The Javelina 100 Mile, Skyrunner World Series, and Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra are about as different as they come. And that race diversity is part of what I love about writing this column.
Happy Monday, running friends!
Javelina 100 Mile – Fountain Hills, Arizona
The race was a Western States 100 Golden Ticket Race with two entries up for grabs. The Halloween-themed race is run on a five-loop course.
Men
Until Dakota Jones ran 12:58 at last year’s race, no one had ever run under 13 hours at Javelina. This year the top-three men did just that.
Jonathan Rea won the race and set the new course record at 12:43. Rea was second in 2022 here in 13:05, and then finished 14th at the Western States 100 in June 2023. The win here assures him a trip back in 2024.
Second-place Blake Slattengren finished in 12:58, only five seconds back of Jones’s former course record. It was Slattengren’s 100-mile debut after a bunch of U.S. Pacific Northwest shorter ultras, including a runner-up spot at the 2023 Gorge Waterfalls 100k. Slattengren, like Rea, accepted the Golden Ticket.
Ryan Montgomery, who identifies as non-binary but races in the men’s division, was only 59 seconds behind Slattengren at 12:59 for third.
Women
Last year Heather Jackson made her ultra debut here with a 15:42 fifth-place run that still ranked as 10th-best ever. This year Jackson ran strong for the entirety of the race and finished in 14:24. That’s the race’s second-fastest run ever. Jackson started the 2023 Western States 100 but didn’t finish. She accepted the Golden Ticket for a return trip in 2024.
Second-place Ragna Debats (Netherlands, lives in Spain) finished in 14:55, the race’s sixth-best run ever. She was third at the Western States 100 in 2021. Debats accepted her Golden Ticket.
Riley Brady, who identifies as non-binary but races in the women’s division, was third this year in 15:29. Brady was last year’s runner up in 14:45.
Limone Xtreme Skymasters – Limone Sul Garda, Italy
After 13 races, the 2023 Skyrunner World Series finished the season here. The SkyMasters contest brought some of the top runners from 20 different countries to a 22-kilometer race totaled 2,055 meters of elevation gain. That’s 13.67 miles and 6,742 feet.
Men
Roberto Delorenzi (Switzerland) led from the jump and won in 2:23.
Downhill ace Manuel Merillas (Spain) closed hard and finished just 31 seconds back, also in 2:23. Antonio Martínez (Spain) was third in 2:25.
Roberto Delorenzi, 2023 Limone Xtreme Skymasters champion. Photo: Antton Guaresti
Martínez won the overall series and pocketed €20,000 in prize money.
Antonio Martínez celebrating after becoming the 2023 Skyrunner World Series winner. Photo: Antton Guaresti
Women
Sara Alonso (Spain) hadn’t yet raced in this year’s Skyrunner World Series, but gained a wild card entry and took full advantage of it. Alonso raced in front from start to finish and won in 2:56.
Karina Carsolio (Mexico) flew down the final descent to move into second in 3:00, and third-place Olivia Magnone (France) finished in 3:02.
Sara Alonso, 2023 Limone Xtreme Skymasters champion. Photo: Antton Guaresti
Only fourth in this race, Clementine Geoffray (France) was the series’s overall winner, and like men’s winner Martinez, she too won €20,000.
Clementine Geoffray on her way to becoming the 2023 Skyrunner World Series winner. Photo: Philipp Reiter/The Adventure Bakery
Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra – Bell Buckle, Tennessee
It was phenomenal what the backyarders did in Tennessee. The race, which was the world championships of backyard ultrarunning, had an elite field of 75 runners from 40 different countries. iRunFar earlier covered the event.
Three men — Harvey Lewis (U.S.), Ihor Verys (Ukraine, lives in Canada), and Bartosz Fudali (Poland) — all went past the previous world record, then held by Phil Gore (Australia) at 102 yards. Fudali stopped after his 103rd hour, and Lewis and Verys kept going. Finally, Verys returned to camp after starting but not completing hour 108, while Lewis completed the yard to win the race and set the new backyard ultra world record. Lewis’s 108 yards over 108 hours totaled an incredible 450 miles. Timewise, that’s four days and 12 hours of running.
