Roses are red,
violets are blue,
lots of results,
just for you.
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends.
Tarawera Ultramarathon by UTMB — Rotorua, New Zealand
There were some 5,000 runners across the event’s different races. The 102-kilometer race, which iRunFar reported on in detail, was again the premier distance, but the 100 miler and 50k both had some star power too.
The 102k race was a 2023 Western States 100 Golden Ticket Race, wherein two entries each are given to the top women’s and men’s finishers.
Though race days had great weather this year, prior storms caused issues on the normal 102k and 100-mile courses, forcing those to reroute last minute. We believe the 50k and 21k races took place on their normal courses.
102k
The top seven women all finished in quick succession. Nancy Jiang (New Zealand) was at the top of that group in 9:26, but it was close. Jiang just edged out Stephanie Auston (Australia) by 81 seconds. Auston finished in 9:27. Aroa Sio (Spain) was third in 9:30 as just 11 minutes separated the first five women.
Nancy Jiang, 2023 Tarawera by UTMB 102k champion. Photo: Graeme Murray
There was a bigger gap at the front of the men’s race as Daniel Jones (New Zealand), and Hayden Hawks (USA) took off. At the finish, Jones upstaged Hawks with a 7:27 finish time that was well clear of Hawks and everyone else. Hawks followed in 7:42, and Ryan Montgomery (USA) moved into third with an 8:11 run.
Where only 11 minutes separated the first five women, the men’s gap was 56 minutes, thanks to Jones’s smoke.
Daniel Jones, 2023 Tarawera by UTMB 102k champion. Photo: Graeme Murray
The next Western States 100 Golden Ticket Race is next weekend’s Black Canyon 100k in Arizona, which we preview later in this article.
100 Mile
Both Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) and Zach Miller (USA) led for the entirety of their races.
Bartholomew took the women’s crown in 17:13. Kimino Miyazaki (Japan) and Katie Wright (New Zealand) were next on the podium in 17:54 and 18:19.
Miller was racing his first 100 miler outside of UTMB, and on definitely different terrain, he ran a fast 14:41. Hajime Mamba (Japan) was second in 15:11, and Nicholas Bamford (U.K.) was third in 15:32.
Zach Miller on his way to winning the 2023 Tarawera by UTMB 100 Mile. Photo: Paul Charteris
50k
Allie McLaughlin (USA) and David Haunschmidt (New Zealand) set new course records in 3:43 and 3:33, respectively.
The top four women all came in under four hours on the fast course, and McLaughlin was 10 minutes better than the previous course best. Previous record holder Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) was second in 3:47, and Kate Avery (U.K.) was third in 3:54.
Haunschmidt took control of the men’s race in the second half and pushed for a seven-minute lead on everyone else. Second-place Piotr Babis (Poland) finished in 3:40, and Charles Hamilton (Australia) was only 45 seconds behind Babis for third, also in 3:40.
Allie McLaughlin winning the 2023 Tarawera by UTMB 50k. Photo: Sportograf
Additional Races and Runs
The Coastal Challenge — Costa Rica
The six-day stage race always brings in some star power, and for the women, it was a rematch from the front end of last year’s UTMB. Katie Schide (USA) and Marianne Hogan (Canada) headlined the women’s race, and the pair finished day one together. Schide took the win on day two, and then on day three, Hogan dropped with an ankle injury. The men’s race was close at the start. Mathieu Blanchard (France) was consistently in front of Didrik Hermansen (Norway) on stages one, two, and three before Hermansen won on day four and then broke Blanchard on day five. Hermansen took the race’s fifth stage by 21 minutes. At the end of the week, and after 236k, it was Schide and Hermansen as champions. Schide totaled 30:30, and Hermansen finished in 24:26, 22 minutes better than Blanchard. Full results.
Katie Schide splashing her way to victory in the 2023 The Coastal Challenge. Photo: @iancorlessphotography
The 2023 The Coastal Challenge men’s podium (l-to-r): 2. Mathieu Blanchard, 1. Didrik Hermansen, and 3. Daniel Jung. Photo: @iancorlessphotography
Dubai Marathon 10k — Dubai, UAE
Gerda Steyn (South Africa) kicked up her Two Oceans Marathon and Comrades Marathon prep with a 10k run here in 33:44. Full results.
Taipei Ultramarathon — Taipei, Taiwan
Joasia “Jo” Zakrzewski (U.K.) set a new 48-hour world record at this event. iRunFar separately reported on the performance in greater detail. She ran 255.7 miles during the fixed-time race, and that makes her the new U.K. record holder, too, regardless of gender. Full results.
Jo Zakrzewski during her successful 48-hour world record attempt at the 2023 Taipei Ultramarathon. Photo: Ming-Te Lin
Rocky 50 — Huntsville, Texas
A week after the 100-mile race, the Tejas Trails team was back at Huntsville State Park. Kelly Swanson and Jacob Riemer won the 50-mile race in 7:47 and 7:11, and Melissa Mead and Andrew Mascio led the 50k in 4:40 and 3:42. Full results.
