Fresh off the heels of a week off*, TWIR gets right down to business this week with a look at a handful of events taking place on the weekend of Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. There are plenty of events to choose from, including the Diez Vista 50k Trail Run (Port Moody, British Columbia), Mad City 100k/50k (Madison, Wisconsin), American River 50 Mile (Sacramento, California), McNaughton Park Trail Runs (Pekin, Illinois), Lumber Jack Endurance Run (Port Gamble, Washington), Chippewa Moraine 50k (New Auburn, Wisconsin), Peterson Ridge Rumble (Sisters, Oregon), Brew to Brew 44 Mile Solo and Relay Run (Kansas City to Lawrence, Missouri), and Mt. Si Relay & Ultra Runs (Snoqualmie, Washington). Yet, this week we will look at only two events, the Bull Run Run 50 Mile (Clifton, Virginia), and the Labor of Love 100 Mile (Las Vegas, Nevada).
We begin with a beautiful, tough run on the Bull Run Trail in Northern Virginia, the 18th Bull Run Run. The run’s unique character includes a Civil War theme that respects the battles that occurred here many years ago, including a competition between runners from the North and the South. The course is a double out-and-back with a loop on the end of the second out-and-back that utilizes all but .3 miles of the Bull Run Trail (as well as the White Loop and the infamous Do Loop). The race has a 13-hour time limit. In addition to the overall cut-off, four Jumping Castle aid stations have cut-off times (Fountainhead first pass, Do Loop first pass, Fountainhead second pass and Bull Run Marina second pass). The course records are held by Tom Nielsen (6:17:24 in 2004) and Anne Riddle Lundblad (7:31:17 in 2008). In the 2009 edition, Leigh Schmitt (6:31:14) took first, besting Glen Redpath (6:49:22) by about 18 minutes. Amy Sproston (7:34:05) dominated the women’s race, besting second place finisher Kimberly Drake (8:31:57) by nearly an hour. Schmitt and Drake are both registered for the 2010 event; Redpath and Sproston are not.
The brand new Labor of Love 100 Mile (with 50 mile, 50k, marathon, 1/2 marathon and 10k options, as well) kicks off this weekend in Lovell Canyon, Spring Mountains N.R.A., Las Vegas, Nevada. Starting and finishing at Lovell Canyon Road (elevation 4,500 feet), runners will experience high desert vegetation, including Joshua Trees, Pinion-Juniper, Mountain Rose, Sagebrush, and a relatively lush Toiyabe National Forest. The road twists and turns through the canyon, “a true treasure of the Spring Mountains N.R.A.” Yes, it is a road 100-miler. The race follows the paved Lovell Canyon Road as it twists and turns over rolling terrain. An 11-mile stretch of the road is run out-and-back 4 times (total 88 miles). A shorter out-and-back along the same stretch completes the 100-mile distance. Pacers are allowed after 44 miles. The race has about 8,000 feet of elevation gain and a 32-hour cut off.
[Trail Goat Note: What Tony failed to mention is that in his “week off” he ran a 100 mile PR at the Umstead 100. His time of 19:24 also gives him the fastest 100 mile time of any regular iRunFar contributor. Congratulations, Tony! You can read Tony’s Umstead race report on his website.]
