That was a big weekend, it’s really starting to feel like summer! The Golden Trail Series in Spain, the GoPro Mountain Games in Colorado, and the USATF 50k road national championships in New York—and the women and men who contested those events—all brought high-level racing and we’re recapping all of it.
Olla de Núria — Girona, Spain
The Golden Trail Series is back, and it delivered a world-class field to the Spanish Pyrenees. Olla de Núria is a 21-kilometer (13 miles) race with 1,940 meters (6,360 feet) of elevation gain and records were broken.
Women
Maude Mathys (Switzerland) has been the best in the world for shorter distance trail racing the last few years, and that streak is extending into 2021. Already the Sierre-Zinal and Pikes Peak Marathon course-record holder, Mathys dominated the women’s run with a 12-minute win and another new course record. Mathys gapped the field on the race’s opening climb and never let up. She finished in 2:21, 15 minutes better than Spanish runner Mireia Miró’s former course best.
(In 2015, 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.)
Barely a minute separated second- and third-place Judith Wyder (Switzerland) and Oihana Kortazar (Spain) in 2:34 and 2:35. Wyder pressed hard for position on the last downhill, and the race marked her return to racing from pregnancy. Blandine L’hirondel (France) and Elise Poncet (France) were fourth and fifth in 2:37 and 2:39.
The rest of the women’s top 10 included:
6 – Rachel Drake (USA) – 2:39
7 – Lucille Germain (France) – 2:45
8 – Nuria Gil (Spain) – 2:46
9 – Sara Alonso (Spain) – 2:47
10 – Mathilde Sagnes (France) – 2:48
Maude Mathys, 2021 Olla de Núria champion. Photo: Golden Trail Series | Olla de Núria | Jordi Saragossa
Men
Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) opened a 25-second lead climbing to the course’s high point, but Stian Angermund (Norway) and Davide Magnini (Italy) chased along the high ridgelines. When Bonnet fell, Angermund vaulted to the lead and would cartwheel across the finish in 2:04. Bonnet finished a minute later in second and with a bloody arm. Magnini was just 17 seconds behind Bonnet in third at 2:06.
Nadir Maguet (Italy) and Thibaut Baronian (France) both finished in 2:08:27 for fourth and fifth.
Kilian Jornet’s former course best was 2:14:56, and the first nine men all bettered that time.
6 – Sylvain Cachard (France) – 2:10
7 – Christian Mathys (Switzerland) – 2:10
8 – David Sinclair (USA) – 2:10
9 – Johann Baujard (France) – 2:14
10 – Bart Przedwojewski (Poland) – 2:16
The next Golden Trail Series race is the July 4 Marathon Du Mont Blanc in France.
Stian Angermund, 2021 Olla de Núria champion. Photo: Golden Trail Series | Olla de Núria | Jordi Saragossa
GoPro Mountain Games — Vail, Colorado
Après 5k
The Après 5k was a Friday night race. The race paid a rich $1,000 to its winners as part of a $5,200 prize purse.
Janelle Lincks, who ran collegiately at Colorado State University, won the women’s race 17:58 and got to sixth overall. Former University of Utah runner Giselle Slotboom was second in 18:46, and Ashley Brasovan ran 20:17 for third. The podium—and prize money—went five deep, and Alayna Szuch, age 17, and Lauren Warkentin were fourth and fifth in 22:05 and 22:46, respectively.
Just 52 seconds separated the men’s front five, and Olympics Marathon Trials qualifier Tyler McCandless escaped the group for a 16:04 win. Joseph Demoor and Josh Eberly were second and third in 16:11 and 16:31, and Andy Wacker and Jeshurun Small were fourth and fifth in 16:42 and 16:56.
10k Spring Runoff
Even better, Sunday’s 10k raced on a much more challenging course and for a whopping $11,500 prize purse. $2,500 went to each of the winners.
Lincks doubled back and won again, this time in 45:35. Slotboom was again second, in 48:02, and former University of Colorado runner Tabor Scholl ran 48:33 for third. Brasovan, also a repeat runner from the 5k, was fourth in 48:40 and Morgan Arritola ran 48:53 for fifth. National-class trail runners Allie McLaughlin, Sam Lewis, and Tara Richardson were sixth, seventh, and eighth in the deep field.
Joe Gray has won this race for most of the past decade, and again ruled the challenging course. Gray finished in 39:37 with McCandless—back from Friday’s win—second in 40:06. Demoor was third in 40:15 and Morgan Elliott and Ace Brown finished fourth and fifth in 40:20 and 41:20. 2020 Pikes Peak Marathon winner Seth Demoor was seventh in 41:39.
Pepi’s Face Off
Also on Sunday, a few hours after the 10k race, Pepi’s Face Off was contested as 30 minutes of up and down running on Vail Mountain. $2,500 again went to the race winners with money going three deep to total $9,500.
After finishing out of the money in the 10k, Allie McLaughlin doubled back hours later to win this race with five laps done in 31:40. Obstacle course standout Rea Kolbl was second, after having also raced the 10k, and Sam Lewis doubled for third.
Morgan Elliott also needed to better his 10k finish, and he won the men’s race over Joe Gray. Elliott got through six laps in 32:22, 25 seconds ahead of Gray. Joseph Demoor earned his third podium finish off the weekend with six laps six seconds behind Gray.
Caumsett 50k — Lloyd Harbor, New York
The Caumsett 50k was again the USATF 50k road national championships, contested on a 10 x 5k loop.
Women
Randi Burnett, a 2:43 marathoner and Olympics Marathon Trials qualifier, won the women’s race in 3:32. Regina Lopez, a 2:42 marathoner and also an Olympics Marathon Trials qualifier, was second in 3:36.
