The Mountain Running World Cup Finals took place this weekend in Italy! Check out our Saturday VK race results, Sunday trail race results, and interviews with series champs Patrick Kipngeno and Scout Adkin.

Third Annual AJW’s Taproom Year In Ultrarunning Rankings: 2013

AJW’s Taproom 2013 Ultrarunner of the Year awards.

By on December 27, 2013 | Comments

AJWs TaproomFor the past two years (end of 2011, end of 2012), I have posted some year-end ultrarunning awards. Now, I would like to introduce the Third Annual AJW’s Taproom Year in Ultrarunning Rankings.

These are not scientific in any way and the criteria was made up entirely by me. They represent a selection of North American racers competing in events in the U.S. and abroad. It, in no way, represents an exhaustive study nor does it pretend to be fully representative of all that occurred in 2013, so, take it or leave it. In addition, the selections in each category are not in any specific order:

Female Ultrarunner of the Year

 Male Ultrarunner of the Year

Female Race of the Year

Male Race of the Year

Female Surprise of the Year

  • Pam Smith

Male Surprise of the Year

  •  Zach Bitter

Female Rookie of the Year

  •  Michele Yates

Male Rookie of the Year

  • Rob Krar

And, I thought a couple of new categories would be appropriate this year:

FKT of the Year

Race Series of the Year

Until next week,

Bottoms up!

AJW’s Beer of the Week
Hardywood Gingerbread StoutThis week’s Beer of the Week comes from one of the Taproom’s favorite breweries, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, Virginia. This little, boutique brewery produces some outstanding seasonal varieties and the headliner of those is their Christmas stout, Gingerbread Stout. Neal Gorman gave me a 25-ounce bottle of this year’s version the other day and I must say it was extraordinary. Complex flavor, even body, and a smooth finish make this a prime holiday choice. But, if you want some you’ll have to wait until next year as they’ve already sold out for this year.

 Call for Comments (from Meghan)

  • Who is your pick for female and male Ultrarunners of the Year as well as female and male Performances of the Year? Be sure to tell us why, too!
  • Who do you think surprised our community with a breakout performance or two in 2013?
  • And, in those non-single-race categories AJW introduced, do you agree with his picks? Who might you add to those lists?
  • (From Bryon) What’s your beer of the year?
Andy Jones-Wilkins

Andy Jones-Wilkins is an educator by day and has been the author of AJW’s Taproom at iRunFar for over 11 years. A veteran of over 190 ultramarathons, including 38 100-mile races, Andy has run some of the most well-known ultras in the United States. Of particular note are his 10 finishes at the Western States 100, which included 7 times finishing in the top 10. Andy lives with his wife, Shelly, and Josey, the dog, and is the proud parent of three sons, Carson, Logan, and Tully.