The men’s 80-plus age-group bracket at last weekend’s 2023 USATF 100-Mile Road National Championships offered exactly the excitement and inspiration that we all need: a close finish with four of the five octogenarian runners crossing the finish line. The race was part of Aravaipa Running’s 2023 Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival.
David Blaylock, age 80, staged a comeback at the Henderson, Nevada, race, passing Edward Rousseau, age 83, in the final five miles to lock in a time of 29 hours, 47 minutes, and 29 seconds. Rousseau stayed strong and followed up with a second-place age-group finish in 30:09:08, just over 20 minutes behind the winner.
A video posted on Aravaipa Running’s Twitter account showed Blaylock doffing his cap and pointing a finger up into the blue Nevada sky as he entered the finishing chute before landing in the arms of his family.
David Blaylock is the 2023 @usatf 100 Mile 80+ National Champion in 29:47:29 @usatf_mut pic.twitter.com/eSjMlgL0no
— Aravaipa Running (@AravaipaRunning) March 4, 2023
Also racing in the bracket were Ian Maddieson, age 80, Denis Trafectanty, also age 80, and Todd Leigh, age 81. Maddieson and Trafectanty crossed the finish line in the 38th hour, while Leigh pulled out of the race with a heartbreaking seven miles remaining. All five runners are highly experienced ultrarunners. Before the event, it was reported that the men’s 80-plus age-group bracket might be the “most intriguing race of the weekend,” which rang true.
Over on the elite side, Jonah Backstrom was first of the men at 14:11:03, with Sierre DeGroff sealing victory in the women’s race in 15:59. Our March 6, 2023, This Week In Running article covers the Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival’s front-of-the-pack finishes in more depth.
David Blaylock crossing the finish line at the 2023 USATF 100 Mile Road National Championships, the first men’s 80-plus age-group finisher. Photo: Aravaipa Running
