Doi Inthanon National Park, the Gobi Desert, and the Perpetua Coast are among the far-off places featuring this week.
We also have the usual roundup of smaller races throughout the U.S.
Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB – Nice, France
Ultra Trail Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur
The event’s long course went 99 miles and with nearly 27,000 feet of elevation gain. A field of 576 started the race that weathered overnight rain. Men’s winner Cristofer Clemente (Spain) outlasted women’s winner Courtney Dauwalter (U.S.) for the overall crown. Clemente ran 21:22 to Dauwalter’s 21:35. Clemente was over an hour better than the second-place man and Dauwalter was over five hours better than the second-place woman. Dauwalter’s year wraps with additional wins at the Transgrancanaria 126k, the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile, and the Hardrock 100.
Courtney Dauwalter and Cristofer Clemente, the 2024 Nice Côte d’Azur 100 Mile by UTMB winners. Photo: Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB
Eze-Nice
Three weeks after winning the Wildstrubel by UTMB 50k race, Jon Albon (U.K., lives in Norway) doubled back for another go at the distance. He took the 34 miles and its roughly 7,000 feet of climbing in 4:15. Sylvia Nordskar (Norway) scored a five-minute win over Camilla Magliano (Italy) in the women’s race. The two finished in 5:08 and 5:13, respectively.
Ultra Pirineu – Bagà, Spain
Ultra Pirineu 100k
Dmitry Mityaev bounced back from a drop at UTMB to win here in 10:27. Mityaev’s been on the podium here several times and won the race in 2019. Abel Carretero (Spain) and Raul Butaci (Romania) were second and third in 10:35 and 10:44.
Women’s winner Julie Roux (France) came through in 12:30, and Ekaterina Mityaeva edged out Gemma Arenas (Spain) for second, 12:38 to 12:41.
Marato Pirineu
It was the third year in a row for Robert Pkemoi Matayango (Kenya) at the top of the men’s race. His 3:30 finish was two minutes slower than last year’s winning time. Alex García (Spain) was second in 3:41 and Segi Garcia Terrones (Spain) was third in 3:42.
Spanish runners led the women’s race with Julia Font finishing just ahead of Rosa Lara Feliu for the win. The two were only 91 seconds apart in 4:05 and 4:06. Oihana Kortazar was third in 4:17.
Šmarna Gora – Ljubljana, Slovenia
It was the 45th year for the 10k uphill race. The race climbs in the first 4k, drops down, and then climbs again to its finish point. It was again part of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup.
Kenyan runners dominated the men’s race and took the top four positions. Race winner Richard Omaya Atuya scored a new course record in 41:30. That was two seconds better than Alex Baldacinni’s record time that went clear back to 2012. It was Omaya Atuya’s third WMRA win of the year. Paul Machoka and Michael Seleo Saoli were second and third in 42:05 and 42:31.
Richard Omaya Atuya wins the 2024 Šmarna Gora in a new course record. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
Women’s series leader Joyce Muthoni Njeru (Kenya) took the women’s crown in 49:43. Scout Adkin (U.K.) chased to second in 50:13 and Philaries Jeruto Kisang (Kenya) was third in 52:52. Adkin won the Šmarna Gora Record 2k uphill sprint the night before the longer race.
Full results (when available).
Winner Joyce Muthoni Njeru greets second-place woman Scout Adkin at the finish of the 2024 Šmarna Gora. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Marco Gulberti
Inthanon Skyrace – Chiang Mai, Thailand
The 31k race inside Doi Inthanon National Park and it was the year’s 16th Skyrunner World Series race. The course took runners to the summit of Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand.
Anastasia Rubtsova (Russia) won the women’s race in 3:40, finishing fourth overall. It was Rubtsova’s fourth Skyrunner World Series win of the year. It wasn’t close. Second-place Marcela Vašínová (Czech Republic) was 27 minutes off the lead pace in 4:07, and Aberash Mulata Amana (Ethopia) was third in 4:14.
Anastasia Rubtsova, the 2024 Inthanon Skyrace women’s winner. Photo: Antton Guarest/@_guaresti_
Skyrunning rookie Rongchao Gu (China) led for all of the men’s race and won in 3:23, but just barely edged out Iurii Shtankov (Russia) by 29 seconds. Raul Criado (Spain) was third in 3:34.
Rong-Chao Gu, the 2024 Inthanon Skyrace men’s winner. Photo: Antton Guarest/@_guaresti_
Additional Races and Runs
Ultra Gobi – Gobi Desert, China
It was the 19th year for the 121k, three-day stage race. There was a team contest too, but individually there were 143 finishers and Yong-Gang Xiong (China) was the first man to finish the desert adventure in 13:17. We couldn’t find any information on the female winner, but let us know in the comments if you know who that was. The Ultra Gobi 400k race started on October 6 with 54 runners and is still happening. Full results (when available).
Middle Fork Trail Run 50k – North Bend, Washington
Ricardo Hoffman and Emily Frith were first to finish in 4:56 and 5:31. Full results.
Perpetua Coast 50k – Yachats, Oregon
Matt Daniels reset the course record with a 3:46 finish and Sarah Clark won the women’s race in 5:24. Full results.
Mt. Baldy 5000 – Mt. Baldy, California
The second annual race went 5k up the slopes of the Mt. Baldy Resort. Jack Radinsky and Helen Mino Faukner won in 28:20 and 28:41. Full results (when available).
Cuyamaca 100k – Julian, California
Greg Miller and Catherine Castro Villicana won the 100k race in far southern California in 11:02 and 12:49. Full results (when available).
Spooner’s Cove 50k – Los Osos, California
The coastal race crowned Wyatt Barrett and Michaela Joerger as winners in 6:18 and 6:21. Full results.
Arches Marathon 50k – Moab, Utah
The Mad Moose Events race saw Denver Blatter and Chelsey McKenna win its long course in 4:18 and 6:07. Full results.
DC Peaks 50 – Kaysville, Utah
Grant Barnette scored a win over Zachary Garner in the men’s 50 miler. The two ran 7:35 and 7:47. Sabrina Stanley championed the women’s race in 8:52. Barnette and Stanley both set new course records for the fourth-year race. Full results.
Above the Clouds Ultra 50k – Woodland Park, Colorado
Finish times haven’t yet hit the web, but Nathan Moody and Stefani Flippin won the high altitude run. Full results (when available).
Hennepin Hundred Mile – Sterling, Illinois
They go fast at the Hennepin Hundred Mile. Reese Slobodianuk sprinted to a 13:14 men’s win and Wendy Krause led the women in 19:10. Phil Young was way out front in the 50 miler in 5:54 and Deana Nyenhuis championed the women’s race in 8:11. Young won last year’s race too. Full results.
Shawnee 50/50 – West Portsmouth, Ohio
The races are in the Shawnee State Forest on some of Ohio’s most remote trails. The 50-mile winners Taton Bertsch and Tara Maurice ran 7:45 and 10:30, and Alex Gold and Kelly Burt were best in the 50k in 3:56 and 5:51. Full results.
Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile – Perryville, Arkansas
Brendan Connell repeated as men’s winner with a 15:08 finish, and Ashley Nordell bettered her 2023 runner-up finish to win this year in 20:39. Nordell also won here in 2019. Full results.
Call for Comments
Did you catch anything else on the weekend to add in the comments?
