Spring racing is in full flow. The Western States Altra Golden Ticket series of races concluded at the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, and the Marathon des Sables stage race also wrapped up earlier in the week. Next weekend’s Madeira Island Ultra-Trail and Penyagolosa Trails events, both part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, are previewed.
Lake Sonoma 50 Mile – Healdsburg, California
Men
After a rough 2016 overall, Sage Canaday is back on top. First at the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile way back in 2013, and third in 2014, Canaday again won the famously competitive, and amazingly scenic, out-and-back wine-country race. Canaday’s 6:17 winning time–on a muddy course–is the race’s eighth-best ever and is just three minutes back of his own winning time from 2013.
Sage Canaday on his way to the win. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Dakota Jones, who won even further back, in 2012, chased to a second-place 6:20 finish. It, too, was three minutes back of his former winning time. Third-place Chris Mocko is going big in 2017 and racing incredibly often. Mocko went around the lake and back again in 6:24.
The deep entrant’s list deserves a full results roll call, and includes several new names to this column.
- Zachary Szablewski – 4th, 6:53
- Jared Burdick – 5th, 6:55
- Joe McConaughy – 6th, 7:05
- Chikara Omine – 7th, 7:11
- Jacob Phillips – 8th, 7:11
- Drew Macomber – 9th, 7:23
- Chris Mulverhill – 10th, 7:31
- Paul Terranova – 11th, 7:39
- Bentley Regehr – 12th, 7:43
- Joe Uhan – 13th, 7:57
Ryan Bak, Patrick Smyth, Jared Hazen, and Martin Hernandez were all drops.
The race was the sixth and final Western States Golden Ticket race. Canaday had indicated that he would decline any potential Golden Ticket before the race, Jones indicated post-race that he won’t accept his, and Mocko is already among the Western States entrants. The Golden Tickets can roll down as far as fifth place, so they will be offered to Zachary Szablewski and Jared Burdick.
A fuller narrative on the race and links to post-race video interviews can be found in iRunFar’s Lake Sonoma results article.
A strong second-place from Dakota Jones. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Women
In winning this race a year ago, YiOu Wang handed Kaci Lickteig her only ultra defeat of the year. Both were back, and finished in the same positions as a year ago. Running from the front all day long, Wang finished in 7:22, eight minutes back of her winning time from last year on a then-drier course. Wang’s win means that she’s heading back to Western States.
YiOu Wang successfully defending her Lake Sonoma crown. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Lickteig finished alongside Magdalena Boulet in a second-place tie, both clocked at 7:32. With Lickteig already among the Western States entrants, the Golden Ticket goes to Boulet, and the 2015 race champion is now expected back in Squaw Valley.
American record-holder for the 24-hour run, Courtney Dauwalter impressed with a fourth-place 7:49 outing.
A fuller narrative on the race and links to post-race video interviews can be found in iRunFar’s Lake Sonoma results article.
Other leading ladies included:
- Julia Stamps Mallon – 5th, 8:12
- Lauren Besenfelder Coury – 6th, 8:16
- Ashley Nordell – 7th, 8:20
- Meghan Arbogast – 8th, 8:28
- Sabrina Little – 9th, 8:33
- Amy Streeter – 10th, 8:35
- Liza Howard– 11th, 8:44
- Moriah Buckley – 12th, 9:11
- Kerrie Wlad – 13th, 9:17
- Bree Lambert – 14th, 9:21
- Leslie Howlett – 15th, 9:21
- Christina Clark – 16th, 9:26
Kaci Lickteig and Magdalena Boulet enjoying one of their many miles together on the trail. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Marathon des Sables – Sahara Desert, Morocco
Men
The Marathon des Sables stage race celebrated its 32nd edition, and Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) celebrated his fifth win. El Morabity finished the five timed stages in 19:15, winning four of those five stages. He only missed a sweep of each stage win by finishing 18 seconds back of brother Mohamed El Morabity (Morocco) on the race’s opening day. The younger El Morabity was second overall in 19:38, and third-place Tom Evans (U.K.) surprised with a 19:49 podium result.
Among a dominant Moroccan lead group, Andy Symonds (U.K.) was ninth in 22:19.
Women
Much like the men’s race, just 20 minutes separated the top two women after five days of running. Elisabet Barnes (U.K.) won for the second time, totaling 23:16 for the five stages. She controlled the race’s first three days, and, then, kept Nathalie Mauclair (France) in reach on the final two days. Mauclair’s strong finish made her runner-up in 23:36. Fernanda Maciel (Brazil) was third in 24:44.
French women also took fourth and fifth with Emelie Lecomte and Melanie Rousset running 26:41 and 27:47, respectively. Nancy Levene (U.S.) was ninth in 30:32.
