We’re into July, and it’s a bummer about how fast the summer is going. This week, though, we’ve got more from the Skyrunner World Series, the World Mountain Running Association World Cup, the Cirque Series, Minnesota, and Montana.
Cordillera Blanca Skyrace – Huaraz, Peru
Things happen quick in the Skyrunner World Series. This was the year’s sixth series race and this painmaker went for 26 kilometers and with 2,000 meters of elevation. Peru swept nearly the entirety of the podium on their home course.
Men
The men ran close. Jose Manuel (Peru) launched to the finish in 2:27, only 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Gustavo Buitrago (Colombia). It was only another 96 seconds before third-place Nestor Ruffini (Peru) finished in 2:29.
Women
Trinidad Aguierre (Peru) escaped off the front toward a 3:11 first-place finish. Second- and third-place Rosalía Zegarra (Peru) and Ana María Pineda (Peru) dueled to 3:19 and 3:21 finishes.
Full results (when available).
Cirque Series – Snowbird, Utah
The first Cirque Series race for 2023 was 8.7 miles with 3,566 feet of elevation gain on a course that picked up a summit of 11,068-foot Mount Baldy. Race winners each earned $1,000 in cash.
Men
Christian Allen topped Mount Marathon Race course-record holder David Norris to win the men’s race. It was Allen’s second-straight win here and he finished in 1:19, two minutes slower than in 2022.
Norris finished in 1:22, and Joseph Demoor was third in 1:23, 56 seconds behind Norris.
The competitive field included recent U.S. national team members Garrett Corcoran and Jackson Brill too in fourth and fifth at 1:26 and 1:27, respectively.
Women
Janelle Lincks led the professional field with a 1:39 finish. She was second last year when running six minutes faster. Annie Dube and Megan Drake ran 1:42 and 1:45 for the other two podium spots.
It was a close race behind Lincks. Gabrielle Orie and Sarah Carter were just off the podium in 1:47 and 1:49.
The next Cirque Series race is July 15 in Brighton, Utah.
Québec Mega Trail – Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Canada
The event’s 11th edition included 3,000 runners from 12 different countries across 10 different races, all on deep-woods trails dipping in and around the Saint Lawrence River.
Kevin Biggs (Canada) won the 100-mile race in 20:17, over 90 minutes better than second place. Women’s winner Kelsey Hogan (Canada) finished in 24:34, successfully defending her crown from last year and breaking her own course record.
After a slow start, Urko Larranaga (France) overtook Sylvain Camus (France) and won the 110k in 13:51. Camus was second in 14:14. Geneviève Asselin (Canada) was alone at the front of the women’s race in 15:14.
Over 80k, it was Ryan Patteson (Canada) and Mylene Sansoucy (Canada) in 9:08 and 10:09.
Mylene Sansoucy, the 2023 Québec Mega Trail 80k women’s winner. Photo: Québec Mega Trail
Jean-Philippe Thibodeau (Canada) and Amélie Simard (Canada) won the 50k race in 4:55 and 5:54, respectively. Thibodeau broke his own course record with the run.
The 25k was part of the Golden Trail National Series for Canada and the U.S. men’s winner Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau (U.S.) was nearly seven minutes in front at 1:48, and Anne-Marie Comeau (Canada) became a repeat winner in 2:07.
Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau, the 2023 Québec Mega Trail 25k men’s winner. Photo: Francis Fontaine
Anne-Marie Comeau, the 2023 Québec Mega Trail 25k women’s winner. Photo: Francis Fontaine
Zermatt Marathon – Zermatt, Switzerland
Marathon
The marathon ran almost entirely uphill, passing Zermatt near halfway, and finishing higher up for 1,944 meters (6,378 feet) of gain.
Benedikt Hoffmann (Germany) was a five-plus minute winner in the men’s race at 3:05, and Laura Hottenrott (Germany) was even further ahead. Hottenrott finished in 3:26, almost 15 minutes better than her closest chaser. Hottenrott was fourth in the World Mountain Running Championships Uphill race last month.
