There was the Spartan Trail World Series and the UTMB World Series this weekend, but wow, sometimes trail runner and sometimes road runner Nienke Brinkman at the Rotterdam Marathon gets the big prize this weekend. This week’s column is just like we like it, full of diversity and filled with fun.
Patagonia Run 100 Mile – San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina
Men
After a day-long battle, Pau Capell (Spain) finally broke free of Sergio Pereyra (Argentina) on a late uphill in the final kilometers. But by the finish line, they were back together, and the two broke the finish tape together, hand in hand, in 19:26.
Capell’s done this before. He tied for first at the 2020 Transgrancanaria race. Love it or hate it, the intentional first-place tie is a bit of a thing in ultramarathons that just doesn’t happen in other parts of the sport.
John Barrier (Chile) was third in 21:11.
Pau Capell at the 2022 Patagonia Run 100 Mile. He would tie for the win with Sergio Pereyra. Photo: Patagonia Run/Carlos Mir
Sergio Pereyra at the 2022 Patagonia Run 100 Mile. He would tie for the win with Pau Capell. Photo: Patagonia Run/Carlos Mir
Women
Adriana Vargas (Argentina) has won here before and she did just enough to beat the 24-hour mark in this year’s race. She finished first in 23:59:11, and second- and third-place Claudia Ramírez (Argentina) and Luciana Urioste (Argentina) were right there too in 24:08 and 24:18, respectively.
The next race in the Spartan World Series is the July 8 Brisbane Ultra in Australia.
Adriana Vargas, 2022 Patagonia Run 100 Mile champion. Photo: Patagonia Run/Carlos Mir
Istria 100 Mile by UTMB – Umag, Croatia
Istria’s a peninsula in northwestern Croatia, pointing into the Adriatic Sea, and the Istria 100 Mile by UTMB goes all around it. It’s part of the UTMB World Series too.
Men
Robert Hajnal (Romania), the 2018 shock UTMB runner-up, punched his way back to UTMB. He’d be there even without this auto qualifier, but he’s officially in, thanks to victory here in 18:26. He finished on a track, thoughtfully walking the final steps of his journey.
Roberto Mastrotto (Italy) was second in 19:31, and Aleš Sedlak (Czech Republic) and Sangé Sherpa (Nepal, lives in France) might’ve tied for third. The two both have finish times of 20:11:10, but with Sedlak listed third and Sherpa fourth.
Women
Ragna Debats (Netherlands, lives in Spain) slayed the women’s race in 20:14. This win was barely a month after she won Transgrancanaria.
Luzia Bühler (Switzerland) and Barbara Jolič (Slovenia) ran to second- and third-place finishes in 20:40 and 22:38, respectively.
The next UTMB World Series race is the April 23 Canyons 100k by UTMB in California, and iRunFar’s covering it live.
Lake Sonoma 50 Mile – Healdsburg, California
The Lake Sonoma 50 Mile looks a little different than it used to. It just wasn’t as competitive this year as it was in its heyday when it was a Western States 100 Golden Ticket race. Still, both the 2022 men’s and women’s winners eclipsed the finish times of last fall’s 2021 hot-weather makeup race.
Men
Matt Seidel rolled through the course in 7:07, building up from a recent sixth-place run at the Way Too Cool 50k. Second-place Ben Koss finished in 7:13, only a few minutes back from his 2018 and 2019 runs here. And Grant Hotaling was third, improving one spot from 2021, in 7:21.
It was a good day for the Matts with Matt Lenehan taking the marathon crown in 3:18 too.
Matt Seidel, 2022 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile champion. Photo: Tracy Pool
Women
Brittany Charboneau, nicknamed “the Funny Runner” for her hustle in improv comedy, made her 50-mile debut and won in 7:27. Eyeing her UltraSignup results, this could be her eighth-straight trail win going back to 2019.
Caitriona Jennings and Svenja Espenhahn were second and third in 7:37 and 8:12.
Jennifer Lichter won the accompanying marathon in 3:33.
Brittany Charboneau winning the 2022 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile. Photo: Tracy Pool
Caitriona Jennings took second at the 2022 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile. Photo: Tracy Pool
Additional Races and Runs
Rotterdam Marathon – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Two-time Pikes Peak Marathon winner Seth Demoor tested his road legs and finished strong in 2:22:18. That’s a big personal best.
