A mix of different races from around the globe took place this weekend, while next weekend’s Madeira Island Ultra Trail features world-class talent. These are among the highlights of this mid-April column.
Ruth Anderson 100k – San Francisco, California
The 30th running of the event took place on a flat 4.5-mile loop around Lake Merced, and included 50k, 50-mile, and 100k distances. Anna Zielaski was the overall winner of the 50k in 3:39. Chikara Omine topped Jean Pommier in the 50-mile race, with the two frontrunners going 5:57 and 6:08. Karl Schnaitter and Andy Xiang were the men’s and women’s winners in the 100k race, running 8:35 and 11:00, respectively.
Free State 100k – Lawrence, Kansas
Jeff Browning raced the three-lap 100k course in 8:30, splitting 2:37, 2:49, and 3:03 for the three intervals. Browning’s run within the Clinton State Park erased 23 minutes from a course record that had stood since 2012. Also under that old course best, runner-up Jeremy Morris clocked 8:41 after laps of 2:38, 2:53, and 3:09. Todd Nott was a distant third in 10:28. The women’s field was limited to three finishers with Krystle Dalke, Dustin Hemphill, and Nancy Marks running 13:25, 14:50, and 16:51, respectively.
The two-lap 40-mile race was won by William Malcolm and Julia Leth-Perez in 6:52 and 12:10, respectively.
Other Races and Runs
iRunFar covered Morocco’s Marathon des Sables stage race all week long. For the fourth time, Rachid El Morabity was the men’s winner, and Russia’s Natalia Sedykh the women’s victor. For the Americans, Meghan Arbogast was 10th female and Jason Schlarb was 11th man. Full results.
Regrettably, a runner died of hypothermia at the Ultra Fjord this weekend. Very little information has been officially released, but some is available here and here.
Any race in the British Virgin Islands can’t be too much torture. Eric Senseman took in the island’s best scenery while cruising to a 4:45 first-place finish at the Tortola Torture 50k. Vincenrt Fournier was second in 5:24, and first-place female Bridget Campbell Klein was third overall in 5:38. Full results.
Eric Senseman, 2016 Tortola Torture 50k champion. Photo: Tortola Torture
Bridget Campbell Klein, 2016 Tortola Torture 50k champion. Photo: Alastair Abrehart, Broadsword Communications
Shortly after leaving California, Adam Kimble was hit hard by injuries and fell off record pace on his transcontinental run across America. Still, Kimble pressed on and some 60 days after starting, he reached the Atlantic Ocean.
Chad Zumbro set a new course record at 4:07 in the eighth running of Ohio’s Forget the PR Mohican 50k. Lee Conner won the women’s race in 5:22. The race was held in its namesake state park. Full results.
750 miles on a mountain bike, Joe Grant is on his way through Arizona as part of the Arizona Trail Race. Tracking on Sunday has Grant 285 miles into the journey. Live tracking.
Rainshadow Running’s latest event, the Yakima Skyline Rim 50k in Washington, saw Brian Rakestraw and Kaytlyn Gerbin run 5:07 and 6:25 as race winners. Duncan Hoge and Maria Dalzot won the accompanying 25k in 2:15 and 2:28. Full results.
Sean Welleck and Lydia Collins led Brazen Racing’s Mount Diablo Trail Challenge 50k in the San Francisco Bay Area with 4:16 and 6:03 finishes, respectively. Full results.
The Brazos Bend 50 Mile race happened on a pancake-flat course in its namesake state park in Texas. Over 50 miles, Daniel Lawton and Melanie Rabb went 6:41 and 6:57. Calum Neff and Victoria Webster won the accompanying 50k in 3:10 and 4:12. Neff had recently gained notoriety for running a 1:11 half marathon while pushing a stroller, a feat celebrated as a new Guinness World Record. Full results.
26 years in Little Rock, Arkansas, this year’s Ouchita Trail 50 Mile saw Matt Pruitt and Alison Jumper on top with 7:14 and 9:31 finishes. Full results.
Connecticut’s three-lap Traprock 50k crowned Colton Gale and Aliza Lapierre as race winners in 4:15 and 4:59. Full results.
Chase Nowak sped through Minnesota’s Trail Mix 50k in 3:30. Kelly Jaworski was the women’s first-place finisher in 4:54. Full results.
Next Weekend – Madeira Island Ultra Trail – Madeira, Portugal
The 115k race is the fifth of the year’s Ultra-Trail World Tour events. The full entrant list is online and the men’s race looks to be a prized match up between Spain’s Tofol Castanyer, Miguel Heras, and Iker Karrera; Zach Miller of the U.S., Italy’s Fulvio Dapit, and France’s Antoine Guillon. Top women’s entrants include France’s Caroline Chaverot, Switzerland’s Andrea Huser, France’s Emilie Lecomte, and Portugal’s Ester Alves.
Call for Comments
- Dave Johnston, Ian Sharman, and Michael Wardian are all in Boston. What other well-known trail runners are taking part in today’s Boston Marathon?
- It was another big weekend of racing and we couldn’t locate results for the Leona Divide 50 Mile, The North Face Endurance Challenge – Argentina, and other events. Can you help to share these results?
