Kia ora and pura vida, friends.
We’ve got New Zealand, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, and West Virginia among the far off places in this week’s rundown.
Tarawera by UTMB – Rotorua, New Zealand
102 Mile
A field of 450 runners started the 102-mile run that totaled 17,946 feet of elevation gain.
Konoka Azumi (Japan) led the women in 18:24. Chantelle Smith (Australia) and Chrissi Faber (Germany) were second and third in 19:55 and 21:15, respectively.
Konoka Azumi, the 2024 Tarawera 100 Mile women’s winner. Photo: Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB
The front three men were all under 16 hours, and the breakaway group was over an hour better than the fourth-place finisher. Men’s winner Adrian MacDonald (U.S.) came in at 15:00 to lead everyone. Samuel Harvey (New Zealand), perhaps best known for his backyard ultra runs, was second in 15:29, and Mike Carroll (Australia) ran 15:37 for third.
Adrian MacDonald, the 2024 Tarawera 100 Mile men’s winner. Photo: Cameron McKenzie
102k
iRunFar earlier shared the greater race dynamics.
Ruth Croft (New Zealand) led for the entirety of the women’s race toward a 9:14 finish. That’s seven minutes better than her own 2021 winning time. Second-place Beth McKenzie (U.S., lives in Australia) finished in 9:38, and Nikki Everton (New Zealand) was third in 10:26.
Ruth Croft on her way to winning the 2024 Tarawera 100k. Photo: Cameron McKenzie
[From 2016 to 2018, Beth McKenzie (nee Gerdes) served a two-year doping sanction after testing positive at the 2016 Ironman Australia for ostarine, a prohibited selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
Daniel Jones (New Zealand) repeated as men’s winner with a 7:46 finish. That’s a ways off his 7:27 2023 winning time. Justin Grunewald (U.S.) and Matthew Healy (South Africa) were second and third in 8:25 and 8:58.
Daniel Jones, the 2024 Tarawera 100k men’s winner. Photo: Cameron McKenzie
50k
Women’s leader Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) nearly broke the four-hour mark with her 4:01 finish. Kate Avery (New Zealand) and Robyn Lesh (U.S.) were second and third in 4:09 and 4:13, respectively.
Ronnie Sparke (U.K.) won a close men’s race against Charlie Hamilton (Australia). The pair ran 3:30 and 3:34, and Yutaro Yokouchi (Japan) was third in 3:38.
Jackpot Ultras – Las Vegas, Nevada
The event hosted the USATF 100-Mile Road National Championships on a 1.17-mile loop. There was a $4,000 prize purse with $1,200 to each of the winners.
Women
Ashley Paulson was lightning quick in the women’s race. She won in 14:04. This means she has the sixth fastest 100-mile PR among North Americans now. Paulson quietly ran 14:37 at the late December 2023 Across the Years 100 Mile, and she’s registered for May’s 2024 Cocodona 250 Mile. Lauren Jones was really fast too in 14:46 for second, and Sierra DeGroff ran 16:38 for third.
[Ashley Paulson served a six-month doping sanction, in 2015 and 2016, due to a doping violation in a triathlon for a positive test for ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
Men
It was his 100-mile debut, but Rajpaul Pannu rolled the dice and won big with an 11:58 finish. That looks like he now has the second-fastest PR among North Americans. Defending champion Jonah Backstrom was second in 14:11 and Nick Eiben was third in 15:58.
Additional Races and Runs
Seville Marathon – Seville, Spain
The race was really fast and none of these runners got on the podium, but let’s check in on mountain, trail, and ultrarunners who were there. Tereza Hrochová (Czech Republic) ran 2:26:38 and likely got a spot on the Czech team for the 2024 Olympic Marathon. She was eighth at the 2023 World Mountain Running Championships Up and Down race in Austria. Further back, Emily Schmitz (U.S.) ran 2:49. She was seventh at the 2023 Trail World Championships 80k. And over on the men’s side, we didn’t see Petro Mamu (Eritrea) on the trails last year, but he ran a pair of road marathons in 2:10:22 and 2:09:57, and he ran a new personal best 2:08:01 at age 38 in Seville. [In 2017, Mamu failed two doping tests, after both the World Mountain Running Championships and the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships. He was given a nine-month ban starting in September of 2017 by the IAAF for testing positive for fenoterol.] Full results.
Challenge in the Clouds by Ultra-Trail de Mexico – Xicotepec, Mexico
Karina Carsolio (Mexico) and Max King (U.S.) won the 48-kilometer race in 5:38 and 4:36, respectively. Full results.
Coastal Challenge – Costa Rica
It was the race’s 20th year and the longer of the two course options totaled 242k (150 miles) over six days. Katie Young (U.K.) and Cody Lind (U.S.) totaled 35:30 and 25:57 to finish the adventure first. Full results.
Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon – Queenstown, New Zealand
On New Zealand’s South Island, Charmaine Salvage (Australia) and Daniel Trevena (New Zealand) won the marathon distance run in 7:00 and 5:10. Full results.
9 Dragons – Hong Kong
Flora Wing Yee Ching (Canada) and Wai Hung Wong (Hong Kong) won the 50-mile race in 14:18 and 10:55, and 50k winners Naomi Fung (Hong Kong) and John Ray Onifa (Philippines) finished in 8:21 and 6:05. The combined race, for racers who completed both distances back-to-back, was won by Angie Yan (Hong Kong) in 20:22 and Kristian Joergensen (Denmark, lives in Philippines) in 17:05. Full results.
Susitna 100 Mile – Big Lake, Alaska
Meg Inokuma had a clear win in 25:48, almost five hours ahead of anyone else. Bryce Williams won the men’s race in 32:24. Tracking.
Fragrance Lake 50k – Bellingham, Washington
Maria Dalzot just missed the course record in 5:48 and men’s winner Brendan Scott did set a new course best in 4:53. Full results.
Hagg Lake Mud Runs – Forest Grove, Oregon
The 50k champs, along with all the runners, reportedly experienced the namesake mud. Susan Oh and Jake Dennie came through in 4:36 and 3:46, respectively. Full results.
FOURmidable 50k – Cool, California
Helen Mino Faukner and Reed Breuer were victorious in 4:21 and 3:56. Full results.
Sylamore Trail 50k – Allison, Arkansas
Frontrunners Sam Pruitt and Jake Anderson finished in 5:27 and 4:21. Full results.
Cabin Fever 50k – New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
The third-year race had 253 finishers, all led by Vivian Cami Bobbitt and Logan Kerby in 4:50 and 4:11. Full results.
Holiday Lake 50k – Appomattox, Virginia
Elizabeth Chikotas scored a win and new course record in 4:00. That’s 13 minutes than the old best. Chikotas ran 2:43 at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials two weeks ago. Jared Coccia won the men’s race in 4:02. Full results.
The Raven 24 Hour – Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Colleen Drahos and Pat Hasler are at the top of the rankings with 130 and 133 miles, respectively. Full results.
Forgotten Florida 100 Mile – Christmas, Florida
Despite rainy weather and muddy trails, Jill Dennes set a new course record at 19:36 for the third year run. And men’s winner Chris Miller did that too. His 15:26 was almost three hours better than the old record. Full results.
Next Weekend – Transgrancanaria – Gran Canaria, Spain
The event has several races running over multiple days, but the Classic distance takes off at 11:59 p.m. local time on Friday, February 23. The 126k (78 miles) island traverse packs in 6,804 meters (22,322 feet) of elevation gain. The race is the year’s third World Trail Majors event too.
Women
- Courtney Dauwalter (U.S.) – 1st 2023 Transgrancanaria
- Azara García (Spain) – 1st 2021 Transgrancanaria
- Ida-Sophie Hegemann (Germany) – 3rd 2023 Istria by UTMB 100 Mile
- Aroa Sio (Spain) – 2nd 2023 Ultra-Trail Cote d’Azur 122k
- Dominika Stelmach (Poland) – 2nd 2022 Black Canyon 100k
- Claudia Tremps (Spain) – 3rd 2023 Transgrancanaria
- Ildikó Wermescher (Hungary, lives in Germany) – 1st 2022 Andorra by UTMB 105k
Courtney Dauwalter winning the 2023 Transgrancanaria Classic 128k. Photo: Transgrancanaria/Jordi Saragossa
Men
- Zach Miller (U.S.) – 2nd 2023 UTMB
- Miguel Arénsio (Portugal) – 2nd 2023 Transgrancanaria
- Pau Capell (Spain) – 5th 2023 Transgrancanaria
- Miguel Heras (Spain) – 2nd 2023 Ultra Pirineu 100k
- Beñat Marmissolle (France) – 2nd 2023 Hardrock 100
- Andreas Reiterer (Italy) – 2nd 2023 Trail World Championships 80k
- Seth Ruhling (U.S.) – 6th 2023 CCC
- Jia-Sheng Shen (China) – 4th 2023 Western States 100
- Andreu Simon (Spain) – 1st 2023 Transgrancanaria
- Aleksei Tolstenko (Russia) – 1st 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile
Andreu Simon leading Abel Carretero during the 2023 Transgrancanaria Classic 128k. Photo: Transgrancanaria/Jordi Saragossa
Call for Comments
- Is Courtney Dauwalter primed for another year of domination? We’ll find out soon!
- Who else are you looking at on that Transgrancanaria entrants list for a great run?
