We looked all over and we’re bringing the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile and a bunch of other U.S. races to this week’s column. It’s getting late in the year, but there’s still plenty of racing happening.
Tunnel Hill 100 Mile – Vienna, Illinois
100 Mile
With 31 seconds to spare and in difficult conditions with cold temperatures and snow, Jill Wojta ran under 15 hours. Officially Wojta clocked 14:59:29. It was the race’s fourth-fastest finish ever, and just outside the U.S. all-time top-10 list for 100 miles. It’s a big step up from the 16:04 that Wojta ran to win the Hennepin Hundred Mile in October 2021 too. Wojta split 7:08 through halfway.
Jill Wojta, 2022 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile champion. Photo: Chad Colson/Colson Photography
Second and third weren’t close to the runaway winner, but they were to each other. Chari Gay and Rhandi Orme got on the podium with 18:12 and 18:14 finishes.
The 2021 winner Phil Young scored a repeat win. Young’s 13:32 2022 winning time didn’t match last year’s fast finish, but the champion was out there alone at the front this year. Young split 50 miles in 5:53 while pacing toward a sub-12-hour finish.
Phil Young, 2022 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile winner. Photo: Chad Colson/Colson Photography
Second- and third-place Randy Taylor and Matthew Novak both were well under the 15-hour benchmark too with 14:29 and 14:49 finishes.
50 Mile
Caitlin Jones led the women’s 50-mile field in 7:03. Nikki Harvey wasn’t far behind in second at 7:17 and Mary Beth Strickler was third in 8:04.
Rajpaul Pannu ran away from the men’s field toward a 5:08 winning time. Ford McElroy and Corbin Lehn gave chase, albeit from a long way back, in 6:02 and 6:08 for second and third.
Additional Races and Runs
La Veni Vici – Uzès, France
The second-year race ran 70 kilometers point to point, tracing a historic aqueduct path. Nathalie Dubois (France) and Emmanuel Gault (France) were both runaway winners in 7:52 and 5:49. Full results.
Everest Trail Race – Kathmandu, Nepal
The six-day stage race covers 170k (105 miles) and in its 10th year, Phurwa Sherpa (Nepal) and Miguel Heras (Spain) are the overall leaders with two stages to go.
Grand Ridge Trail Run 50k – Issaquah, Washington
Brittany Kealy and Ryan Woolley went 6:21 and 4:31 for the wins. Full results.
Run the Rock 50 Mile – Terrebone, Oregon
The event toured Smith Rock State Park, and Michelle Buncke and Blake Slattengren were the fastest over 50 miles in 8:04 and 7:18. Full results.
Michelle Buncke on the way to winning the 2022 Run the Rock 50 Mile. Photo: James Holk
Blake Slattengren, 2022 Run the Rock 50 Mile champion. Photo: James Holk
Mt. Tam Trail Run 50k – Stinson Beach, California
Amy Cameron dipped under five hours and Gabriel Kline dipped under four hours at the Inside Trail race. Cameron’s 4:58 was the day’s best for the women, and Kline’s 3:58 topped the men’s group. Full results.
Pass Mountain Trail Runs – Mesa, Arizona
Aravaipa Running’s latest went off from Usery Mountain State Park. Courtne McIntosh and Adam DeBrosse won the 50 miler in 10:26 and 8:38, and Bella Ward and Bryce Brooks won the 50k in 5:20 and 4:07. Full results.
Kessel Run Ultra – Fruita, Colorado
Michelle Kent won the 50-mile women’s race in 8:40. August Ollrich was the first men’s runner to finish in 9:10. Jacquie Mannhard and Zachary Russell were the best over 60k in 6:19 and 6:14. Full results.
The route of the 2022 Kessel Run Ultra. Photo: Mad Moose Events
Loop the Lake 50k – Munroe Falls, Ohio
Amanda Jamil and Aiman Scullion won the race around Munroe Falls Metro Park in 3:50 and 3:19, respectively. Full results.
Stone Mill 50 Mile – Montgomery Village, Maryland
Heather Dougherty and Nicolas Crouzier came through first in 8:29 and 7:21. Full results.
Nicolas Crouzier (left) and Heather Dougherty resting tired legs after their wins at the 2022 Stone Mill 50 Mile. Photo courtesy of Stone Mill 50 Mile.
MDT Challenge – Darlington, Maryland
Both course records fell at the fifth running of the seven-mile race. Katie O’Regan got there in 1:08:48 and Matt Lipsey overcame a wrong turn to win in 56:12. Full results.
Pocantico Hills Marathon – Sleepy Hollow, New York
Diana Mitova and Michael Bielik won the second-year race inside Rockefeller State Park, tackling the hilly carriage trail course in 4:04 and 3:24. Wendy Locke and Richard Ma led the half marathon in 1:48 and 1:41. Full results.
Upchuck 50k – Chattanooga, Tennessee
Kari Laramore and Mac Dean won in 5:28 and 4:42 and Laramore’s time was a new course record. The race ran a challenging path point to point on the Cumberland Trail. Full results.
Eastern Divide 50k – Pembroke, Virginia
Stephanie Snow raced to a 5:08 win and Brad Popple dipped under the 4-hour mark by 10 seconds with a 3:59 first-place finish. The course tracks point to point through the highlands of southwest Virginia. Full results.
Stinger’s All-Comers Track Ultra – Locust Grove, Georgia
Carissa Liebowitz and Sho Gray totaled 108.69 and 127.51 miles over 24 hours on a 400-meter track. Full results.
World’s Toughest Mudder – Alabama
Kris Rugloski and DJ Fox were the 24-hour race’s winners, but further down a few names familiar to trail running and ultrarunning finished. Tyler Veerman was third at this year’s Run the Rut 28k, and was second at World’s Toughest Mudder. And then Nick de la Rosa was sixth. Let us know of any other trail runners and ultrarunners who participated. Full results.
Call for Comments
- What else did you see or hear about this weekend?
- Leave a comment to share results from your neck of the woods.
