No rest for the weary. We’re in a big stretch. This week that meant the Broken Arrow Skyrace in California, the Madeira Skyrace in Portugal, the Mount Washington Road Race in New Hampshire, and the Mozart 100k by UTMB in Austria, all among other highlights. It was fun to see so many runners doubling back from big efforts just last weekend.
Broken Arrow Skyrace Vertical K – Olympic Valley, California
The Vertical K opened the competition on Friday morning, and almost all of it was on snow. The race was slightly shorter than in prior years, but still went up roughly 3,000 feet over three miles to finish on top of Washeshu Peak. The first U.S. man and woman each earned a spot on the U.S. team that will race at the 34th Challenge Stellina international competition in Italy, and the race was part of the World Mountain Running Association World Cup too.
Men
Andrea Rostan (Italy) broke away early and was out front for most of the race. He won in 39:51, over a minute better than everyone else. He won $2,000 for the win. Rostan was 14th at last week’s World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race.
Andrea Rostan wins the 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace VK. Photo: Peter Maksimow
The 2021 winner Darren Thomas edged out Henri Aymonod (Italy) for second, and earned a $1,500 runner-up prize. Thomas finished in 41:10 and Aymonod ran 41:29.
The men’s full top five was:
1 – Andrea Rostan (Italy) – 39:51
2 – Darren Thomas – 41:10
3 – Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 41:29
4 – Zak Hanna (Ireland) – 41:51
5 – Abraham Hernandez (Mexico) – 43:04
Women
Lots of runners were doubling back from last weekend’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships or the GoPro Mountain Games, but Anna Gibson had an even more unique double. She was 17th in the 1,500-meter race at the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships last weekend. That race wrapped up the 24-year-old’s collegiate career for the University of Washington. And this weekend she won $2,000 with a 47:09 first-place finish. As with the men’s winner, she too was almost a minute better than everyone else.
Anna Gibson takes the win at the 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace VK. Photo: Peter Maksimow
Second-place Jade Belzberg avenged a drop at last weekend’s Trail World Championships 80k. She finished here in 48:00. Third-place Sara Willhoit (U.K.) topped out in 48:25.
The women’s full top five was:
1 – Anna Gibson – 47:09
2 – Jade Belzberg – 48:00
3 – Sara Willhoit (U.K.) – 48:25
4 – Anne Dube – 51:48
5 – Anna Mae Flynn – 53:13
Broken Arrow Skyrace 46k – Olympic Valley, California
The roughly 28-mile race was on Saturday across two loops that totaled 9,100 feet of elevation gain.
Men
Just eighth last year but second back in 2019, Michelino Sunseri gained his first Broken Arrow win across several tries. His 3:58 finish ranks as the event’s fastest, but reflects this year’s snow-impacted course. Jeff Mogavero was right behind in second at 4:00, and Nick Handel smacked the finish bell at 4:04 for third.
The full top five was:
1 – Michelino Sunseri – 3:58
2 – Jeff Mogavero – 4:00
3 – Nick Handel – 4:04
4 – Cole Campbell – 4:13
5 – Grant Barnette – 4:16
Women
As with men’s winner Sunseri, Helen Mino Faukner had an earlier second-place finish at Broken Arrow too. Back in 2021 she ran 5:18 here. But that was two years ago and Mino Faukner’s a rising star. She won this year’s race in 4:50. Last month she won big at the 81k Valhöll Argentina by UTMB race.
Behind the race winner, Lindsay McDonald and Kristina Mascarenas pushed to 4:58 and 5:01 podium marks.
The women’s top five was:
1 – Helen Mino Faukner – 4:50
2 – Lindsay McDonald – 4:58
3 – Kristina Mascarenas – 5:01
4 – Fu-Zhao Xiang (China) – 5:06
5 – Emmiliese von Avis – 5:06
Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k – Olympic Valley, California
High winds on exposed ridges and at the ladder section forced a course reroute and a delayed start. The new roughly 13-mile course gained 4,800 feet of elevation. The race was part of the U.S.-Canada Golden Trail National Series.
Men
Eli Hemming outclassed a strong field over the race’s second loop for a two-and-a-half minute win. Hemming finished in 1:34, and it was his second Golden Trail National Series win of the year. A full series win is worth €1,500.
Eli Hemming on the way to winning the 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: Andy Wacker
Runner-up Chad Hall finished in 1:37. He won the downhill Phoenix Marathon in 2:12 in February 2023. And Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau was a surprise third in 1:38. Beaudoin-Rousseau ran at Stanford and three weeks ago was 19th at the NCAA Division I West Regional in 28:47 for the 10,000-meter track race.
This one might’ve been the deepest race of the group, so we’ll list out the top 10 here.
