Ah geez, we did it again and overloaded this column with too much good stuff. There was the Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB, the Breakneck Point Trail Marathon which served as the USATF Trail Marathon National Championships for this year, the Strolling Jim 40 Mile, and a lot of other fun to share.
Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB – La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
iRunFar brought the Transvulcania details early. The premier race ran across the island for 72 kilometers (44 miles) and with 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) of elevation gain.
72k
Women
Italy’s Martina Valmassoi led the first-five women under the 10-hour mark. Valmassoi was out front in 9:09. Edyta Lewandowska, of Poland, and Meg Mackenzie, from South Africa, came next in 9:21 and 9:28. Valmassoi won last year’s TDS race as part of the big UTMB Mont Blanc weekend, and Lewandowska is a 2:33 marathoner going back to 2008.
Michelle Buncke was the top American woman in fifth at 9:59.
The 2023 Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB women’s podium (left-to-right): 2. Edyta Lewandowska, 1. Martina Valmassoi, and 3. Meg Mackenzie. Photo: Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB
Men
Men’s winner Dakota Jones won here way back in 2012, then famously laying a rose on a defeated Kilian Jornet at the finish. Eleven years later, Jones, now an island legend, was victorious again in 7:02. French runner Damien Humbert and Andreas Reiterer, from Italy, were second and third in 7:10 and 7:17.
Americans Jeff Mogavero and Tim Tollefson were seventh and eighth in 7:32 and 7:39.
The 2023 Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB men’s podium (left-to-right): 2. Damien Humbert, 1. Dakota Jones, and 3. Andreas Reiterer. Photo: Transvulcania Ultramarathon by UTMB
50k
South Africa’s Toni McCann and Spain’s Dimas Pereira won the shorter race in 4:49 and 4:20.
Breakneck Point Trail Marathon – Beacon, New York
The marathon was both the USATF Trail Marathon National Championships and a national team selection race. The top-two finishers each earned spots on the U.S. team that will compete in the Trail World Championships’s 45k short course race in Austria in June. Race winners each won $1,000 too, uniquely paid in singles.
Women
Brittany Charboneau and Bailey Kowalczyk went 4:46 and 4:49 at the front of the race. Charboneau is the national champ, and that backs up a runner-up spot at the USATF 50k Road National Championships earlier this year.
Klaire Rhodes was third in 4:50, part of a big group that all ran better than Stef Bishop’s 2020 5:17 course record.
Men
One national team wasn’t going to be enough for Garrett Corcoran. He made the U.S. vertical team last weekend and came back for more. Corcoran won here in 3:55. Looking ahead to June, the vertical and 45k short course races will happen on back-to-back days at worlds.
Jackson Brill, despite finishing with a bloodied shoulder and chest, was second in 4:00.
Lars Arneson took third, and, as with the women’s race, all of the top finishers ran better than the old course record. That group included fourth-place finisher Max King as he too went faster than his own 4:11 course record from 2022.
Full results (when available).
Margaret River Ultramarathon – Wilyabrup, Australia
A huge field of 1,500 runners raced the sixth annual 80k race. The course goes point-to-point along the coast in western Australia.
Jayme Berman (Australia) and Petra Jerejian (Czech Republic) ran close with 7:49 and 7:55 first- and second-place finishes, and Kirsten Buist (Australia) was third in 8:12.
Jayme Bergman winning the 2023 Margaret River Ultramarathon. Photo: Astrid Volzke/Photos4Sale
Joshua Chugg (Australia) repeated as men’s champ, and broke his own course record by four minutes with a 6:36 finish. Richard Schwalb (Australia) and Sjoerd Algera (The Netherlands, lives in Australia) were a distant second and third in 7:24 and 7:44.
Joshua Chugg, the 2023 Margaret River Ultramarathon men’s winner. Photo: Astrid Volzke/Photos4Sale
Cocodona 250 Mile – Flagstaff, Arizona
Not many races grab our fascination like this one. The point-to-point race went on a diverse path from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff. iRunFar earlier covered the greater race excitement.
250 Mile
Women
Third a year ago, Sarah Ostaszewski won this year’s race in 72:50. That’s about 11.5 hours faster than in 2022. Her time looks to be the third-year event’s second fastest finish ever too, though the courses have changed each year.
Aliza Lapierre and Mika Thewes were second and third in 77:04 and 78:27, respectively.
Sarah Ostaszewski, 2023 Cocodona 250 Mile champion (center), along with her crew. Photo courtesy of Sarah Ostaszewski.
Men
Michael McKnight won in 69:41. McKnight was second in 2022 in a 65-hour finish.
Josh Perry did the adventure in 70:57 and Michael Greer was third in 72:47.
Michael McKnight at a 2023 Cocodona 250 Mile aid station with some of his crew. Photo courtesy of Michael McKnight.
125 Mile
The event’s Sedona Canyons race went on the back half of the longer route. That took runners from Jerome, through Sedona, to the common finish in Flagstaff. Rachel Buzzard and Jeff Browning won in 33:22 and 25:29, respectively.
Additional Races and Runs
Tillamook Burn Trail Run – Timber, Oregon
Lotti Brinks set a new 50-mile course record in 7:52, and men’s winner Mack Robertson was barely in front at 7:45. Full results.
Miwok 100k – Stinson Beach, California
The iconic race went for 11,800 feet of gain with views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Tamalpais, redwoods, and coastline. The first couple of hours of the race happened in light rain. Sarah Clark won the women’s race in 10:54, and Zachary Sonoga was men’s winner in 9:26. Full results.
Salt Lake Foothills 50k – Salt Lake City, Utah
Madison Armonda and Richard Wolferz won the inaugural event in 4:53 and 4:28. Full results.
Collegiate Peaks Trail Run – Buena Vista, Colorado
Melissa Tencza and Matthew Warriner won the two-lap 50-mile race just east of town in 9:49 and 8:13, and Georgia Porter and Brian Whitfield led the 25 miler in 3:20 and 3:03. Full results.
Quad Rock 50 Mile – Fort Collins, Colorado
Anna Fisher and Ryan Montgomery were the 50-mile race winners in 9:31 and 7:42. Montgomery identifies as non-binary but competed in the men’s division. Jenna Bensko and Ryan Gil took the 25-mile crowns in 4:17 and 3:36. Full results.
Strolling Jim 40 Mile – Wartrace, Tennessee
This year’s race lacked the star power of recent years, but Allison Mercer got to second overall in 4:57, a time that ranks fourth-best ever. Mercer was second in 2022 when Camille Herron broke a longstanding course record. Men’s winner Dan Green finished in 4:18. Full results.
Grayson Highlands – Mouth of Wilson, Virginia
The Run Bum Tours race happens at Grayson Highlands State Park, a place best known for its wild mini horses. Laura Matacia and Thomas Adam won the 50k race in 5:15 and 4:21. Full results.
Rock the Ridge 50 Mile – New Paltz, New York
The technical upstate challenge celebrated Lisa Schwartz and David Stawski as winners in 7:46 and 7:22. Full results.
Call for Comments
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