31/07/2026
The last time Adam Campbell (Adam Campbell) ran a 100-miler, he finished thinking “never again”.
But last weekend, he returned to racing at the Crazy Mountain 100 in Montana. Swipe to see why the Arc’teryx Trail Running Team Captain took nine years away from ultras, and how he made his way back to the start line.
📸: Leslie Hittmeier
📹: Con Koch / Leslie Hittmeier / Adam Campbell
In the early 2010s, Adam was a regular on start lines and podiums at competitive ultramarathons around the world. Then in 2016, he had an accident that broke his back and hip. He recovered, and the next year made his comeback at the Hardrock 100 — but it cost him.
“I got a lot of praise [for finishing], but I really set myself back physically and emotionally” he says.
So for a while after that, racing stayed in the rearview.
Then, a couple years ago, running stopped hurting.
Adam rediscovered his rhythm, and those moments when everything falls away and the movement feels effortless.
He started to wonder: Can I do this again?
He registered for the Crazy Mountain 100 — an aptly-named race on the indigenous lands of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation. It crosses a mountain range in Montana and has 7,000 metres of gain.
“I hired a coach,” Adam says. “We focused on strength and time instead of mileage. I learned to work with the athlete I am now — not the one I used to be.”
Despite the occasional setback — including a hard fall that he worried broke a rib five weeks before — Adam was ready on race day.
But high temps compounded the challenge. He struggled with stomach issues and considered dropping out at mile 40.
Then he remembered something he and his wife, Cassie, had talked about:
“I tried to change my mindset to one of gratitude,” he says.
With Cassie and his friend Connor pacing him through the night, Adam moved forward, crossing the line in second place — 25 hours, 38 minutes after he started.
So, will he do it again?
“Right now, I’m excited to recover from the emotional and physical journey,” he says. “From there, I’ll see what drives me.”
Congrats, Adam — we can’t wait to see what that is.