The 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile kicked off at noon Friday, pitting runners against a grueling course packed full of arduous climbs and monstrous descents through the mountains surrounding Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Unique in the ultrarunning world, Run Rabbit Run has two divisions: elite “Hares” and everyday-runner “Tortoises.”
While anyone may enter either division, the Hare division has specific stipulations — the cutoff time is shorter, runners may not use poles or pacers, and are ineligible for Tortoise awards.
The high-altitude race attracts some of the best ultrarunners in the nation — in no small part due to the total $75,000 in prize money to be disbursed among top finishers in the Hare division. The course includes climbs of the 10,568-foot Mount Werner, Buffalo Pass, and Emerald Mountain, for a total of 22,000 feet of elevation gain.
With autumn weather well underway in Steamboat Springs, and frigid night temperatures crushing spirits, many runners opted to drop at the 50-mile mark, Olympian Hall, also one of the lowest points of the course. Many who had previously been in competitive spots till this point dropped out, including Kyle Pietari, champion of the 2019 men’s Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile, and Sarah Keyes. Lead male runners began streaming across the finish line a little more than 18 hours after setting off from Steamboat Springs, while women began finishing after 20 hours elapsed.
Alpenglow on the 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile course. All photos: Paul Nelson/Trail Junkie Photos
2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile Women’s Results
Addie Bracy finished first among the women with a time of 20:23:53. Bracy established a pace early on that saw her consistently ahead of the competition and finish with a 37-minute lead over Alissa St Laurent, who crossed the finish line in second place at 21:01:18. Bracy finished about seven minutes behind the course record time of 20:16:54, set in 2013 by Michele Yates. Emily Caldwell came across the finish in third at 21:19:18, 18 minutes behind St Laurent.
Addie Bracy, the 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile women’s champion, crosses the finish line.
The top-10 women included:
- Addie Bracy – 20:23:53
- Alissa St Laurent – 21:01:18
- Emily Caldwell – 21:19:18
- Arden Young – 22:39:56
- Abigail Levene – 22:58:28
- Nicole Bitter – 23:12:54
- Jaquie Mannhard – 24:37:35
- Jazmine Lowther – 24:41:05
- Amelia Boone – 26:26:55
- Becky Bates – 27:04:02
2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile Men’s Results
Dave Stevens was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 18:01:45, after what had been a tight run with second-place finisher Anthony Costales, who crossed the line a bit more than 38 minutes later at 18:39:51. The pair stuck within a few minutes of each other for most of the race. Stevens was up by about three minutes at the seventh checkpoint, but pulled ahead by 10 minutes into the eighth, and continued to pull ahead until the finish.
Jeff Mogavero crossed the line in third place at 18:48:00, just more than 46 minutes behind the winning pace, followed closely by Nick Coury, who finished a quick 34 seconds later in a sprint to the finish (as fast as one can sprint after running 100 miles)!
Dave Stevens, the 2021 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile men’s champion, crosses the finish line.
The top-10 men’s finishers include:
- Dave Stevens – 18:01:45
- Anthony Costales – 18:39:51
- Jeff Mogavero – 18:48:00
- Nick Coury – 18:48:34
- Mark Hammond -19:08:54
- Julien Chorier – 19:32:48
- Jesse Rich – 20:40:24
- Morgan Elliott – 20:45:19
- Shawn Smith – 21:13:31
- James Bishop – 21:23:15
The men’s course record of 17:15:20, which was set by Jason Schlarb in 2013, remains unbeaten.
Nick Coury earlier in the race. Nick finished just 34 seconds behind Jeff Mogavero in a sprint to the finish.