The posted results currently omit the third-place finisher’s name at 3:45, but Lauren Ross and Sabrina Little were fourth and fifth in 3:49 and 3:52, respectively.
Men
The men’s race brought some new names to the column too. Preston Johnson, a professional trail runner from Utah, won in 2:53. He won a spot on the U.S. team to compete at the IAU 50k World Championships in China in October too.
Kyle Masterson chased hard on the last lap and also finished in 2:53, 38 seconds back of the race winner. Longtime national-class road runner Fernando Cabada’s an ultrarunner now and he was third in 2:55.
Fourth- and fifth-place went to Brendan Martin and Andrew Rylaarsdam in 2:59 and 3:04, respectively.
Defending champion Kallin Khan was 10th in 3:16. He fell off the pace on the final three laps.
Additional Races and Runs
Spanish 50k National Championships
Spain’s 50k national championships are believed to be its qualifier for the world championships too. Mercedes Pila won the women’s race in 3:33, 12 minutes better than everyone else. Alberto Puyuelo broke free in the last 8k to win the men’s race in 2:51. Puyuelo is a 2:17 marathoner. The event also hosted the Spanish 100k national championships and Janine Edith Lima Rodriguez and Manel Deli Andujar won in 8:54 and 6:55, respectively. Full results.
Suffolk Backyard Ultra — Knettishal, United Kingdom
So dang long! John Stocker and Matt Blackburn put on an absolute show across the 4.167-mile last-man-standing loop. Stocker won early last week—Monday morning in the U.K.—after successfully completing the loop every hour for 81 hours. Stocker finished with 337.5 miles and Blackburn 4.167 less, and across 80 hours for the runner up. Both bettered Belgian Karel Sabbe’s former 315-mile world best (2020) for the unique race format. Full results.
South Downs Way 100 Mile — Winchester, United Kingdom
Centurion Running’s South Downs Way 100 Mile race runs the entirety of the national trail across southern England. Alice Robinson and Peter Windross ruled the race in 18:48 and 15:30. Full results.
Wy’East Wonder 50 Mile — Parkdale, Oregon
Susah Oh and Jesse Lang won Go Beyond’s Wy’East Wonder 50 Mile race, east of Oregon’s Mount Hood. Oh and Lang ran 8:16 and 6:59, respectively. Full results.
Dirty Half Marathon — Bend, Oregon
Lauren Fleshman won two U.S. 5,000-meter titles on the track, and now she won the Dirty Half Marathon too. Fleshman ran 1:30, beating second-place Allison Morgan by just 35 seconds. Drew Macomber won the men’s race in 1:19. Full results.
Holcomb Valley Trail Run 33 Mile — Big Bear Lake, California
The Holcomb Valley Trail Run celebrated 25 years. Kim Ammons, Jenny Welch, and Lauren Kleppin ran 6:15, 6:28, and 6:49 for the women’s podium. Kleppin has been a national-class marathoner with a 2:28 best from 2014. The men’s race was very close: just two seconds separated race winner Joel Frost-Tift from second-place Tony Torres. Both clocked 4:44 and third-place Michele Graglia was close behind in 4:46. Full results.
Shadow of the Giants 50k — Fish Camp, California
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Arzate won the Shadow of the Giants 50k race in 5:23 and 4:42, respectively. Full results.
Trail Rail Run 50 Mile — St. Regis, Montana
The Old Milwaukee and Northern Pacific railroad grades have given way to the Trail Rail Run 50-mile race in Montana. Amanda Bradley won the women’s race in 8:13, and Kevin Dempsey led the men in 7:08. Full results.
Flagstaff Extreme Big Pine Trail 54k — Flagstaff, Arizona
Courtney Lewis edged Mamiko Berger to win Aravaipa Running’s Big Pine Trail 54k race in 5:42. Berger was only three minutes back in second. Men’s winner Matt Belus wasn’t challenged on his way to a win in 4:06. Full results.
Sinks Canyon Rough and Tumble 50k — Lander, Wyoming
The women raced a close one at the Sinks Canyon Rough and Tumble 50k too. Only 12 minutes separated the first four, and first and second were only two minutes apart. Laura Stamp won in 5:58 and Heather Brooks was second in 6:00. Men’s winner Jackson Cole clocked 4:36. Full results.
Golden Gate Dirty 30 50k — Black Hawk, Colorado
In the foothills west of Denver, Emily Caldwell edged Jana Willsey to win the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty 50k. The pair finished in 6:13 and 6:22 and finished fifth and ninth overall. Jon Rea won the men’s race in 4:54, nearly a full hour ahead of second place. Full results.
Kettle Moraine 100 Mile — La Grange, Wisconsin
Rachel Ragona was first female at the Kettle Moraine 100 Mile, though we don’t know her finish time. Leave a comment to share! Men’s winner Mike Elsbury finished in 17:37. Full results (when available).
Rock River Canyon 50k — Munising, Michigan
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula hosted the Rock River Canyon 50k and Rachel Gibson and Alex Dennis came out of the woods in 4:59 and 4:12 as champs. Full results.
Lighthouse 100 Mile — Petoskey, Michigan
Also in far northern Michigan but on the other side of Lake Michigan, the Lighthouse 100 Mile was run entirely along the coast. Stephanie Bland and Sam Skeels raced to winning 18:31 and 15:38 finishes. Full results.
First State Trail Race 50k — Wilmington, Delaware
I believe it was the first First State Trail Race 50k. Inaugural year winners Emily Palmer and Stefano Ruzza finished in 5:31 and 4:04. Full results.
Call for Comments
It was a big weekend, and there were a lot of races that we couldn’t highlight. Fill in these blanks in the comments below!