Half Marathon
The accompanying half marathon started in Zermatt and shared the marathon’s finish line. It climbed 1,336 meters, or 4,383 feet. The half marathon too was part of the Golden Trail National Series for the Germany-Austria-Switzerland subset.
Men’s winner Jonas Soldini (Switzerland) topped out in 1:33 for first. Sven Koch (Germany) and Fabian Aebersold (Switzerland) were second and third in 1:36 and 1:37, respectively.
Emma Pooley (U.K.) won the women’s race in 1:52, outpacing second-place Anja Kobs (Germany) by seven minutes. Franziska Althaus (Germany) was just over a minute back of Kobs in third at 2:00.
Montemuro Vertical Run – Castro Daire, Portugal
The 10k race with 1,090 meters of gain was a World Mountain Running Association World Cup race. Runners from 14 different countries took part.
Men
Canadian runners Alexandre Ricard and Remi Leroux kept their European tour going, and finished first and second for the second-straight week. Ricard took the win in 54:54 and his countryman was second in 56:07. Alex Baldaccini (Italy) was third in 57:26.
Alexandre Ricard wins the 2023 Montemuro Vertical Run. Photo: WMRA/Marco Gulberti
Women
When the real climbing started late, Scout Adkin (U.K.) outpaced defending champ Joyce Njeru (Kenya) for the women’s win. Adkin finished in 64:08 and Njeru was second in 66:20. Third-place Lucy Wambui (Kenya) topped out in 69:13.
Scout Adkin takes the win at the 2023 Montemuro Vertical Run. Photo: Marco Gulberti
Additional Races and Runs
Olympus Mythical Trail – Lotochoro, Greece
The 110k race was limited to a small field of just 150, and was run on a loop around Mount Olympus totaling 7,200 meters (23,622 feet) of elevation gain. Antoine Guillon (France) is here every year. Second in 2022, third in 2021, and first in 2018, the now 53-year-old won again, closing the loop in 16:24. Panagiota Dimakakou (Greece) won the women’s race in 24:24. Full results.
Balcons De Cauteret – Cauterets, France
Robin Bonduelle (France) and Jocelyne Pauly (France) were victors in 4:37 and 5:17. Neither race was particularly close. Bonduelle won by 30 minutes, and Pauly was over an hour faster than the second-place woman. Full results.
Stubai Ultratrail – Stubai, Austria
Stubai, we know that place! It was just last month that the world’s best raced here at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running World Championships. Over 68k this weekend in the local race, Christian Stern (Austria) and Marie-Luise Mühlhuber (Germany) won in 8:05 and 9:16. Full results.
Australian 24-Hour Track Invitational – Bruce, Australia
They put some big numbers up down under. Michael Hooker totaled 260.400 kilometers, or 161.8 miles, and women’s winner Alicia Heron ran 225.200 kilometers, or 139.9 miles. Full results.
Bob Marshall Trail 50k – Seeley Lake, Montana
The race takes place just outside of the remote Bob Marshall Wilderness. Hunter Machus and Cara Uribe won the tour in 3:58 and 5:18. Full results.
Vail Hill Climb – Vail, Colorado
Ryan Sederquist and Maggie Berry won the 7.7-mile race in 55:31 and 67:29, respectively. Full results.
Afton Trail 50k – Hastings, Minnesota
Alex Forte ran a quick 3:39 for 50k, and women’s winner Erica Mitchell finished in 4:36 for the Afton State Park course. Tyler Jermann and Erin Green won the 25k in 1:31 and 2:09. Full results.
Call for Comments
In baseball, players have walk-up songs. Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” is the league’s most popular choice, but I think Charlie Blackmon from the Colorado Rockies using “Your Love” is the best. So what if we did that in ultrarunning, at major events, maybe at UTMB? Whether on the start line or at a pre-race media event, what are some walk-up songs you’d like to see for ultrarunning’s top stars? Can we agree that this question needs to be a part of the iRunFar interview series for the Hardrock 100? What would Courtney Dauwalter’s walk-up song be for Hardrock? What about Dylan Bowman?
