This week and next, the trail running focus is in Europe. Austria had a pair of entries to this year’s column and ascends to the big stage next week for the combined World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai. Even so, we bring you results from around the world, including all over the U.S. Happy Monday!
Hochkönig Skyrace – Maria Alm, Austria
High country snow forced an alternate course for the year’s third Skyrunner World Series race. The new track went for 34 kilometers but with 2,900 meters (9,514 feet) of elevation gain and still on a very technical route. The race had runners from 30 different countries and it looks like it was quite the scene with a fog machine at the start line and a giant pretzel among the winner’s prizes.
Women
Iris Pessey (France) and Emma Cook-Clarke (Canada) traded the lead early, but by the course high point Pessey had asserted herself. She carried a five-minute lead to the finish in 4:23. Cook-Clarke chased to a 4:29 second-place finish, and Giulia Pol (Italy) was less than a minute back in third at 4:30.
The 2022 overall series winner Lindsay Webster (Canada) opened her season with a fourth-place 4:32.
Iris Pessey, the 2023 Hochkönig Skyrace women’s winner. Photo: Brian Sharp Creates
Men
Late entrant Esteban Olivero (France) crushed the downhill to jump from fifth to first. He finished in 3:39, exactly one minute up on second place Gianluca Ghiano (Italy). Shoma Otagiri (Japan) was third in 3:41 and only 30 seconds behind the runner up. As tightly bunched as that lead group of three was, they were over eight minutes in front of the fourth-place finisher.
The next Skyrunner World Series race is the 43k contest at Ultra Skyrunning Madeira in Portugal on June 17.
Esteban Olivero on his way to winning the 2023 Hochkönig Skyrace. Photo: Brian Sharp Creates
Additional Races and Runs
Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival – Innsbruck, Austria
A week before the big World Mountain Running and Trail Running World Championships, the host city was already on the trails. Sandra Saitner (Germany) and Dmitry Mityaev (Russia) won the 85k in 12:33 and 9:41. Juliane Robler (Austria) and Janosch Kowalczyk (Germany) championed the 65k at 6:25 and 5:12. And Ekaterina Mityaeva (Russia) and Sven Koch (Germany) led the 42k in 5:50 and 4:54. Full results.
Trail du Saint-Jacques by UTMB – Saugues, France
The event dates back to 2012 and this year’s version included three ultra distance races. A big field of 558 runners started the 126k (78 miles), and at the finish it was Maggy Bouisse (France) and Duncan Perrillat (France) in 17:23 and 13:08. Going for 75k (46 miles), Aurélie Paul (France) and Matthieu Simon (France) led the group in 8:11 and 7:12, and at 46k and just longer than the marathon distance, Mathilde Sagnes (France) and Konstantinos Paradeisopoulos (Greece) won in 3:49 and 3:17. Full results.
Swiss Canyon Trail – Couvet, Switzerland
Just like in so many big European races, there were three ultra distance races here too. Audrey Virgilio (Switzerland) won the 111k (69 miles) in 13:17, alongside men’s winner Francesco Cucco (Italy) and his 11:13 finish. Marion Roucher (France) and Antonin Marecaille (France) took the 81k crowns in 10:22 and 7:36, and Karine Travaillaud (France) and Enzo Ratti (France) were the day’s best at 51k in 5:07 and 3:50, respectively. Full results.
Vashon Island Ultramarathon 50k – Vashon Island, Washington
Vashon Island sits at 37 square miles in Puget Sound and Kristi Williams and Jeffrey Barrington saw almost all of it over 50k in 4:15 and 3:42. Full results.
Cape Mountain 50k – Florence, Oregon
Abigail Stockamp and Henry Kibit went 5:14 and 5:00 at the top of the 47-person field. Full results.
Spence Mountain Run 50k – Klamath Falls, Oregon
Women’s winner Kayla Rutland finished in 6:05, but men’s frontrunner Gerad Dean was way out in front of everyone. His 4:39 was over an hour faster than anyone else in the small group of 16 finishers. Full results.
Marin Ultra Challenge – Sausalito, California
Pauline Loulier grabbed the women’s 50-mile win in 8:40, and Canhuo Luo (China), building towards Western States, edged out Dylan Bowman in the men’s race, 7:19 to 7:21. Jennifer Schmidt and Robert Ressl won the 50k in 4:03 and 4:00, respectively. Full results.
San Diego 100 Mile – Lake Cuyamaca, California
Michelle Buncke was the women’s winner in 22:07, and men’s champ Makai Clemons set a new course record in 16:27. Full results (when available).
North Fork 50/50 – Pine, Colorado
In the Buffalo Creek area about an hour southwest of Denver, Brianna Williams and Eric Holmstead were victorious over 50 miles in 11:08 and 8:04, and Colleen Noonan and Justin Snair won the 50k in 5:05 and 4:23. Full results.
Texas Trail Running Festival – Spicewood, Texas
Camille Herron was the women’s winner of the trail marathon in 3:49, and men’s winner Zach Ricks finished in 4:30. Full results.
Mohican 100 Mile – Loudonville, Ohio
Christine Partain and James Solomon held day-long leads at Ohio’s longtime 100 miler. The two finished the four-lap race in 25:07 and 17:02. Full results.
World’s End Ultramarathons – Forksville, Pennsylvania
There are big waterfalls and bigger views at World’s End State Park and in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains. Justyna Wilson took in 50 miles of the rugged course in 13:54, only 41 seconds better than second-place Jill Dennes. Men’s winner Reagan McCoy finished in 11:46. The 50k leaders Lisa Fisher and Justin Scheid ran 6:23 and 5:21, respectively. Full results.
Old Dominion 100 Mile – Woodstock, Virginia
The longtime 100-mile race dates clear back to 1979. Meg Landymore and Mitch Ables won this year’s run in 19:36 and 18:34. Full results (when available).
Capital Backyard Ultra – Lorton, Virginia
This one went all of last weekend and into Tuesday, May 30, before Jennifer Russo missed a time cutoff and Scott Snell was declared the race winner. Snell totaled 312.50 miles over 75 hours, and Russo went one hour and one lap fewer with 308.33 miles. Russo’s result was the furthest a woman’s ever run in a backyard race. The two finished first and second in 2022 here too when Snell totaled 254.15 miles and Russo ran 250.0 miles. Full results.
Connecticut Ultra Traverse – Southwick, Massachusetts
A group of 12 made it 112 miles across Connecticut. Jessica Crandall and Jacques Saarbach set new event records at 29:46 and 25:40. Full results.
War Eagle Trail Running Festival – Rogers, Arkansas
Run at Hobbs State Park and on Osage, Choctaw, Quawpaw, and Cherokee ancestral land, the race dates back to 2006. This year’s 50k winners were Meghan Lewis and Thomas Graham in 4:59 and 4:05, respectively. Full results.
Call for Comments
The second-ever combined World Mountain and Trail Running Championships are next week in Austria, and iRunFar’s going to be there. Some of the U.S. teams have shuffled due to injury, but I’m anticipating these races and this coverage. The men’s and women’s 80k previews are up already.
