This Week In Running: June 17, 2024

This Week in Running’s trail and ultra recap for June 17, 2024.

By on June 17, 2024 | Comments

This Week in Running Justin Mock TWIRFrom Andorra to Zugspitz, and the dome to the divide, we’re running down the weekend’s results.

Let’s hip hop to it.

Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB – Ordino, Andorra

The event brought 2,800 runners to the stunning Pyrenees mountain range, and it was the Ultra Trail 105-kilometer (65 miles) race that was the premier distance.

Men

The world is waking up to Zachary Garner (U.S.). Just 24 years old and the Bear 100 Mile course record holder, Garner gained a big international win over defending champion Ben Dhiman (U.S., lives in France), all-time great François D’Haene (France), and big mountain man Daniel Jung (Italy).

Garner finished in 13:17, and Dhiman was second in 13:25. Both bettered Dhiman’s 13:36 course record run from 2023, but snow impacted this year’s route. Instead of a 107k run, a really short distance was cut off, but 325 meters of high-point climbing was axed.

Joaquin Lopez (Ecuador) was third in 13:34. Further back, D’Haene was fifth in 14:26 and Jung was a late drop after 85k (53 miles) of running.

Matthieu Durand - 2024 Trail 100 Andorra - 15th man

A competitor running along during the Trail 100 Andorra. Photo: UTMB

Women

Katharina Hartmuth (Germany), the 2023 UTMB runner-up, dominated the women’s run. She finished in 15:28, way up on the rest of the group. It was a different course, but that time’s still way faster than the 17:13 run by Esther Fellhofer (Austria) at last year’s race.

Second- and third-place Claudia Tremps (Spain) and Lucie Jamsin (France) finished in 17:10 and 17:47, respectively.

Full results.

Madeira Sky Race – Madeira, Portugal

Not too many weeks go by without a race in either Madeira or the Canary Islands. This week, the Skyrunner World Series dropped onto the Portuguese island for a 45-kilometer race that went up 3,600 meters. That’s 28 miles and 11,811 feet of elevation gain.

Loïc Robert (France) scored a new men’s course record with a 4:59 winning time. Andres Rodrigues (Portugal) gained three spots after the course high point to move into second in 5:05, and Luka Kovačič (Slovenia) was third in 5:07.

Loïc Robert - 2024 Madeira Sky Race - first man

Loïc Robert on his way to winning the 2024 Madeira Sky Race. Photo: Antton Guaresti

Women’s winner Lucille Germain (France) was a runaway champ, and hit a new course record too. Germain finished in 5:33, over 18 minutes better than anyone else. Oihana Kortazar (Spain) and Kalie McCrystal (Canada) were second and third in 5:51 and 6:04, respectively.

Full results.

Lucille Germain - 2024 Madeira Sky Race - first woman

Lucille Germain winning the 2024 Madeira Sky Race. Photo: Antton Guaresti

Six Days in the Dome – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The event includes several fixed-time and multi-day races, going as long as 10 days, beginning on June 13 and ending June 23.

Zach Bitter ran 11:51 for 100 miles. Hat tip to the U.S. National 24-Hour Running Team statisticians for the recordkeeping. It was the fourth-best all-time in the U.S. and 15th best in the world ever. Bitter’s personal best is 11:19 back in 2019.

And over 24 hours, Chris Roberts and Jenny Hoffman totaled 149.62 and 147.77 miles, respectively. But lots of runners moved up on the qualifying ranks toward the U.S. team for the IAU 24-Hour World Championships in October 2025.

The minimum standard for team selection is 140 miles for men and 125 miles for women.

Roberts ran 144.62 miles at the 2023 IAU 24-Hour World Championships, and so this 149.62-mile total is higher, while he still ranks third among current qualifiers. Second-place in the dome, Don Reichelt ran 144.63 miles to surpass the 140-mile line to become eligible for selection.

Women’s winner Hoffman’s 147.77-mile total currently sits second on the qualifying chart, improving on her earlier 138.72-mile qualifier. Neringa Kaulinaite ran 141.97 miles in the dome to rank third among current qualifiers, and Gina Slaby totaled 125.65 miles to just hit the benchmark to be eligible for selection.

Full results.

Mount Washington Road Race – Gorham, New Hampshire

The all-uphill race goes up the auto road 4,650 feet over 7.6 miles, hitting a maximum grade of 22% and with 40-mile-per-hour winds up high. It was the race’s 63rd year, and it paid out $1,000 to each winner.

A week after winning the GoPro Mountain Games 10k last week for the ninth time, Joseph Gray won here for the eighth time. Gray got to the top in 1:02:21. Remi Leroux (Canada) was second in 1:03:55, and four-time winner Eric Blake was third in 1:05:26.

Kayla Lampe outlasted the women’s field toward a 1:15:09 winning time. Laura Manninen (Finland) and 2023 champ Amber Ferreira were second and third in 1:17:02 and 1:18:25.

Full results.

Montane Summer Spine Race – Pennine Way, U.K.

It was the 12th edition for the summer version of this race, on the 268-mile point-to-point Pennine Way. The long course is still underway, but shorter distance races have concluded.

The 46-mile Montane Summer Spine Sprint took off with 100 runners in pouring rain. Stephen Earle (U.K.) carried an early lead through the course toward an 8:21 finish time, and Molly Browne (U.K.) gained the women’s lead after six hours of running and finished in 8:30. It was a new course record, and it was Browne’s ultra debut.

