Top 10 Most Epic American Ninja Warriors Runs

Jake Murray is a competitor with a flair for the dramatic. Whether it's his fashion sense or his tendency to showboat, Murray always stands out from the pack. However, it’s not just his antics that make him memorable. He’s also a great ninja, frequently posting some of the fastest times on courses he competes on. Such was the case when he ran stage 1 in Vegas in 2016. While sporting a headband and a fanny pack, Murray blazed through the course and took home the fastest time on that year’s first stage. Not only that, he celebrated by taking a corndog out of the fanny pack, taking a bite, and doing a cannonball! What a legend!

Speaking of legends, one of the longest competing contestants on “American Ninja Warrior” is David Campbell, whose nickname is “The Godfather.” However, despite his history in the competition and early successes both at home and abroad, Campbell has had several runs of bad luck on stage 1 in Vegas in the past. He missed out on advancing to stage 2 five years in a row! But this run turned all that around! Although Campbell has a few close calls, he managed to complete the stage and make his long-awaited return. Who doesn’t love a good comeback story?

Prior to 2014, female competitors, while still respected, had not yet overcome a literal obstacle to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of the men – the warped wall. But all that changed with Kacy Catanzaro! Her run in the Dallas qualifiers that year blew up the internet, and it’s because she managed to ascend the curved wall over twice her height and hit a buzzer, which was the first time any woman had completed a qualifying course. Although her completion of a city finals course not long after was also groundbreaking, this is the run fans and competitors remember more.

Back in 2013, no American had ever even finished the 3rd stage of the Vegas finals, and only one man had gotten past the tricky Ultimate Cliffhanger obstacle. Enter – Brian Arnold. A consistent competitor and rock climber, Arnold reached Stage 3 and managed to not only defeat the Cliffhanger, but also complete the next several obstacles, reaching the final obstacle of the Stage, the Flying Bar. Sadly, he fell on the fourth rung, only feet away from completing Stage 3. While he may have come up short, Arnold was the first to come so close to winning it all at the time.

While it was tempting to discuss Isaac Calidero’s run, we ultimately decided on the run that immediately followed his: Geoff Britten’s. Britten narrowly managed to beat Stage 3 by holding on to the final platform by the tips of his fingers, and competed against Caldiero to reach the top of Mount Midoriyama. Watching Britten power up that tower using his ridiculous forearms to achieve Total Victory was a huge milestone, as he was the first American to do so in regular competition. Caldiero may have beaten his time, but Britten still got there first, and with a perfect season, no less!

A competitor known for his luscious locks and extreme speed, Daniel Gil has had plenty of amazingly fast runs throughout his time on the show, but this is arguably his most memorable. Gil practically flew through the Dallas Qualifying course, finishing the first 3 obstacles in less than half a minute, and ultimately got the fastest time of the night. Not only that, but Gil was the first person up the new 18 foot Mega Warped Wall, which earned him 10 grand in the process! We’re not sure which is crazier – the payday, or the fact that he’d have been even faster if he hadn’t stopped to prepare for the daunting final obstacle!

This stock trader has been a solid Ninja ever since he began on “American Ninja Warrior,” and while he’s had some excellent runs since, his debut season featured one of the sport’s most memorable runs. In the Venice Beach Finals, competitors were falling left and right of the challenging new obstacle, Cannonball Alley. But Bull took an unusual approach – grabbing the final ball with his legs and swinging upside down to dismount! This crazy move paid off, both because Bull was one of only two competitors to finish this Finals course, and because it helped cement him as one of the sport’s most creative ninjas.

The Weatherman, Joe Moravsky is one of “American Ninja Warrior”’s most reliable competitors, having never failed to make it to the Vegas finals since he began and frequently making it to the 3rd stage. What makes this run particularly notable is that not only was Moravsky the last ninja standing, but he also went further than anyone else had on this version of the stage, encountering several new obstacles and tackling them like a pro. He may not have made it to Stage 4 yet, but our forecast shows that the Weatherman could go all the way.

This stunt-woman had made it far in City Finals courses before, but she put on a clinic on Stage 1, tackling each obstacle with efficiency. This includes the Warped Wall, which only a few women had even made it to in Vegas to that point. Jessie Graff then went on to become the first woman ever to complete Stage 1 on the show, paving the way for not only her own future success, but those women who would follow her. Graff is unquestionably one of the strongest “American Ninja Warrior” competitors, regardless of gender, and this is the run that proved it!

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Meagan Martin, 2014 National Finals, Stage 1
The First Woman to Conquer the Jumping Spider!

Morimoto Yūsuke, USA vs. the World 2014, Stage 3
He Made It Look Easy & Got Robbed of Advancing! (His Time Was Reportedly Actually Faster!)

Allysa Beird, 2017 National Finals, Stage 1
The Second Woman to Complete Stage 1

Brian Kretsch, 2019 L.A. City Finals
One of the Original Ninjas & 1 of Only 2 to Complete This Course!

Jamie Rahn, 2018 National Finals, Stage 1
Captain NBC Went Barefoot & Achieved Victory!

Nicknamed “The Survivor,” Sam Sann may be older than most of the competitors on the show, but he’s a top athlete, who often trains younger ninjas at his gym. Although Sann has struggled at the national finals, his run in the Houston Finals is one of the greatest in the sport’s history. Sann demolished obstacles that competitors half his age struggled on and became one of only two to complete the whole course that night. Admired by fans and pro Ninjas alike, Sam Sann’s Houston run is an all-around classic.