Was there a little bit of racing this weekend? Between the Western States 100, Marathon du Mont-Blanc, and Lavaredo Ultra Trail, it was one of the biggest weekends of the year! No time to snooze, and maybe a second cup of coffee might be in order to rally for all of this.
Marathon du Mont-Blanc – Chamonix, France
The 90-kilometer race, scheduled for Friday, was canceled because of extreme weather and without the chance to move one of the event’s other at-capacity races. The namesake 42k marathon race was held on Sunday though and it was the second race of this year’s Golden Trail World Series. This year’s course differed from others, throwing out the chance for any course records. iRunFar covered the race separately, as well.
Women
Sara Alonso (Spain) might be the next big thing. She was third behind Nienke Brinkman (The Netherlands, lives in Switzerland) and Maude Mathys (Switzerland) at the Zegama Marathon earlier this year, while also going under the old course record and nipping on Mathys’s heels. The rising star put six minutes on the field here and won the mountain marathon in 4:14. Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) and Dani Moreno (USA) were second and third in 4:20 and 4:21, perhaps the pair’s highest finishes yet in Golden Trail World Series racing.
The top-three women at the 2022 Marathon du Mont-Blanc (from left to right): 2. Caitlin Fielder, 1. Sara Alonso, and 3. Dani Moreno. Photo: Golden Trail Series | Mont Blanc Marathon | Jordi Saragossa
The rest of the top 10 included:
4 – Anaïs Sabrié (France) – 4:22
5 – Marcela Vasinova (Czech Republic) – 4:24
6 – Oihana Kortazar (Spain) – 4:28
7 – Fabiola Conti (Italy) – 4:28
8 – Theres Leboeuf (Switzerland) – 4:29
9 – Emkay Sullivan (USA) – 4:31
10 – Julie Roux (France) – 4:33
Men
Men’s winner Jon Albon (U.K., lives in Norway) similarly had a bit of a breakaway from the chase group, winning by over four minutes in 3:35. Davide Magnini (Italy) edged Ruy Ueda (Japan) for second, 61 seconds apart in 3:39 and 3:40.
Jon Albon, winner of the 2022 Mont Blanc Marathon. Photo: Golden Trail Series | Mont Blanc Marathon | Jordi Saragossa
The rest of the top 10 ran as:
4 – Elhousine Elazzaoui (Morocco) – 3:43
5 – Thibaut Baronian (France) – 3:47
6 – Robert Pkemoi Matayango (Kenya) – 3:50:44
7 – Andrzej Witek (Poland) – 3:51:56
8 – Anthony Felber (France) – 3:53:12
9 – Antoine Charvolin (France) – 3:53:48
10 – Adrien Michaud (France) – 3:54:11
The August 6 Stranda Fjord Trail Race in Norway is the next Golden Trail World Series race.
Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB – Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
The 15th edition started and finished in the resort town of Cortina, and ran as a single loop of 120k (75 miles) through the Dolomites. The wildly scenic route around the Tre Cime peaks gained 5,800 meters (19,000 feet) of elevation. As the name says, Lavaredo is part of the UTMB World Series too.
Women
Mimmi Kotka (Sweden) and Katarzyna Solińska (Poland) gapped the entirety of the women’s field, and Kotka gapped Solińska, though by a much smaller margin. Kotka won the race in 14:51, nearly matching her third-place time from 2021. Kotka was 16 seconds faster in 2021.
Twenty minutes later Solińska crossed as runner-up and third-place Esther Fellhofer (Austria) came through in 16:01.
Mimmi Kotka, the 2022 Lavaredo Ultra Trail women’s champion. Photo: Lavaredo Ultra Trail
Men
Hannes Namberger (Germany) kept his hot streak going. He’s definitely one of the world’s best right now. Namberger won the race in 11:56, and that follows a win at the 2022 Peyagolosa Trails race and at the late 2021 Madeira-Island Ultra Trail. He won Lavaredo in 2021 too, then running 12:02.
Gian Marchet Schicktanz (Switzerland) was perhaps a surprise second in 12:07, but the new-to-me name also won last year’s Swiss Alps 100k and he’s building toward August’s CCC race. Jiasheng Shen (China) was third in 12:48.
Anthony Costales (USA) was 10th in 13:11.
Pau Capell (Spain) hit a snag in his UTMB build up. He dropped from the race near 67k.
The 2022 Lavaredo Ultra Trail men’s podium (from left to right): 2. Gian Marchet Schicktanz, 1. Hannes Namberger, and 3. Jiasheng Shen. Photo: Lavaredo Ultra Trail
80k UltraDolomites, 48k Cortina Trail, and 20k Cortina Skyrace
The event also included 80k (50 miles), 48k (30 miles), and 20k (12 miles) races on similarly challenging terrain.
Kelly Wolf (USA) and Matteo Anselmi (Italy) won the 80k in 9:25 and 8:42. Wolf was less than four minutes in front of second-place Johanna Antila (Finland). Wolf won the 120k race here in 2018.