The Montane Summer Spine Challenger South race covered the bottom 108 miles of the Pennine Way. Rupert Allison (U.K.) finished in the early morning and with a course record in 22:31. It was about 30 minutes better than the old course best. Allison also holds the Summer Sprint and Winter Sprint course records. Ursula Sullivan (U.K.) led all of the women’s race and won in 31:05.

Tracking.

Molly Browne - 2024 Montane Summer Spine Sprint - first woman

Molly Browne, the 2024 Montane Summer Spine Sprint winner. Photo courtesy of race.

Additional Races and Runs

Zugspitz Ultratrail – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Germany’s biggest trail running event hosted six races around the country’s highest peak. In the 106k Ultratrail race, Alexandre Pierre-Emmanuel (Germany) won in 10:59, and the earlier-mentioned Esther Fellhofer (Austria) took the women’s crown in 13:56. Benedikt Ritter (Germany) and Ida-Sophie Hegemann (Germany) won the 86k race in 9:47 and 10:39, and Sebastian Jägerfeld (Germany) and Ruth Croft (New Zealand) were best over 68k in 6:40 and 6:49, respectively. Full results.

Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB – Le Puy, France

It was another big event with 5,700 runners from 62 different countries across the three days of racing. Over 80 miles and with 18,000 feet of climbing, Sylvain Court (France) and Maëlle Deruaz (France) won in 14:22 and 17:25, and in the 50k, Remy Brassac (France) won alongside Adeline Martin (France) in 4:10 and 4:44. Full results.

Monte Rosa SkyMarathon – Alagna Valsesia, Italy

Bad weather pushed the race start back a full day, and even then 174 two-person teams, roped together, raced in knee-deep snow.

William Boffelli (Italy) and Tadei Pivk (Italy) successfully defended their victory from a year ago. The pair finished the 35k race and its 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) of climbing in 4:41. Second-place Daniel Antonioli (Italy) and Lorenzo Rota Martir (Italy) teamed to finish in 5:10, and Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) and Edoardo Albrighi (Italy) were third in 5:38.

William Boffelli - Tadei Pivk - 2024 Monte Rosa SkyMarathon - first mens team

Teammates William Boffelli and Tadei Pivk on the way to winning the 2024 Monte Rosa SkyMarathon. Photo: Ian Corless

Women’s winners Giuditta Turini (Italy) and Martina Valmassoi (Italy) did the adventure in 6:13. Hillary Gerardi (U.S., lives in France) and Marina Cugnetto (Italy) were second and in 6:37, and third-place Iris Pessey (France) and Dimitra Theocharis (Greece) made it in 7:16.

Full results.

Giuditta Turini - Martina Valmassoi - 2024 Monte Rosa SkyMarathon - first womens team

Giuditta Turini and Martina Valmassoi together won the 2024 Monte Rosa SkyMarathon. Photo: Ian Corless

Tiger Mountain Trail Run 50k – Issaquah, Washington

At Tiger Mountain State Park in the Issaquah Alps, Francisco Jose Martin Garcia and Iliana Sach won the 50k race in 4:40 and 6:44. Full results.

Francisco Jose Martin Garcia - 2024 Tiger Mountain 50k - first man

Francisco Jose Martin Garcia, the 2024 Tiger Mountain 50k men’s winner. Photo: Somer Kreisman

Tahoe 200 Mile Endurance Run – Homewood, California

Recent Cocodona 250 Mile winner and third-placer Haroldas Subertas and Mika Thewes doubled back and won here in 53:46 and 57:05. Full results.

Old Gabe 50k – Bozeman, Montana 

The race shares the nickname for mountaineer Jim Bridger. Both race winners were from the host state, and it was Zachary Sayre and Marilee Woyth in 6:09 and 8:09. Full results.

The Divide 50k – Butte, Montana

Kelly Sandefer and Elizabeth Peabody led the way in 5:42 and 5:51. Full results.

Bighorn 100 Mile – Dayton, Wyoming

Only 18 minutes separated the front three men in the 100 miler. Anthony Lee escaped the group for a 21:36 first-place finish. Charlie Michaletz was second only 12 minutes back in 21:48, and Andrew Pavek got on the podium too at 21:54. The women were even closer with only 13 minutes from first to third. Charissa Kenny got the line first in 23:35. Christina Richards finished in 23:42 and Kallie Smith was third in 23:56. Full results.

Charissa Kenny - 2024 Bighorn 100 Mile - first woman

Charissa Kenny enjoying the day 10 miles into her win at the 2024 Bighorn 100 Mile. Photo: Kristi Mayo/Mile 90 Photography

Rose Canyon 50k – Herriman, Utah

The first-year race gave the prizes to Denver Blatter and Amanda Kimiko for their 4:50 and 5:59 runs. Full results.

Amanda Kimiko - 2024 Rose Canyon 50k - first woman

The 2024 Rose Canyon 50k women’s champ, Amanda Kimiko. Photo: Brett Pelletier

Call for Comments

What other summer adventures caught your eye this weekend, or next?

Justin Mock

Justin Mock is the This Week In Running columnist for iRunFar. He’s been writing about running for 10 years. Based in Europe, Justin has run as fast as 2:29 for a road marathon and finished as high as fourth in the Pikes Peak Marathon.