Fast times in Illinois featured this week, and we rounded up other scattered results from around the country, too, visiting Colorado and California, as well as Georgia and Tennessee. Have a great Monday, friends.
Tunnel Hill 100 Mile — Vienna, Illinois
Tunnel Hill 100 Mile is the place to run fast. The 100-mile run totals just 1,400 feet of elevation gain.
Women
In April, Stefanie Flippin ran 14:35 to win the year’s USATF 100 Mile Road National Championships. She won again, and crushed that finish time, too. Flippin’s Tunnel Hill win came in 14:04 in a blazing fast time. She improved immensely on her last finish here, which she won in 15:55. Flippin set her 50-mile best en route too, splitting 6:36. And that’s not all! She’s registered for the Brazos Bend 100 Mile in Texas in just three weeks. That race is the USATF 100 Mile Trail National Championships.
Second and third in the 100-mile race were Mandie Holmes and April Woo with 16:50 and 17:05 finishes, respectively.
Michelle Hurn won the 50-mile race in 7:03. Erin Furimsky and Alyssa Larsen were second and third in 7:24 and 7:32, respectively.
Men
The men’s race was to be a showdown between Taggart VanEtten and Zach Bitter, but Phil Young stole the show. Just third with 20 miles to go, Young pulled even with daylong leader Bitter at mile 97, and put over three minutes on him over the final three miles. Young, a running store owner in Iowa, won in 12:44 and Bitter was second in 12:47. Young split 5:59 for 50 miles to Bitter’s 5:47. Bitter’s 2018 course record stands at 12:08.
Jacob Moss, part of the current U.S. 24-hour team, was a close third in 12:54. The race is believed to be only the second time in history when more than two runners have run under 13 hours in the same 100-mile race.
VanEtten dropped near mile 70. This race was a week after having run a 2:22 marathon.
Samuel Day was the 50-mile champion in 6:22, with Danny Chester and Andrew Jellema taking second and third in 6:38 and 6:43 respectively.
Additional Races and Runs
La Veni Vici — Nîmes, France
550 runners raced the 67k race. Lorraine Robin and Emmanuel Gault, both of France, came out on top in 7:08 and 5:22. Full results.
Mt. Tam Trail Run 50k — Stinson Beach, California
Inside Trail Racing crowned Amy Cameron as its 50k winner in 4:54. David Sinclair edged Drew Holmen for the men’s prize. The two ran 3:47 and 3:48, just over a minute apart. Both finished just under a longstanding course record. There was a $1,000 prize purse for the event. Full results.
Revel Half Marathon — Big Bear, California
Melissa Kapels and Jimmy Grabow can really run downhill. This half marathon drops 3,161 feet, and the pair won in 1:21 and 59:53, respectively. Ian Sharman took second in the men’s division in 1:05. Full results.
Pass Mountain 50 Mile and 50k – Mesa, Arizona
It’s November, but temperatures still reached over 80 degrees Fahrenheit at Usery Mountain Regional Park. Thea Foss Van Ahnen and Nick Coury won the race’s inaugural 50-mile distance in 12:25 and 7:41. In the 50k, it was Michelle Katchur Roberts and Brian King with the wins in 5:08 and 4:41. Full results.
Kessel Run Ultra — Fruita, Colorado
It was the first year for Mad Moose Events Kessel Run Ultra. Siobhan Pritchard and Jacob Cordell won the 50-mile race in 9:49 and 8:12, and Kate Le Vasseur and AJ Haney won the 60k in 6:32 and 5:31. Full results.
AJ Haney (right) and Jason Schlarb came in first and second at the 2021 Kessel Run Ultra 60k in Fruita, Colorado. Photo: Sarah Lavender Smith
Siobhan Pritchard won for women at the 2021 Kessel Run Ultra 50 Mile in Fruita, Colorado. Photo: Mad Moose Events
Franklin Mountains Trail Run — El Paso, Texas
The Trail Racing Over Texas event had three straight days of racing. Cassady Allen and Michael Bursum won the 50k in 8:41 and 6:54, and Megan Eckert and Matt Preslar won the 100k in 14:23 and 13:55. Full results.
Jennifer Fuester-Reynolds climbs a rocky slope during the 2021 Franklin Mountain Runs 50k. Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas
Dogwood Canyon 50k — Springfield, Missouri
Part of the Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series, Sarah Waterman and Joe Lyons won this race in 4:46 and 4:15. Full results.
The Stinger 24-Hour Race – Locust Grove, Georgia
During an event that hosts a 24, 12, and 6 hour event, the all-comers meet was open to everyone, including eight-year old Miles Johnston. According to his father David, “Most kids these days think of running as punishment; Miles says it’s his favorite thing to do. Last year at Stinger…he asked if he could run it next year. He set his own goal of making it 50 miles. My wife and I set up a nice comfy, warm sleeping tent for him to get on and off the track as he pleased.” Miles did manage to make it 50 miles – great job Miles! He was the youngest runner by seven years; the next oldest was 15 years old. Full results.
Stone Mill 50 Mile — Montgomery Village, Maryland
Kristen Kelman won the women’s race in 8:10, and finished fourth overall. Men’s winner Nicolas Crouzier ran 6:56. Full results.
Upchuck 50k — Chattanooga, Tennessee
The longtime Upchuck 50k celebrated Kari Laramore and race local Mac Dean as winners in 5:38 and 4:45. Full results.
Sky to Summit 50k — Sky Valley, Georgia
Aden St. Charles and Daniel Linkinhoker won the Run Bum event in 6:11 and 4:51, respectively. The loop course gained 7,500 feet of elevation. Full results.
Pocantico Hills Marathon — Sleepy Hollow, New York
The inaugural Pocantico Hills Marathon ran in Rockefeller State Park with Hudson River views. Margaret Frank won the women’s race in 3:41 and David Hedges topped the men in 2:51. Full results.
Next Weekend
After a few weeks of fewer races than earlier in the summer, we are looking to a bunch of big upcoming races. There’s the 59th JFK 50 Mile in Maryland and the first Golden Gate Trail Classic in California.
iRunFar will be at the Madeira Island Ultra-Trail, a 115k (72 miles) race on the Portuguese island. Look for Sabrina Stanley (USA), Hillary Allen (USA), Pau Capell (Spain), and Dmitry Mityaev (Russia) to be among the lead runners there. Read our in-depth preview for more.
Call for Comments
- What racing fun can you add to this week’s column in the comments below?
