There was a lot of racing around the world and a lot of money to be made for the elites. Ranging from the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, the oldest and biggest ultramarathon in the world, to the Vail, Colorado, GoPro games with a significant payout, there was something for everyone. Meanwhile, the Swiss Canyon Trail was a stop on the World Trail Majors tour, and Tenerife Bluetrail was part of the UTMB World Series.
Comrades Marathon — Durban, South Africa
This year’s 86-kilometer (53 miles) race went the uphill direction from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The prize purse totaled 4,092,000 Rand, about $217,000. The winners each took home 825,000 Rand, or about $44,000.
Women
Gerda Steyn (South Africa, lives in the United Arab Emirates) won for the third time and broke her own uphill course record with a 5:49:46 finish. Steyn is the only woman to complete the Up run in under six hours. She’s got a two-month turnaround for the Olympic Marathon in Paris, France.
The 2022 race champion Alexandra Morozova (Russia) was second in 6:05:12, and Courtney Olsen (U.S.) was third in 6:08:09.
iRunFar has a more detailed race recap.
The complete top 10 was:
- Gerda Steyn (South Africa, lives in the United Arab Emirates) – 5:49:46
- Alexandra Morozova (Russia) – 6:05:12
- Courtney Olsen (United States) – 6:08:09
- Carla Molinaro (U.K.) – 6:12:01
- Nobukhosi Tshuma (Zimbabwe) – 6:12:18
- Antonia Iushina (Russia) – 6:12:28
- Caitriona Jennings (Ireland) – 6:13:00
- Jenet Mbhele (South Africa) – 6:16:54
- Dominika Stelmach (Poland) – 6:19:24
- Yuliya Ryzhankova (Russia) – 6:28:22
Men
The 2023 runner-up Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) struck gold this year in 5:25:00, only 21 seconds back of the uphill course record. Wiersma, nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman,” is just 26 years old and holds a 2:18 marathon best.
The men’s race was much closer than the women’s with Dan Moselakwe (South Africa) and Degefa Yohannese Lafebo (Ethiopia) second and third in 5:25:45 and 5:27:48, respectively.
The full top 10 was:
- Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) – 5:25:00
- Dan Moselakwe (South Africa) – 5:25:45
- Degefa Yohannese Lafebo (Ethiopia) – 5:27:48
- Joseph Manyedi (South Africa) – 5:28:33
- Andrew Davies (U.K.) – 5:30:46
- Bongmusa Mthembu (South Africa) – 5:34:45
- Elov Olsson (Sweden) – 5:35:24
- Teboho Sello (Lesotho) – 5:36:11
- Alex Milne (U.K.) – 5:36:51
- Givemore Madzinganyama (Zimbabwe) – 5:37:09
The 2024 Comrades Marathon top three men and women at the post-race press conference (l-to-r): 3rd man Degefa Yohannese Lafebo, 2nd man Dan Moselakwe, 1st man Piet Wiersma, 1st woman Gerda Steyn, 2nd woman Alexandra Morozova, and 3rd woman Courtney Olsen. Photo: Comrades Marathon
GoPro Mountain Games — Vail, Colorado
The multi-sport weekend event in the Colorado mountains had three competitive running events with prize money. The 10k Spring Runoff and 20k Trail Run both ran simultaneously on Sunday, so there was no chance for a double, but runners could come back later in the afternoon for the Pepi’s Face-Off 30-minute time trial up and down the face of the ski hill. The 10k Spring Runoff and 20k Trail Run both had an $11,500 prize purse with $2,500 to the winner and money going five deep, and Pepi’s Face-Off sent $10,200 to its top three runners with $2,000 to the winners.
10k Spring Runoff
Just eight seconds separated the front three women. Anna Mae Flynn escaped the group for a 44:16 first-place finish, and then Rebeca Perez and Ashley Brasovan were barely a second apart in second and third in 44:23 and 44:24, respectively.
Joseph Gray continues to own this race as a masters runner. Gray beat out a strong men’s field with a 36:08 winning time. Tyler McCandless was second in 36:30, and Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau took third in 36:41.
20k Trail Run
For the 20k, racers simply completed a second lap of the 10k course.
Women’s winner Adrian Walsh was a bit over a minute better than second-place Rachel Tomajczyk. The two went 1:31:31 and 1:32:44 on the challenging half-marathon course. Shea Aquilano was third in 1:38:29.