1 – Eli Hemming – 1:34
2 – Chad Hall – 1:37
3 – Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau – 1:38
4 – Talon Hull – 1:40
5 – Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 1:40
6 – Garrett Corcoran – 1:41
7 – Ali Papillon – 1:41
8 – Abraham Hernandez (Mexico) – 1:41
9 – Patrick Parsel – 1:41
10 – Ondrej Fejfar (Czech Republic) – 1:42
Women
Allie McLaughlin came back from a double at worlds last week, and she ran away with this one. McLaughlin had a six-minute cushion on everyone else. She finished in 1:51.
Allie McLaughlin on her way to winning the 2023 Broken Arrow Skyrace 23k. Photo: Maksimow
Vertical K race winner Anna Gibson was second in 1:57 in the longer race, and Tabor Hemming was third in 1:58.
The women’s top ten was:
1 – Allie McLaughlin – 1:51
2 – Anna Gibson – 1:57
3 – Tabor Hemming – 1:58
4 – Janelle Lincks – 2:01
5 – Sara Willhoit (U.K.) – 2:03
6 – Annie Dube – 2:07
7 – Sarah Guhl – 2:07
8 – Laurel Moyer – 2:09
9 – Rachel Mow – 2:10
10 – Andie Cornish – 2:11
Mount Washington Road Race – Gorham, New Hampshire
“There’s only one hill,” the race boasts. That one hill though goes up 4,650 feet over 7.6 miles on the Mount Washington Auto Road. The course reaches a 22% maximum grade at its worst. This year’s run finished in rain and under dark skies.
Men
A week after finishing fifth at the World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race, Joseph Gray was in New England. He finished in 60:24 and it was his seventh win on this course, and third in a row. Gray earned a $1,000 first-place prize.
Second-place Sam Chelanga finished in 61:54. Chelanga ran 27:38 for 10,000 meters in March 2023. Tyler Andrews was third in 62:06.
The full top five was:
1 – Joseph Gray – 60:24
2 – Sam Chelanga – 61:54
3 – Tyler Andrews – 62:06
4 – Eric Blake – 63:00
5 – Jeffrey Allen – 65:34
Women
The 2022 runner-up Amber Ferreira was first to the top this year. She finished in 75:16. Marybeth Chelanga matched her husband’s place, second, in 76:03, and third-place Meghan Davis finished in 77:46.
The women’s top five was:
1 – Amber Ferreira – 75:16
2 – Marybeth Chelanga – 76:03
3 – Meghan Davis – 77:46
4 – Kasie Enman – 78:07
5 – Tammy Hsieh – 79:07
Madeira Skyrace – Madeira, Portugal
The year’s fourth Skyrunner World Series race sought out the island’s most technical terrain on a brand-new 45k course that went from sea to summit. The course gained 3,600 meters, almost all in the first 15k, and it was both shorter and with less elevation gain than earlier races here. The race summited Pico Ruivo. At 1,862 meters (6,109 feet) it is the island’s high point.
Men
Antonio Martínez (Spain) won his second Skyrunner World Series race of the year, firmly placing him at the top of the early season charts. Martinez started slowly and was just ninth and four minutes off the lead after the first climb. He easily erased that gap and created one of his own though, finishing in 5:05 for a six-minute cushion on everyone else.
Antonio Martínez, the 2023 Madeira Skyrace men’s winner. Photo: Brian Sharp Creates
Zaid Ait Malek (Spain), 25th in last weekend’s Trail World Championships 40k, was second in 5:11 and Miguel Arsénio (Portugal) was third in 5:12.
Women
Women’s winner Emma Cook-Clarke (Canada), a prolific obstacle course racer, led for the entirety of the race. She finished in 6:12.
Emma Cook-Clarke on her way to winning the 2023 Madeira Skyrace. Photo: Brian Sharp Creates
Spanish runners Oihana Azkorbebetia and Ainara Yurrebaso were second and third in 6:25 and 6:29, respectively.
Leadville Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon – Leadville, Colorado
Marathon
Snow kept the marathon from reaching the 13,185-foot Mosquito Pass high point. A reroute skipped that last 1.5 miles up high, but added distance elsewhere kept the race at the official 26.2-mile marathon distance. Still, the race scene looked pretty wintry with snow starting an hour into the race and the sun maybe finally breaking through hours later.
Scott Spillman got to the front of the men’s race and was victorious in 3:36. Rob Krar — so good to see his name racing again — was second in 3:42, and Frank Pipp was third in 3:45.
Women’s winner Ellie Pell put 17 minutes on the rest of the field with a 4:02 finish time. Emma Sjolund and Christina Bauer were second and third in 4:19 and 4:24, respectively.
Heavy Half Marathon
The half marathon stretched for 15.7 miles.
Just 70 seconds separated front men Jeff Cuno and race local Devin Vennard, finishing in 2:02 and 2:03. Ethan Goldman was third in 2:20.