Patricia Pineda (Spain) and Pere Rullan (Spain) championed the 48k race in 4:59 and 4:27, and Alice Gaggi (Italy) and Antonio Martínez (Spain) triumphed in the 20k skyrace in 1:52 and 1:29.
Western States 100 – Auburn, California
It was the 49th Western States 100 and iRunFar was there for all of it. There’s deep coverage separately, and so we’ll do the opposite here — highlight the top three, but then list out the finish of everyone else listed in the pre-race women’s and men’s previews.
Women
Ruth Croft (New Zealand) improved on last year’s second-place finish and time, winning in 17:21. She was second a year ago in a time 12 minutes slower, and this year’s finish was the race’s third-fastest ever. Croft had a share of the lead as early as mile 30 and then ran from the front for the entirety of the race’s second half. Ailsa MacDonald (Canada) had a strong second half and finished in 17:46, and Marianne Hogan (Canada) similarly moved up in the second half for a third-place 18:05.
Ruth Croft on the climb to Michigan Bluff at mile 55 of the 2022 Western States 100, on her way to winning the women’s race. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The rest of the women’s top 10 included:
4 – Luzia Buehler (Switzerland) – 18:08
5 – Emily Hawgood (Zimbabwe, lives in the U.S.) – 18:16
6 – Leah Yingling – 18:32
7 – Taylor Nowlin – 18:46
8 – Camille Herron – 18:51
9 – Katie Asmuth – 19:30
10 – Camille Bruyas (France) – 19:34
The rest of the group included pre-race preview is below:
11 – Anne-Marie Madden (Canada) – 19:38
12 – Aroa Sio (Spain) – 20:18
13 – Allison Baca – 20:57
14 – Ellie Pell – 21:37
15 – Amber Weibel – 22:05
16 – Brittany Peterson – 22:16
17 – Dominika Stelmach (Poland) – 22:21
18 – Kaci Lickteig – 23:06
20 – Erika Hoagland – 23:36
21 – Meghan Canfield – 24:38
37 – Anne-Lise Le Quere (France) – 27:31
Lucy Bartholomew (Australia), Tessa Chesser, Keely Henninger, and Zoë Rom did not finish.
The biggest overachiever in the women’s race — that is, the first runner not identified in the preview — was 19th-place Anna Olsen in 23:25.
Men
It’s Adam Peterman‘s year. The 26-year-old moved to five-for-five on ultramarathon wins, and pushed way ahead on the race’s second half. He won convincingly in 15:13.
Hayden Hawks led for roughly 30 miles in the middle of the race and finished second in 15:47, and Arlen Glick had a great Western States debut with third in 15:56. I’m from Ohio, and Glick’s run is likely the highest finish ever for someone from the Buckeye State.
Adam Peterman at mile 30 of the 2022 Western States 100, on his way to winning the men’s race. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
The rest of the top 10 included:
4 – Tyler Green – 15:57
5 – Drew Holmen – 16:09
6 – Ludovic Pommeret (France) – 16:20
7 – Vincent Viet (France) – 16:28
8 – Alex Nichols – 16:28
9 – Cody Lind – 16:29
10 – Scott Traer – 16:35
Others in the pre-race preview ran:
11 – Jeff Colt -16:51
12 – Adam Kimble – 17:28
13 – Kyle Curtin – 17:34
14 – Cole Watson – 17:56
15 – Michael Dubova – 18:30
16 – Jonathan Rea – 18:52
17 – Reid Coolsaet (Canada) – 19:27
19 – Tyler Fox – 19:49
20 – Peter Mortimer – 20:01
21 – Tim Tollefson – 20:41
24 – Trevor Fuchs – 21:19
27 – Brett Hornig – 21:42
30 – Marvin Sandoval – 21:57
41 – Rod Farvard – 22:48
47 – Daven Oskvig – 23:11
60 – Tom Owens (U.K.) – 23:27
61 – Brandon Benefield – 23:27
62 – Seth Kelly – 23:29
68 – Wesley Hunt – 23:38
90 – Greg Miller – 25:14
113 – Ryan Witko – 26:27
Jared Hazen and Seb Spehler (France) did not finish.
The first male finisher not called out in the preview was 18th-place Stuart McConnachie in 19:47.
Additional Races and Runs
Montane Summer Spine – Kirk Yetholm, United Kingdom
Anna Troup (U.K.) and Tiaan Erwee (South Africa) won the 268-mile one-way race. Troup repeated as women’s winner and bettered her own course record with a 78:57 finish, 91 minutes better than in 2021. Erwee did it in 70:46, and that was almost seven hours faster than Eoin Keith‘s record from a year ago. Tracking.