Eli Hemming was unmatched in the men’s run with a 1:13:48 winning time. Jonathan Aziz chased to second in 1:15:52, and while he was running in fifth at the halfway point, Cade Michael moved up two spots to get third at 1:16:19.
Pepi’s Face-Off
The Sunday afternoon race did repeats up and down a 400-foot ski slope for 30 minutes.
Amelia Shea edged out Karley Rempel and Annie Dube for the women’s win. The top five women finished five laps, and Shea finished in 34:34. Rempel clocked 35:14 and Dube was third in 35:41.
The top 10 men all got six laps, but Cam Smith did it the fastest. He finished his sixth lap in 31:16. Joseph Demoor and Jeshurun Small were next in 32:06 and 32:31.
Swiss Canyon Trail — Couvet, Switzerland
It was the event’s 29th edition and the 111k (69 miles) race was part of the World Trail Majors. The race totaled 5,294 meters (17,369 feet) of elevation gain across four big climbs. There were 2,700 runners across the event’s different distances.
Women
It wasn’t close at the finish with Marianne Hogan (Canada) 43 minutes faster than the next woman. Hogan, the 2022 UTMB runner-up, finished in 12:25, which is 11 minutes slower than Camille Bruyas’s 2019 course record. Manon Bohard (France) was second in 13:08, and Audrey Virgilio (Switzerland) was third in 13:13.
Marianne Hogan waves to the crowd after winning the 2024 Swiss Canyon Trail 111k. Photo: World Trail Majors
Men
Miguel Arsénio (Portugal) blasted the former course record with a winning time of 10:24. That’s 25 minutes better than Martin Kern’s old best from 2019. He needed all of that to get the win as Aleix Toda (Spain) and Abel Carretero (Spain) were second and third in 10:27 and 10:32, respectively. Arsénio’s win avenged drops at both Transgrancanaria and Madeira Island Ultra-Trail earlier in 2024.
Miguel Arsénio looks focused on his way to victory at the 2024 Swiss Canyon Trail 111k. Photo: World Trail Majors
Tenerife Bluetrail by UTMB — Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
There’s a lot of racing in the Canary Islands!
The event’s longest race went 68 miles with 20,505 feet of climbing. Race winners Eva Maria Sperger (Germany) and Manuel Anguita (Spain) finished in 15:18 and 12:54.
Tops in the 45-mile race were Martyna Mlynarczyk (Poland) and Riccardo Montani (Italy) in 7:29:41 and 6:45:18.
And going just longer the marathon, the 29-mile race’s fastest were Maude Mathys (Switzerland) and Oswaldo Medina (Spain) in 4:25 and 3:56. The men’s race was incredibly close with only 40 seconds separating the top three men.
[In 2015, Maude Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene (previously clomiphene) after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.]
The 2024 Tenerife Bluetrail 47k women’s podium (l-to-r): 3. Sonia Vizcaino, 1. Maude Mathys, and 2. Marta Perez. Photo: UTMB
Additional Races and Runs
Dolomiti Extreme Trail — Forno di Zoldo, Italy
The DXT 103k takes in all of the mountains around Val di Zoldo, and Marta Wenta (Poland) and Martin Graf (Italy) won in 15:52 and 13:58. In the 72k, it was Ekaterina Luzina (Russia) and Gionata Cogliati (Italy) on top in 13:10 and 10:06, and Pirjo Saukko (Finland) and Nico Dalcolmo (Switzerland) were victorious in the 55k with times of 7:28 and 6:37. Full results.
South Downs Way 100 Mile — Winchester, U.K.
With about 13,000 feet of elevation across 100 miles, this is a relatively flat race. It was the race’s 13th edition and, as with the Swiss Canyon Trail, it too was part of this year’s World Trail Majors group. The British featured heavily at the pointy end of the race, particularly on the men’s side. Cat Simpson (U.K.) took the women’s win in 19:26, 52 minutes better than her closest chaser, and Dan Lawson (U.K.) won the men’s race in 14:27. The first three men finished under 15 hours. Full results.
