The Georgia Death Race came alive for its 11th year, Camille Herron shined in Australia, and the Gorge Waterfalls 50k is on deck for next weekend. That’s some of what we’ve got this week!
Georgia Death Race 74 Mile – Blairsville, Georgia
The point-to-point race goes from Vogel State Park to Amicalola Falls State Park, with 16,000 feet of elevation gain in north Georgia. Runners uniquely carry a one-pound railroad spike when racing and drop it in a coffin at the finish.
Women
Jana Fridrichova just missed the course record but scored victory in 15:37. She was four minutes back of the 2021 event record. Fridrichova got to second overall against the men’s field too. She often races, totaling at least 11 ultra finishes in 2022, and has the May 20 Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile next up on her calendar.
Second and third place were Monique Ramras and Cera Jones, followed in 16:14 and 16:48, respectively. Those two now rank third and fourth on the race’s all-time chart too.
Jana Fridrichova on her way to winning the 2023 Georgia Death Race 74 Mile. Photo: Run Bum
Men
Men’s winner Chris Crowley outpaced the next man by almost an hour. Crowley was way up front in 15:12. That was good enough to get him to seventh on the race’s historical charts.
Chris Crowley (center), the 2023 Georgia Death Race 74 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Run Bum
It was a lot closer after that, with Tristan Baxendale coming in second in 16:08 and Michael Klein running 16:16 for third.
Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Festival – Bruce, Australia
Camille Herron went on a record smash, and she did it despite sometimes heavy rain on a 400-meter track. iRunFar covered the feat separately. Herron hit 100k in 8:50, 100 miles in 14:41, 200 miles in 33:35, and set all kinds of intermediate, age group, surface, and American records along the way. The one that most mattered — the 48-hour world record — is hers now, thanks to a 270.5-mile total over the 48-hour period. Jo Zakrzewski (U.K.) previously held the world record with 255.7 miles.
It was just five weeks ago that Herron ran 12:52 for 100 miles at The Raven 24-Hour race in South Carolina, and up next, she’s got the Silver State 50 Mile on the calendar for May 20 as she turns toward the June 24 Western States 100.
Camille Herron at the 300-kilometer mark in her successful attempt at running a 48-hour world record at the 2023 Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Festival in Australia. Photo: Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Festival
The first man in the 48-hour race was Joffrid Mackett (Australia), and he totaled 183.3 miles.
Three Peaks Mountain Race – Dunedin, New Zealand
The original 26k race picks up Flagstaff, Swampy, and Mt. Cargill peaks, and the 55k distance adds Pulpit Rock too. The longer race was the New Zealand short course trail running championships.
26k
Ruth Croft and Harry Wager were race winners in 2:35 and 2:08. Wager was 13 minutes in front of everyone else.
55k
Katie Morgan took the women’s championship in 5:48. Margie Campbell and Naomi Brand followed in 5:54 and 5:59.
Men’s winner Weston Hill was off the front in 4:54. Daniel and Oak Jones were second and third in 5:15 and 5:19, respectively.
Additional Races and Runs
Lyon Urban Trail – Lyon, France
Blandine L’Hirondel (France) and Sébastien Spehler (France) won the 37k race in 3:01 and 2:34. Full results.
Badger Mountain Challenge – Richland, Washington
The event included three ultra distance races. Michaela Trenidad and Ihor Verys (Canada) won the 100 miler in 18:57 and 15:44. Erin Brunner and Jesse Lang won the 50-mile race in 9:02 and 7:22, and Alex Borsuk and Jeff Lampert won the 55k in 5:28 and 4:48. Full results.
Owyhee Off-Road Challenge – Adrian, Oregon
There were just 27 55k racers, and Jessica Barker and Anthony Jacobs were the fastest in 5:34 and 4:25. Full results.
Run4Kids 48 Hour Running Party – Corona, California
Official results haven’t yet hit the web, but social media shows that Jake Jackson ran 15:05 for 100 miles overnight on a half-mile loop. Full results (when available).
Crown King Scramble 50k – Phoenix, Arizona
YiOu Wang and Scott Traer were race winners in 4:55 and 4:06. Full results.
Behind the Rocks Ultra – Moab, Utah
Addie Bracy and Jonathan Rea won the 50k in 4:32 and 3:51, and Rea scored a new 50k course record by only 10 seconds. Annie Hughes was the 50-mile winner in 7:41, and Scott Mehring took the men’s win in 8:54. Full results.
Prairie Spirit Trail – Ottawa, Kansas
Michelle Leduc (Canada) and Walter Handloser pushed to 18:35 and 18:07 100-mile winning times, and Sara Ibbetson and Colin Langfitt won the 50k in 3:46 and 3:16. Full results.
Chicago Lakefront – Chicago, Illinois
Rachel Burke and Carson Gill covered 50k along Lake Michigan in 3:58 and 3:29. Full results.
Clinton Lake 30 Mile – DeWitt, Illinois
Renee White and Trevor Giampa went the fastest in 5:35 and 4:30. Full results.
Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker – Old Fort, North Carolina
The first-year race had 50-mile and 55k races, and the 50-mile race went over three 6,000-foot peaks. Sabrina Stanley led the women’s 50 mile in 10:15, and race locals David Hedges and Drew Antonisse ran 8:08 and 8:09 for the men, only 56 seconds apart. Katti Jackson and Drew Marshall set the inaugural 55k records in 6:51 and 5:55, respectively. Full results.
Next Weekend – Gorge Waterfalls – Cascade Locks, Oregon
There are 100k, 50k, and 30k races on the weekend, but the Sunday 50k looks best primed for front-end competition. The course runs mostly point-to-point, with a 1,400-foot climb in the first two miles followed immediately by a 1,200-foot drop. There’s a $5,000 prize purse for the 50k, with $1,250 to each winner.
Women
- Sophie Anders – 2nd 2022 Never Summer 60k
- Katie Asmuth – 3rd 2023 Way Too Cool 50k
- Heather Jackson – 2nd 2023 Black Canyon 100k
- Catrin Jones (Canada) – 1st 2018 Squamish 50k
- Meghan Morgan – 3rd 2023 Black Canyon 100k
- Emma Page Patterson – 1st 2021 Sage Burner 50k
Men
- Clint Anders – 3rd 2022 IMTUF 100 Mile
- Ryan Becker – 2nd 2023 Way Too Cool 50k
- Matt Daniels – 6th 2022 JFK 50 Mile
- JP Giblin – 2nd 2022 Leadville Trail 100 Mile
- Dakota Jones – 1st 2022 Javelina Jundred
Call for Comments
The calendar’s flipping to April, so is it spring where you’re running?