Other Races
Two Oceans Marathon
Down in South Africa, one of the country’s two premier road ultramarathons was run at the 56-kilometer Two Oceans Marathon. On the men’s side, South Africa’s Lungile Gongqa (3:09:43) out ran Warinyane Lebopo (3:10:21) and Teboho Sello (3:11:48), both of Lesotho. Belarus’s Maryna Damantsevich won the women’s race in 3:37:13, a full 10 minutes ahead of runner-up Jenna Challenor (3:47:32) and 18 minutes ahead of third-place Tanith Maxwell (3:55:42), both of South Africa. The U.S.’s Sarah Bard was 10th in 4:05:16, while Devon Yanko finished in the top 15, as well.
Traprock 50k
Brian Rusiecki went just a little bit south to win the Traprock 50k in Connecticut. Full results (when available).
Brian Rusiecki, 2017 Traprock 50k champion. Photo: Traprock 50k
Forget the PR Mohican 50k
It was four in a row for Chad Trumbo at Ohio’s Forget the PR Mohican 50k. Trumbo lowered his own course record on the Mohican State Park trails to 4:05. Women’s winner Lee Conner won for the second-straight year, finishing in 5:15. Full results.
Zion Traverse FKT
The 48-mile Zion Traverse FKT in Utah’s Zion National Park had seen frequent movement a few years back before landing at 7:22, a mark set by Mike Foote and Justin Yates in 2013. Along came Hayden Hawks though and he clipped 32 minutes from the previous best with a 6:50 run last week.
Next Week – Madeira Island Ultra-Trail – Madeira, Portugal
Wow, the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail on Portugal’s Madeira Island is blowing up! The seventh race in the Ultra-Trail World Tour has a deep elite entrant list, at least on the men’s side.
Men
- Fabien Antolinos (France) – 4th at 2016 Madeira Island Ultra Trail
- Patrick Bohard (France) – 7th at 2016 Diagonale des Fous
- Sylvain Camus (France) – 7th at 2016 Diagonale des Fous
- Pau Capell (Spain) – 1st at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Maxime Cazajous (France) – 5th 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Sébastien Chaigneau (France) – 10th at 2016 Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji
- Erik Clavery (France) – 6th at 2016 Diagonale des Fous
- François D’Haene (France) – 1st at 2016 Diagonale des Fous
- Javier Dominguez (Spain) – 15th at 2017 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
- Jordi Gamito (Spain) – 4th at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Gediminas Grinius (Lithuania) – 5th at 2017 Tarawera Ultramarathon
- Daniel Jung (Italy) – 2nd at 2017 Hong Kong 100k
- Arnaud Lejeune (France) – 4th 2016 Eiger Ultra Trail
- Gerard Morales (Spain) – Eighth 2017 Ultra Pirineu
- Giulio Ornati (Italy) – 9th 2016 UTMB
- Diego Pazos (Switzerland) – 8th at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Sangé Sherpa (Nepal) – 12th at 2017 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
- Xavier Thévenard (France) – 9th at 2017 Trail du Ventoux
- Vaidas Zlabys (Lithuania) – 2nd at 2017 Transgrancanaria
Women
- Lisa Borzani (Italy) – 8th at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Stephanie Case (Canada) – 6th at 2015 Hong Kong 100k
- Beth Pascall (U.K.) – 8th at 2016 IAU Trail World Championships
- Andrea Huser (Switzerland) – 2nd at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Manuela Vilaseca (Brazil) – 10th 2017 Transgrancanaria
Full elite entrant list.
Next Weekend – Penyagolosa Trails – Castellon, Spain
This one, too, is part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour. The annual Penyagolosa Trails race is 115k in distance run north of Valencia, Spain. This will be the event’s 19th running, though just the sixth year for the long-course 115k race.
Men
- Manuel Merillas (Spain) – 4th at 2016 Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon
- Didrik Hermansen (Norway) – 3rd at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Fulvio Dapit (Italy) – 6th at 2016 Madeira Island Ultra Trail
- Yeray Durán (Spain) – 5th at 2016 Vibram Hong Kong 100k
- Sondre Amdahl (Norway) – 1st at 2017 Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Mile
- Timothy Olson (U.S.) – 10th at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Robbie Britton (U.K.) – 7th at 2015 Tarawera Ultramarathon
- Dani Garcia (Spain) – 1st at 2017 Villaflor de Chasna 43k
- Kazufumi Ose (Japan) – 1st at 2017 TransLantau 50k
Women
- Gemma Arenas (Spain) – 1st at 2016 Ultra Pirineau
- Francesca Canepa (Italy) – 1st at 2017 100 Miles of Istria
- Azara García (Spain) – 1st at 2017 Transgrancanaria
- Maite Maiora (Spain) – 1st at 2016 Skyrunning World Championships – Sky
- Janessa Taylor (U.S.) – 1st at 2017 Orcas Island 100 Mile
Call for Comments
- Which Ultra-Trail World Tour race next weekend looks more intriguing?
- We believe Matt Flaherty, Jorge Maravilla, Alex Varner, and Michael Wardian are all racing the April 17 Boston Marathon? What other trail and ultrarunners also are?
- Please share other race results you might have!