Harvey Lewis pauses between yards in the late stages of the 2023 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra. Photo: Mike Trimpe
Claire Bannwarth (France), who only one week earlier won the Kodiak 100 Mile by UTMB race, was the last woman standing. She ran 250 miles over 60 yards in 60 hours. Amanda Nelson (Canada) went nearly as far too. Nelson totaled 237 miles over 57 hours running.
Claire Bannwarth, the last woman standing at the 2023 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra. Photo: Keith Knipling
Additional Races and Runs
Man Against Horse 50 Mile – Prescott, Arizona
Race winner Peter Mortimer beat the horses with a 7:35 50-mile finish. He was well over 90 minutes better than the first horse. The first horse to finish was ridden by Jennifer Herbert. Women’s winner Stephanie Rosebaugh finished in 9:12. Full results.
Peter Mortimer winning 2023 Man Against Horse 50 Mile. Photo: Melissa Ruse
Jennifer Herbert and her horse at the 2023 Man Against Horse 50 Mile. The team was the first horse to finish. Photo: James Bonnett
Stephanie Rosebaugh, 2023 Man Against Horse 50 Mile women’s champion. Photo: James Bonnett
Javelina Jundred 100k – Fountain Hills, Arizona
In the undercard to the 100-mile race, Rajpaul Pannu and Anna Kacius won the 100k race in 7:15 and 8:13. Both finishes were new course records. Full results.
Mammoth Cave 50k – Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
The third annual race had Jack Harding and Geri Keller leading the way in 4:59 and 5:35. Full results.
Stone Steps 50k – Cincinnati, Ohio
Men’s winner Brendan Buten finished in 4:56 and women’s champ Zoe Crabtree crossed in 6:09. Full results.
Ozark Trail 100 Mile – Steelville, Missouri
Tentative results are in, and it’s looking like Cody Jones and Lily Charles won on the point-to-point race on the iconic Ozark Trail. Jones came home in 19:12, while Charles finished in 22:07. Full results.
Cody Jones, 2023 Ozark Trail 100 Mile champion. Photo: Ozark Trail 100 Mile
Lily Charles (right) on her way to winning the 2023 Ozark Trail 100 Mile. Photo: Ozark Trail 100 Mile
Marine Corps Marathon 50k – Arlington, Virginia
Calum Neff and Anna Staats led the marathon event’s ultra distance race in 2:55 and 3:35. Full results.
Georgia Sky to Summit 50k – Dillard, Georgia
This race was run on a challenging course that totaled 7,500 feet of elevation gain. Only the top-three men finished under six hours. Lukas Burrer won in 5:46, and Brian O’Neill beat out Gary Conner by only two seconds for second place. Both finished in 5:52. Caroline Moore took the women’s crown in 6:06, and Brooke Jones and Maria Martinez Ferrandiz were second and third in 6:25 and 6:33, respectively. Full results.
2024 Skyrunner World Series
The 2023 series wrapped up and the 2024 calendar was announced.
- March 2 – Acantilados del Norte SkyRace – Spain
- April 6 – Calamorro SkyRace – Spain
- May 5 – SkyRace des Matheysins – France
- May 18 – Skyrace des Gorges du Tarn – France
- May 26 – Orizaba SkyRace – Mexico
- June 1 – Hochkönigman SkyRace – Austria
- June 15 – Madeira SkyRace – Portugal
- June 22 – Minotaur SkyRace – Canada
- June 23 – SkyRace du Mercantour – France
- June 29 – Kairserkrone SkyRace – Austria
- July 7 – Cordillera Blanca Skyrace – Peru
- August 23 – Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme – Switzerland
- August 24 – Trofeo Kima – Italy
- September 22 – Maga SkyMarathon – Italy
- September 28 – Gorbeia Suzien SkyRace – Spain
- October 5 – Inthanon SkyRace – Thailand
- October 26 – 2 Peaks SkyRace – South Korea
- October 27 – Sobrescobio SkyRace – Spain
- November 2 – Penang SkyRace – Malaysia
- November 9 – Sagalassos SkyRace – Turkey
- November 16 – Marato del Dements – Spain
Call for Comments
Happy almost Halloween! What are you dressing up as this year?
