Rory Linkletter has spent the first half of 2026 setting new personal bests. In April, he ran 2:06:04 at the Boston Marathon, the second-fastest marathon ever by a Canadian. Earlier in the year, he became the first Canadian man to break one hour in the half marathon, running 59:49 in Houston to reclaim the national record.
But Linkletter just announced he’s about to tackle something different: the Canadian Olympian has been added to the field for the Broken Arrow Ascent in Olympic Valley, Calif., on June 19. While it isn’t Linkletter’s first-ever trail race, it will be his first elite start at a major mountain-running event.
The 28-year-old represented Canada in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, owns the Canadian half-marathon record at 59:49 and ran a personal-best 2:06:04 at this year’s Boston Marathon. Before moving up to the roads, he also broke four minutes for the mile, running 3:59.05 in 2023.
Despite his focus on road racing, Linkletter has never hidden his interest in the mountains. On recent podcast appearances, he has spoken about following trail and ultrarunning closely, including the iconic Western States Endurance Run.
Rory Linkletter salutes PM Mark Carney en route to third at Ottawa Marathon
Broken Arrow Skyrace stoke
The Broken Arrow Ascent is part of the Broken Arrow Skyrace weekend, held at Palisades Tahoe resort. The uphill race is 5.8 kilometres and climbs 865 metres, and attracts a field packed with mountain-running specialists. Linkletter won’t have to contend with hours of technical descending or the fuelling demands of an ultramarathon, but he will face some of the sport’s strongest uphill runners on a leg-destroying course.
Broken Arrow Skyrace also hosts 11K, 18K, 23K and 46K races, and, as of 2026, will feature the largest total prize purse, $150,000 ($208,987.49 CAD) of any independent trail race in the world and the largest winner’s purse, $30,000 ($41,797.50 CAD) of any trail race in the world.
Rory Linkletter at the 2026 Ottawa Marathon. Photo: RunOttawa
A crossover he’s been considering
Elite road runners are increasingly turning to trail and ultrarunning after their best years on the roads, but Linkletter has been talking openly about the idea of crossing over before road racing is behind him. On the Free Outside podcast (hosted by legendary ultrarunner Jeff Garmire), Linkletter mentioned American Olympian Molly Seidel as one of the few elite road runners who has made a serious move into trail and ultra racing.
“Nobody’s ever really done it in their prime,” Linkletter said. “Molly’s the closest thing.” Seidel, the Tokyo Olympic marathon bronze medallist, has drawn plenty of attention in the trail world after finishing fourth at Black Canyon 100K and earning a Golden Ticket to Western States Endurance Run, the legendary 100-miler held at the end of June. (In a recent edition of Canadian Running’s own The Shakeout podcast, Seidel shared how she’s applying the lessons of a legendary career on the roads and track to the new challenges of the trails.)
Rory Linkletter, Houston Half-Marathon 2026. Photo: Alan Brookes
Linkletter also discussed the practical aspects of a road-to-trail switch. Contracts, appearance fees and sponsor support all matter when an athlete is still in their prime earning years. “I’ve floated the idea to my agent that in my next contract I want there to be a section with some trail bonuses,” he said. He said that a move into trails would not be casual: “It would be a huge gamble.”
The Broken Arrow Skyrace will be held from June 18-26; for live results, head here or check out the race day livestream on YouTube.
To listen to the full Free Outside podcast, head here.