Cat Simpson on her way to winning 2024 South Downs Way 100 Mile. Photo: South Downs Way 100 Mile
Dan Lawson accepts the trophy for winning the 2024 South Downs Way 100 Mile. Photo: South Downs Way 100 Mile
Vashon Island Ultramarathon 50k — Vashon Island, Washington
Kristi Williams and Cruz Otiz-Ramirez sped around the island the fastest in 4:11 and 3:58. Williams’ time is the second-fastest in the race’s history, which dates back to 2010. Full results.
Mary’s Peak Trail Run — Blodgett, Oregon
It was the race’s 10th year in the Willamette Valley, and Ashley Nordell and James Holk won the 50 miler in 9:13 and 8:47, and Jessica Quinn and Cordon Luoco led the 50k in 5:18 and 4:22. Full results.
McKenzie River Trail 50k – Blue River, Oregon
Megan Myers and Ian Fuller won this year’s race in 4:20 and 3:56. Full results.
San Diego 100 Mile — Cuyamaca, California
Alyssa Clark and Jesus Topete Jr. were race winners in 21:19 and 17:58. Full results.
Dipsea Race – Stinson Beach, California
It was the 113th running of the popular age- and gender-handicapped race. First to the finish on the 7.4-mile trail was Chris Lundy in 48:10. Clara Peterson and Julia Maxwell Bailey were next in at 48:47 and 49:21. Eddie Owens had the fastest actual finish at 49:55 and that placed him sixth. Full results.
Scout Mountain Ultras — Pocatello, Idaho
Held in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, this race is run on rugged terrain in remote places. Justine Hewitt and Ian Farris conquered the 100-mile run in 28:48 and 24:18, and Anna Fisher and Michael Postaski were best in the 50 miler at 9:53 and 9:28. The 50k race was perhaps the most competitive as Kat Pagano edged Tara Dower for the women’s crown by only nine seconds with a time of 6:07. Tyler Fox scored the men’s win in 5:05, five minutes in front of Zach Perrin. Full results.
Justine Hewitt winning the 2024 Scout Mountain 100 Mile. Photo: Anastasia Wilde
Ian Farris on his way to winning the 2024 Scout Mountain 100 Mile. Photo: Anastasia Wilde
Sinks Canyon Trail Races 50k — Lander, Wyoming
Both course records fell on the big mountain run. Kaley Holyfield and Thomas Dean are now atop the record books with 5:17 and 4:12 marks. Full results.
Aaron Robson (left), the 2018 and 2022 champ, chases 2024 Sinks Canyon 50k winner Thomas Dean. Photo courtesy of race.
Kettle Moraine 100 Mile — La Grange, Wisconsin
For the 27th running of the event, Allisan Barrett and Brian Simonick were out front for the women and men in 19:04 and 15:43. Full results.
Allisan Barrett, women’s champion of the 2024 Kettle Moraine 100 Mile, comes in with her pacer. Photo: Misty Herron
Brian Simonick all smiles after winning the 2024 Kettle Moraine 100 Mile men’s race. Photo: Misty Herron
MoMoFo 100k — Martinsville, Indiana
Running in the Morgan Monroe State Forest, hence the race name, Margaret Retsema and Eric Davis were victorious in 14:12 and 12:14. Full results.
Rock River Canyon 50k — Munising, Michigan
Coming out on top on a course this course traversing the backcountry of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Kate Kuntze and James Lilly were champs in 5:26 and 4:50. Full results.
Huron 100 Mile and 50 Mile – Grass Lake, Michigan
Jack Miller won the 100 mile in 18:46, while no women made it across the finish line within the cutoff this year. Aliana Sharp and Zach Crim won the accompanying 50 mile in 9:37 and 7:20.
The 2024 Huron 50 Mile getting underway. Photo: PreRace Podcast
Laurel Highlands 70.5 Mile — Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
Justyna Wilson and Eric Kennedy crossed the finish first in 13:16 and 11:36. Full results.
Drummer Hill Trail Races 50k — Keene, New Hampshire
A small group of 36 finishers was led by Kara Olivito and Kevin Ellis in 5:13 and 4:42. Full results.
Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Mile — Ellerbe, North Carolina
It goes back to 1995, but this was the last Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Mile. The marathon might come back next year. Shannon Johnstone and Kyle Baucom won the 50 miler in 8:47 and 7:04, and marathon champs Katie Leger and Jake Grondy did it in 4:09 and 3:47. Full results.
Call for Comments
Were you at the GoPro Mountain Games? If yes, what was your favorite event to watch? It’s got to be the dock dogs, right?
