Call it the dog days of winter. There’s just not a lot of racing happening right now. We’re still mining, though, and dug up some racing gems in Alabama, California, and Utah, among other places.
Mountain Mist 50k – Huntsville, Alabama
A big field of 434 runners took off at the start of the 29th Mountain Mist 50k, and they finished under a banner held up by two giant skeletons.
Women
Only the top four women finished under six hours on the challenging Monte Sano State Park course, and Sara Gibson was the fastest in 5:31. Holly Adams and Gibson Kelley followed in 5:47 and 5:51, respectively.
Men
The top four men all crossed over from Tennessee. Nathan Holland led the group in 4:16, and Mac Dean was 10 minutes back in 4:26 for second. Kevin Barrett ran 4:28 for third.
David Riddle had won the last six men’s races but did not race this year.
Additional Races and Runs
Oman Desert Marathon – Bidiya, Oman
Still happening in last week’s report, the four-stage 165-kilometer race finished on Tuesday, January 24.
Both races saw a bit of an upset, with Corina Sommer (Switzerland) leading Aziza El Amrany (Morroco) and Aziza Raji (Morocco). The trio finished in 19:39, 19:46, and 20:28.
Corina Sommer, the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon women’s champion. Photo: Oman Desert Marathon/iancorless.com
Mohamed El Morabity (Morocco) beat older brother Rachid El Morabity (Morocco) in the men’s race, 14:13 to 14:41. The two generally finish in the reverse order in the similarly styled Marathon des Sables.
Mohamed El Morabity, the 2023 Oman Desert Marathon male winner. Photo: Oman Desert Marathon/iancorless.com
Orcas Island 50k – Orcas Island, Washington
Rainshadow Running’s island traverse saw Maria Dalzot and Tyler Green finish on top. Dalzot clocked 5:23, and Green finished in 4:17, and both times marked new course records for the current route. Green was said to have been prepping for next month’s Transgrancanaria race. Full results.
Maria Dalzot, the 2023 Orcas Island 50k women’s champion. Photo: Somer Kreisman
An airborne Tyler Green on his way to winning the 2023 Orcas Island 50k. Photo: Somer Kreisman
Sean O’Brien – Malibu, California
Lauren Mitchell and Ben Eysenbach took the 100k wins in 11:58 and 9:02. Jennifer Benna and Nick Allen came through 50 miles in 9:54 and 8:25, and Hayley Bricker and Benjamin Atkins were the best over 50k in 6:24 and 4:44. Full results.
Arches Ultra 50 Mile – Moab, Utah
Mad Moose Events sent its runners off in the dark, and a short bit later, they had some big views just outside of the race’s namesake national park. Jenny Wilson and Timberlin Henderson won the 50-mile race in 8:51 and 7:23, and Madison Armonda and Anthony Costales won the 50k in 4:34 and 3:41. Full results.
Sun Marathon – Santa Clara, Utah
Badwater 135 Mile course record holder Ashley Paulson won the Sun Marathon in 2:49. Men’s best Jaden Wursten finished in 2:54. The race drops 2,600 feet. [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).] Full results.
The Urban Ultra 50k – Dallas, Texas
Issy Nielson and Ronald Sandusky led the city tour in 5:04 and 4:52. Full results.
Running the Rose – Tyler, Texas
Going through Tyler State Park, Jenni Ashcroft and Matthew Taylor finished their 108k race in 15:55 and 11:35, and Mallory Meredith and Josh Heimbach finished the 54k first in 5:32 and 4:19, respectively. Full results.
Willis River 50k – Cumberland, Virginia
The race was run lowkey and with limited support. Elizabeth Chikotas and Nicholas Wirz finished at the top in 5:07 and 4:35. Full results.
Chehaw Challenge – Albany, Georgia
The 50-mile and 50k races went on 10-mile loops. Long course winners Anna Calcaterra and Vic Aponte finished in 9:07 and 7:44, and 50k best Lisa Danner and Patrick Whitehead did three loops in 7:43 and 4:42. Full results.
Monroe Cross Trail 50 Mile – DeBary, Florida
The second annual race went point-to-point on paved paths. Lee Beem and Bill Shires championed the 50-mile race in 8:56 and 7:27, and Melissa McGinn and Vinny Wood won the 50k in 4:36 and 4:55. Full results.
Clearwater Running Festival 50k – Clearwater, Florida
It was a big weekend for ultrarunning in Florida. This is their season. The 50k race happened as part of a marathon event. Samantha Provencher and Nick Berkel won in 4:11 and 3:34. Full results.
Skydive Ultras – Clewiston, Florida
The unique novelty event promised a two-mile freefall to start races of different distances. Joanne Furu and Andrew Crawford went for 50 miles in 12:31 and 8:29, and Christina Kitzler and Harley Hunt were the fastest to cover 100 miles with 28:03 and 27:32 finishes. Full results.
Beast of Burden 50 and 100 Mile – Lockport, New York
The 50 mile race was won by Mercedez Hathcock and Daniel Goldstein, in 8:41 and 7:14, respectively. No women raced the 100 miler, which Peter Flood won in 17:42.
The start of the 2023 Beast of Burden 100 Mile. Photo courtesy of Beast of Burden 100 Mile
Call for Comments
That’s all we could find! What other racing was out there that you took part in?