Pemberton Trail 50k and 25k — McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Arizona
Susan Loken and Roy Pierson won the 50k in 4:29 and 3:38, respectively. Rémi Boille and Brianna Troksa took the top spots in the 25k in 1:45 and 1:49. Full results (when available.)
Susan Loken, the 2023 Pemberton Trail 50k women’s winner. Photo: Pemberton Trail 50k
Roy Pierson, the 2023 Pemberton Trail 50k men’s winner. Photo: Pemberton Trail 50k
Aconcagua Ultra Trail 100k — Aconcagua Provincial Park, Argentina
Ragna Debats and Aleksei Tolstenko won the 100k race in 12:31 and 10:45. Full results.
Next Weekend — Black Canyon 100k — Mayer, Arizona
The Black Canyon 100k looks great, an early-season showdown. The big game is again a Golden Ticket Race, and so the top two finishers from the women’s and men’s races will earn a spot at the Western States 100 in California in June.
Women
- Shea Aquilano – 3rd 2022 JFK 50 Mile
- Jade Belzberg – 1st 2023 Calico Trail Run 50k
- Sarah Biehl – 1st 2022 JFK 50 Mile
- Tara Dower – 2nd 2022 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile
- Keely Henninger – 1st 2022 Gorge Waterfalls 50k
- Heather Jackson – 5th 2022 Javelina 100 Mile
- Yngvild Kaspersen (Norway) – 1st 2022 Flagstaff Sky Peaks 50k
- Kaci Lickteig – 4th 2022 Javelina 100 Mile
- Ailsa MacDonald (Canada) – 2nd 2022 Western States 100
- Meghan Morgan – 4th 2022 Bandera 100k
- Ida Nilsson (Sweden) – 2nd 2022 Trail World Championships 80k
- Georgia Porter – 1st 2022 McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50 Mile
- Blake Wageman – 3rd 2021 Leadville 100 Mile
Men
- Elliot Cardin (Canada) – 3rd 2020 Black Canyon 100k
- Makai Clemons – 2nd 2022 JFK 50 Mile
- Anthony Costales – 1st 2023 Arches Ultra 50k
- Tom Evans (U.K.) – 3rd 2019 Western States 100
- Tim Freriks – 1st 2022 Crown King Scramble 50k
- Stephen Kersh – 16th 2022 UTMB
- Janosch Kowalczyk (Germany) – 1st 2022 Mozart by UTMB 100k
- Ryan Miller – 1st 2022 Gorge Waterfalls 50k
- Bobby Peavey – 6th 2019 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile
- Matthew Seidel – 4th 2022 JFK 50 Mile
- Eric Senseman – 2nd 2021 Black Canyon 100k
- Ryan Smith – 1st 2022 West Line Winder 50k
- Erik Sorenson – 2nd 2022 Speedgoat 50k
- Tyler Veerman – 3rd 2022 Moab Red Hot 55k
- Cole Watson – 3rd 2021 Javelina 100 Mile
- Canyon Woodward – 3rd 2023 Bandera 100k
Ryan Miller is also entered for the same-day FOURmidable 50k, which we preview below, but has indicated on social media that he’ll be at the Black Canyon 100k.
Next Weekend — FOURmidable 50k — Auburn, California
Double the fun! We’ll do two previews. This is a selection race for the U.S. team that will compete at the June 2023 Trail World Championships in Austria. The top two men and women get a spot on the 40k team.
Women
- Allison Baca – 2nd 2022 Moab Red Hot 55k
- Ashley Brasovan – 2nd 2022 Way Too Cool 50k
- Kimber Mattox – 2nd 2022 Chuckanut 50k
- Kristina Randrup – 2nd 2022 Quad Dipsea
- EmKay Sullivan – 1st 2022 Way Too Cool 50k
- Rachel Tomajczyk – 2nd 2022 U.S. Mountain Running Championships
- YiOu Wang – 1st 2019 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships
Men
- Jonathan Aziz – 1st 2022 Pikes Peak Marathon
- Seth Demoor – 1st 2021 Pikes Peak Marathon
- Morgan Elliott – 3rd 2022 U.S. Mountain Running Championships
- Nick Handel – 1st 2022 Quad Dipsea
- Ryan Miller – 1st 2022 Gorge Waterfalls 50k
- Seth Ruhling – 1st 2021 Broken Arrow 48k
As mentioned in our Black Canyon 100k preview above, Ryan Miller is on both entrants lists, but he’s indicated that he’s planning to be at the Black Canyon 100k.
Call for Comments
It’s Valentine’s Day eve, and I’ll throw it back to February 2021 for “Catching Up with Elisabet Barnes.” Those “Catching Up with” articles were so fun to write as we waited out a lack of racing during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are such interesting and diverse topics, and I can’t believe that one didn’t get a single comment! Let’s not do that again. Leave us some kind words below for this Valentine’s Day edition.
