The Leadville 100 Mile and the Matterhorn Ultraks races were top draws, but it was perhaps a bit of a quieter weekend. Next weekend will be bigger, though! We have all the action from the UTMB Mont-Blanc festival, Comrades Marathon, and the 100k World Championships to look forward to, so watch this space.
Leadville 100 Mile – Leadville, Colorado
Not that long ago, the Leadville 100 Mile was regarded as a company race, and that was a bad thing. Now, it’s celebrated as something of a hometown option to even larger groups. Nicknamed the “Race Across the Sky,” the out-and-back run topped out on 12,508-foot Hope Pass near halfway. You can read our 2022 Leadville 100 Mile results article as well.
Women
Addie Bracy and Clare Gallagher were back and forth through the early checkpoints. Bracy arrived at the top of Hope Pass the first time in 7:41, and Gallagher was three minutes back. At the 50-mile turnaround, Bracy was minutes better. Things changed quickly on the return and Bracy was gone from the race at mile 62. Gallagher pushed to the win in 19:37, the race’s fifth-best finish ever. Gallagher earlier won the race in 2016 in 19:00.
Alisyn Hummelberg and Lindsey Herman were second and third in 21:59 and 22:50.
Clare Gallagher breaking the tape at the 2022 Leadville 100 Mile. Photo: Life Time
Men
Defending champ Adrian Macdonald was in stealth mode early on, at least per the online tracking. His chip wasn’t working and so finally five hours into the race, Macdonald appeared online, and in front. Macdonald hit the halfway point in 7:40, nine minutes better than his pace from a year ago. Tyler Andrews, 15th in 2021, was close behind in 7:55, and JP Giblin arrived third in 8:09. Giblin was 44th here as a 21-year-old way back in 2015.
It wasn’t even close at the finish, though. Macdonald arrived back in Leadville in 16:05, over two hours better than the next closest man. Macdonald’s finish time was nine minutes better last year and is the race’s third-fastest ever. He trails only Matt Carpenter and Rob Krar on the record books.
JP Giblin finished second in 18:07, and Ryan Kaiser was third in 18:21. Tyler Andrews was fourth in 18:40.
After being away from ultras for a decade, 2008 and 2010 winner Duncan Callahan was 16th in 20:54.
Ian Sharman, winner of the race in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017, dropped early, and 2021 runner-up Matt Flaherty dropped at nearly halfway.
Adrian Macdonald takes the win at the 2022 Leadville 100. Photo: Life Time
Matterhorn Ultraks – Zermatt, Switzerland
Poor weather impacted Friday’s Extreme race, cutting the traditional 25-kilometer race to 21k. The alternate course still gained a healthy 2,250 meters (7,400 feet) of elevation. It was the race’s 10th year, and it was the 10th race of this year’s Skyrunner World Series too.
Extreme
The women sprinted it out to the finish. Naira Irigoyen (Spain) went five seconds faster than Iris Pessey (France), both closing in 3:08. Pessey had led the race until the last downhill, and then the two were together until the final meters. Martina Cumerlato (Italy) was third in 3:12 thanks to her own downhill surge that vaulted her from sixth to third.
Later results included Maite Maiora (Spain) and Rea Kolbl (USA) in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Naiara Irigoyen, on her way to winning the 2022 Ultraks Extreme. Photo: David Carlier
Finlay Wild (U.K.) took the men’s crown in 2:34, just over a minute better than second-place Ruy Ueda (Japan). Wild gained the ultimate separation on the final downhill. Nico Molina (Spain) was third in 2:37.
The 2022 Ultraks Extreme men’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Ruy Ueda, 1. Finlay Wild, and 3. Nico Molina. Photo: Sho Fujimaki
Sky
Saturday’s Sky race went 49k and with 3,600 meters (11,800 feet) of gain. Laurence Yerly (Switzerland), Oana Mihalcea (Romania), and Stephanie Manivoz (France) took the women’s podium in 6:20, 6:36, and 6:52. Men’s leaders Alex Nichols (USA), Joel Dumas (Switzerland), and Cody Lind (USA) finished in 5:18, 5:38, and 5:40, respectively.
Mountain
Mélanie Pirinoli (Switzerland) and Stephan Wenk (Switzerland) won the 32k run in 3:47 and 2:41.
Additional Races and Runs
Challenge Du Montcalm – Auzat, France
Núria Picas (Spain) and Marc Perez (Spain) won the marathon distance race in 5:20 and 4:40, respectively. Full results.
Squamish 50 Mile – Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
Priscilla Forgie and John Dean won Saturday’s 50-mile race in 8:44 and 8:18, and Jenny Quilty and Nick Elson triumphed in Sunday’s 50k in 5:44 and 4:48. All these champs hail from Canada. Full results.
Post Canyon 50k – Hood River, Oregon
Marianne Falk and Eric Yan led in 4:26 and 4:15. Full results.
Bulldog 50k – Calabasas, California
Courtney Barnes and Chris Myers won in 4:20 and 3:30, and Myers’s finish marked a new course record. Full results.
Kodiak Ultra 100 Mile – Big Bear Lake, California
Andi Ramer and Tony Torres championed the 100-mile run in 31:04 and 20:20. Full results.
Cirque Series – Alta, Utah
Series regular Janelle Lincks took the women’s crown in 1:06.35 on the 7.1-mile course. Sam Hendry, a week after he raced Sierre-Zinal, was top man in 56:15. Full results.
Habanero Hundred Mile – Cat Spring, Texas
Amanda Eaton and Art Hurtado won the Trail Racing Over Texas race in 23:43 and 18:57. Full results.
Amanda Eaton, the 2022 Habanero Hundred Mile women’s champion. Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas
Twisted Branch 100k – Naples, New York
Amelia Kaufman and Justin Scheid were out front in 13:19 and 10:36. Full results.
Call for Comments
- How was your weekend, friends?
- What racing of yours can you tell us about?