Anna Troup, female winner of the 2022 Montane Summer Spine Race and course record holder. Photo: Spine Race
Tiaan Erwee, 2022 Summer Spine Race men’s champion and course record holder. Photo: Spine Race
Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB – Ordino, Andorra
The roughly 105k (65 miles) race totaled some 6,900 meters (22,640 feet) of elevation gain. Ildikó Wermescher (Hungary) won the women’s race in 19:18, and she impressively did it as a 56-year-old. Silvina Perez (Argentina) and Basilia Förster (Germany) were second and third in 19:43 and 20:20, respectively. Zach Miller (USA) has been in Andorra for a few weeks, and that paid off with a 14:20 first-place run. It was Miller’s first ultra since 2019. Sebastian Krogvig (Norway) was a close second in 14:36 and Ionel Cristian Manole (Romania) finished third in 15:07. Full results.
Zach Miller, 2022 Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB champion. Photo: Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB
Skyrace Icefjord – Romsdalen, Norway
Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet won the 23k mountain run in 3:08 and 2:34. Full results.
Mefjellet Opp – Fjørå, Norway
The pair did it again the next day, sweeping the top spots at the all-uphill race. Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet won in 57:22 and 44:49. Full results.
Scenic Trail 119k – Capriasca, Switzerland
Sabrina Stanley (USA) and Avery Collins (USA) turned the Mont-Blanc 90k cancellation into lemonade, both winning here instead in 18:43 and 16:14. Full results.
Monte Rosa Skymarathon – Alagna Valsesia, Italy
Europe’s highest race celebrated its 30th year. Run as a two-person team race, Karina Carsolio (Mexico) and Stephanie Kröll (Austria) surprised as winners alongside men’s team Franco Collé (Italy) and Tadei Pivk (Italy). The teams finished in 6:43 and 5:11. Full results (when available).
Meet the Minotaur Skyrace – Blairmore, Alberta, Canada
This was the year’s fifth Skyrunner World Series race, and Canadian runners filled most of the 33k podiums. Emma Cook-Clarke (Canada) took the win in 5:05, just ahead of Maite Maiora (Spain) and her 5:09 run. Lindsay Webster (Canada) was third in 5:16. Damien Humbert (France) was a big winner in the men’s race, running 4:06.
Way back, second- and third-place Jackson Cole (USA) and Joren Titus (Canada) came through in 4:30, 28 seconds apart. The race featured three big climbs, rugged terrain, and a long and technical ridge. Full results.
Emma Cook-Clarke, 2022 Meet the Minotaur Skyrace champion. Photo: Skyrunning
Damien Humbert, 2022 Meet the Minotaur Skyrace champion. Photo: Skyrunning
US Track & Field Championships – Eugene, Oregon
It’s within six degrees of something, and so Lauren Gregory can still get pulled into TWIR. She won last year’s Kendall Mountain Run in course record time and years earlier ran in the junior race at the World Mountain Running Championships. Now finishing her collegiate career at Arkansas, she was fifth in the 5,000 meters at the recent NCAA Track & Field Championships. She ran 4:10 in the opening round of the 1,500-meter run here, and came back with a 4:12 in the final. Full results.
San Juan Solstice 50 Mile – Lake City, Colorado
Official results haven’t yet made the web, but social points to Hannah Allgood winning the women’s race in the second-best time in history. That means that Allgood, who also won the Gorge Waterfalls 100k this year, trails only Courtney Dauwalter‘s 9:11 run from 2021. Clare Gallagher and Hillary Allen were second and third and also under 10 hours for the race’s new third- and fourth-fastest runs ever. Johnny Herrick and Devon Olson were first and second in the men’s race in 8:16 and 8:23, and Ryan Sullivan was just behind in 8:37 for third. Full results (when available).
Mt. Evans Ascent – Idaho Springs, Colorado
Bean Wrenn and Andy Wacker raced 14.5 miles up a road to the top of the 14,000-foot peak. The pair topped out in 2:29 and 1:41. Full results.
Six Days in the Dome – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The weeklong event concluded with Viktoria Brown (Canada) totaling 457.41 miles over six days. She won overall. Men’s best Eoin Keith (Ireland) totaled 390.18 miles for third overall. Full results.
Race the Cog – Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
One week after the Mount Washington Road Race, this new race afforded runners the chance to double, and the fastest combined race time from the two races earned $1,000 in prize money too. This week’s route was three miles with 3,500 feet of elevation gain on trail to the Mount Washington summit. Race winners Christin Doneski and Joseph Gray finished in 55:48 and 39:14, and Gray did beat the cog train. Full results (when available).
Manitou’s Revenge – Windham, New York
The ninth Manitou’s Revenge Ultra was held on a 54-mile mountain trail — all rocky and gnarly — that traversed five peaks over 3,500 feet in the Catskill Mountains. Extreme heat forced almost one-third of the field to drop. Kehr Davis returned for her fourth win, this time in 15:08, and Stephen Lange was nearly an hour in front with an 11:03 winning time. Full results.
Call for Comments
I taught Czech ninth graders “text messaging in English” on Friday, and SMH is definitely how I feel about this past weekend’s races. What acronym describes your weekend feels?
