Welcome back to another edition of This Week In Running, brought to you in part by iRunFar.com, your source for mud, mountains, miles and so much more. This week’s edition of TWIR will preview a few of the races on tap for the weekend of January 24 and 25, 2009. But first, let’s take a look at what transpired at last week’s featured race, the H.U.R.T. 100 Mile Endurance Run.
It was the northerners that prevailed on the tropical rain forest trails at the 9th running of the H.U.R.T. 100 Mile Endurance Run. Several men battled it out in the early stages of the race, until Geoff Roes of Douglas, Alaska took the lead for good around the 32.8 mile mark, on route to a course record finish. Roes kept his 100-mile winning streak alive, and has now won all four (4) 100-mile events that he has participated in (Resurrection Pass 100, Wasatch 100, Susitna 100, and H.U.R.T.). Tracy Garneau of Vernon, British Columbia led the entire way to take the women’s title, besting defending champion Suzanna Bon. Here’s a look at the top finishers :
Men
1. Geoff Roes, 32, Douglas, AK 20:28
2. Dan Barger, 43, San Jose, CA, 24:13
3. Paul Hopwood, 45, Kihei, HI, 24:22
4. David Goggins, 33, Chula Vista, CA 25:28
5. Zach Gingerich, 29, Aurora, IL 27:43
Women
1. Tracy Garneau, 39, Vernon, BC 27:43
2. Suzanna Bon, 44, Sonoma, CA 30:32
3. Monica Scholz, 41, Jerseyville, ON 34:54
4. Brenda Yim, 50, Honolulu, HI 35:46
It is fairly quiet on the race front this weekend. There are, however, a few events to note, starting with the Home for the Children Benefit 50k Trail Run in Warda, Texas. This is a semi-supported race, all of the proceeds of which go to a foundation that provides aid to orphanages and child protective agencies in the United States and Mexico. The aid stations will be stocked with water, Gatorade, fruit, chips, and some weird lookin’ staff. The course is 4 laps with a total elevation gain/loss of 325 feet per lap. The trails are a combination of sand, gravel, roots, and pine forest that is 70% shaded.
Also taking place this weekend is the Mountain Mist Trail Run (50k) in Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, Alabama. You can expect anything at this event, including cancellation due to inclement weather as the mountain has been known to ice over. Temperatures can range from 10 to 70 degrees Farenheit. The course consists of extremely rocky mountain trails, mud, and creek crossings, which includes 3,526 feet of climbing. There is a vertical climb on the course that requires the use of your upper body.
There are a few marathons to choose from this weekend, including the following:
Saturday, January 24
Habitat for Humanity Diamond Valley Lake Challenge (Hernet, CA)
Sunday, January 25
Callaway Gardens Marathon (Pine Mountain, GA)
Carlsbad Marathon (Carlsbad, CA)
Maui Oceanfront Marathon (Lahaina, Maui, HI)
ING Miami Marathon (Miami, FL)
You can, of course, click on any of the marathons listed above and peruse its website for more information.
That will wrap things up for this week. Be sure to stop by iRunFar.com next week for another edition of This Week In Running !