Ali Kallner bested Kylah Ricks at the front of the women’s race. The pair ran 2:13 and 2:19, and Hannah Campbell was third in 2:24.
Mozart 100k by UTMB – Salzburg, Austria
It was the event’s biggest year yet with 3,000 runners from 75 countries across its multiple race distances.
The “Mozart 100” race went for 105k with 5,400 meters (17,716 feet) of elevation gain. Luke Grenfell-Shaw (U.K.) was over an hour better than everyone else with a 10:24 finish, and Eve Moore (U.K.) won the women’s race in 12:54.
Kris Jones (U.K.) was just in Innsbruck last week at the Trail World Championships 40k. Just two hours east, he won the “Mozart Marathon” 39k in 2:47 this weekend. Katarina Lovrantova (Slovakia) was first in a close women’s race at 3:37.
Additional Races and Runs
Zugspitz Ultratrail – Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Till Fischer (Germany) and Ruth Croft (New Zealand) won the 88k race at Germany’s biggest trail running event, around Germany’s biggest mountain. The pair finished in 11:10 and 11:09, respectively. Alexander Gepp (Austria) and Ironman triathlon legend Chrissie Wellington (U.K.) won the 69k in 7:38 and 8:25. And in the 45k, Florian Reichert (Germany) and Jasmin Nunige (Switzerland) got to the line first in 4:01 and 4:36. Full results.
Dead Cow Gully Backyard Masters – Brisbane, Australia
There doesn’t appear to be live tracking, but there’s a good one going on down under. Four runners are on lap 57 at the time of this writing, and so that’s 237.5 miles over 57 hours. The group includes Harvey Lewis, Sam Harvey, Phil Gore, and Aaron Young.
Montane Spine Race – Pennine Way, United Kingdom
The sixth summer edition of the race took on the famous 268-mile trail, and shorter sections of that same trail too. All race distances are run self sufficient with racers carrying their own food and supplies on an unmarked course. The 46-mile sprint crowned Rupert Allison and Hannah Rickman as race winners in 6:59 and 8:41, and both times were new course records. Jon Shield and Mel Sykes won the 108-mile Challenger South race in 27:53 and 32:22. The Challenger North 160-mile race and the full 268-mile Spine race both are ongoing at the time of this writing. Full results.
Early on in the 2023 Summer Spine Race. Photo: The Spine Race
Niagara Ultra – Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada
Aidan Rutherford and Julie Hamulecki won the 50k race in 3:21 and 3:24. Full results.
Broken/Vista 50k – Bend, Oregon
Mario Mendoza set the inaugural year record at 4:52, and Stephanie Gundel did the same for the women in 5:21. Full results.
Bighorn 100 Mile – Dayton, Wyoming
Jeff Browning, age 51, closed hard the last 15 miles to move to the front and win in 19:47. It is, we think, Browning’s 29th 100-mile win. Browning was third here in 2010 in 20:34, and won here as early as 2005 in 21:54. That’s some incredible longevity. David Ayala and Seth Swanson were second and third in 19:51 and 20:21. Amanda Sullivan was just over 26 hours as women’s winner and Heidi Warfel was just under 27 hours as the women’s runner up. The two finished in 26:01 and 26:59. Third-place Sonja Tinucci finished in 27:43. Sam Foster and Annie Hughes won the one-way 52-mile race in 8:35 and 8:27 with Hughes setting a new course record. Full results.
Ring the Springs – Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Aravaipa Running event had three ultra distances. Matt Halverson and Rachel Hawkins won the 100 miler in 21:06 and 26:16. Jason Wheat and Lucie Hanes led the 100k in 11:43 and 12:19. And Kedric Osborne and Miranda Williamson took the 50k in 5:14 and 6:52, respectively. Full results.
Six Days in the Dome – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The event again happened on an indoor 443-meter track and with 24-, 48-, and six-day races. But first, Chikara Omine split 5:04 for 50 miles and 6:31 for 100k, and both were new American records for the men’s 40-45 age group. Chris Roberts and Jenny Hoffman totaled 150.48 and 145.21 miles over 24 hours, and 48-hour winners Bob Becker and Lisa Devona totaled 167.54 and 205.28 miles. At age 78, Becker’s performance is a 48-hour world record for the men’s 75-79 age group. The six-day race just started on Sunday, June 18, and is thus ongoing. Full results.
The Last Annual Heart of the South Road Race – West Memphis, Arkansas
Some 82 runners gathered on June 15 to run 300 to 350 miles one way back to their cars, self-supported. As of this writing, Bob Hearn is 276 miles into the adventure, and Kimberly Durst is the leading woman at 197 miles. Tracking.
Call for Comments
What’d the dads out there do over Father’s Day weekend? Race, eat ice cream, or both? Personally I love birthday cake-flavored ice cream, but it’s been a hard one to find so far this summer.