Nienke Brinkman (Netherlands) did even better, though, running 2:22:51 for second in the women’s race. It was a new national record in only Brinkman’s second attempt at the distance. Lornah Kiplagat‘s old mark had stood since 2003. That’s incredible, and if Brinkman races again on the trails — and the Golden Trail World Series like last year — this summer, then it feels so good to have a world-class road runner racing trails while at their age peak. iRunFar covered Nienke Brinkman’s performance in greater detail.
Kunanyi Mountain Run – Hobart, Australia
Kunanyi is the Aboriginal name for Mount Wellington, a peak on island state Tasmania, and this first-year race celebrated that mountain culture. Alex Hunt and Emma Flittner won the challenging 68-kilometer race in 8:09 and 9:06, and Piotr Babis and Lucy Bartholomew led the 28k distance in 2:27 and 3:11. Full results.
Diez Vista 50k – Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
It’s western Canada’s classic 50k, since 1997, with a rugged west coast trail route around the Diez Vista ridge. The men’s race was super close. Nicholas Leach ran 4:33:14 to edge Benjamin Hughes by just seven seconds. Women’s best Emma Thompson finished in 5:18, and Brooke St. Germain was second in 5:30. Full results.
Peterson Ridge Rumble – Sisters, Oregon
Racing on a slightly changed course to get back to 40 miles, Kyle Curtin and Emily Perttu totaled 5:21 and 6:42 times for the win. Full results.
Diablo Trails Challenge 50k – Walnut Creek, California
Tyler Wolfe and Jennifer Schmidt revved through the Brazen Racing event in 4:45 and 4:57. Full results.
Zion 100 Mile – Virgin, Utah
The Vacation Races event happens just outside of its namesake national park. Michael Greer and Kylee Drugan-Eppich won in 20:02 and 21:27. Full results.
Royal Gorge Groove – Cañon City, Colorado
Aravaipa Running’s opening up new races in Colorado, including this one around the 1,250-foot deep Royal Gorge canyon. Andy Sivanich and Ashley Clinthorne set the first-year records in the 60k distance at 5:42 and 7:39. Logan Hjelmstad and Melissa Hills won the 40k race in 3:46 and 5:32. Full results.
Hawkeye 50k – Solon, Iowa
Aaron Skopec and Becky Rea went 4:02 and 5:13 for the wins. Full results.
Brazos Bend 50 Mile – Needville, Texas
Three ultra distances were featured at the flat-and-fast Trail Racing Over Texas contest. Caleb Vargo and Amanda Eaton won the 100k in 8:52 and 11:16. Fifty-mile winners Jose Carlos Sarmiento and Megan Smyth ran 7:46 and 7:37, and Zach and Nicole Bitter topped the 50k in 3:19 and 3:35, respectively. Full results.
Caleb Vargo winning the 2022 Brazos Bend 100k. Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas
Zumbro Endurance Run – Theilman, Minnesota
John Hagen and Colleen Jay led 46 starters across the 100-mile finish. The leaders finished the Bluff Country course in 22:26 and 25:19. Michael New and Laurel Sipe won the 50-mile race in 9:28 and 11:07, and Michael Borst and Erica Mitchell topped the 34-miler in 5:05 and 5:39. Full results.
Ozark Foothills 100 Mile – Wildwood, Missouri
It was Bennet Murch and Amanda Lynch winning here in 19:28 and 25:06. Full results (when available).
Ouchita Trail 50 Mile – Little Rock, Arkansas
Zac Morgan and Deanna Doane boogied to 8:32 and 9:41 triumphs. Full results.
Bull Run Run 50 Mile – Clifton, Virginia
Heavy rain during the week pushed the race to its high-water course. John Dennis and Amanda Podczerwinski won in 6:55 and 8:46. Full results.
Singletrack Maniac 50k – Williamsburg, Virginia
Nicholas Wirz and Erin Williams were the fastest maniacs, running to 4:02 and 4:51 wins. Full results.
Call for Comments
That was a big weekend of racing, and let’s try for a big week of comments too! What can you add to this week’s results?
