NARBONA PASS, N.M. – For nearly four decades, one remarkable performance stood alone in the history of the Narbona Pass Classic.
In 1987, Angela Chalmers, an Indigenous runner from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, set the women’s 10-kilometer course record with a time of 40:50. Chalmers would later represent Canada at the 1992 Summer Olympics and cement her place among North America’s great distance runners.
On Sunday, July 5, Ali Upshaw, a Navajo from Fort Defiance, Arizona, completed the Narbona Pass Classic in 40:38, breaking the longest-standing women’s course record in race history while finishing fifth overall among all competitors in the 10K.
Nearly 40 years separated the two performances, but together they represent an extraordinary legacy of Indigenous excellence in distance running.
“Ali Upshaw’s accomplishment is a proud moment for the Navajo Nation,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said. “Young Navajo athletes now have another role model who has shown we can compete and succeed at the very highest levels.”
The Narbona Pass Classic has celebrated running and community since the Carl family founded the race in 1979. Over the past 46 years, interrupted only once during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become one of the Southwest’s premier road races.
This year’s race demonstrated the event’s continued growth, selling out an entire month before race day as runners from across the region gathered to compete on one of the Southwest’s most scenic and challenging courses.
Upshaw’s latest accomplishment adds to one of the most decorated collegiate careers in the country. After competing for the University of New Mexico, she transferred to Northern Arizona University, where she rewrote the record books.
In 2026, Upshaw established new NAU and Big Sky Conference records in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:22.4, broke the school’s indoor 5,000-meter record, earned NCAA Division I Cross Country All-America honors, won the Big Sky Cross Country Championship, and captured the conference indoor 5,000-meter title.
With a new course record now in the books, Sunday’s race served as another reminder that the next generation of Indigenous runners continues to raise the bar while inspiring those who will follow.
