. I’m way more prepared now to only be like, Alright, we’re sending it from the beginning.”

Though not underestimating the competitors, Brady was not shy about sharing their ambitions for the race, saying: “I feel it’s important to line as much as win, proper? I feel it’s important to have the unreasonable aim, as a result of in any other case you’re by no means going to hit it.”

Past Western States, they’ve signed up for Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile later in the summertime, and can then swap gears within the fall to coach for a quick highway marathon at CIM, the California Worldwide Marathon. For now, nonetheless, it’s exhausting to look previous June 28, after we stay up for watching Riley Brady ship it exhausting on the Western States Path.

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