“For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain …” Yep, the song “America the Beautiful” is about Pikes Peak in Colorado, and that’s where our eyes were this weekend for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon. That is, until Aleksandr Sorokin made us look away and gasp at his world-record-setting performance at the IAU European 24-Hour Championships. There was also the prize-money-rich Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile, among other highlights. This weekend hit hard!
Pikes Peak Ascent – Manitou Springs, Colorado
The Golden Trail World Series came to Colorado, where I have spent years living! It’s so cool for me to see the international runners and their Colorado experiences shared on social media. I mean, one’s excitement over driving Skyline Drive in Cañon City, for instance, is fun! It’s just different when it’s a place you’re familiar with, and I’m excited for everyone to see these landscapes and this mountain.
These runners didn’t come entirely for a vacation though and Saturday’s all-uphill race climbed 13.3 miles and with 7,815 feet of elevation gain, all the way to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak.
The race moved from its traditional August date to a month later, and for the first time ever, runners were required to carry a jacket and water bottle.
Prize money went 10 deep with $3,000 to each winner. There were also course record and time bonuses up for grabs, though none were earned.
You can also read more in our 2022 Pikes Peak Ascent results article.
Women
Pre-race favorite Nienke Brinkman (The Netherlands, lives in Switzerland) went to the front early. She was nearly a minute ahead of then-fourth-place Maude Mathys (Switzerland) at the top of the “W’s” section, 3.1 miles into the Saturday race. At Barr Camp, mile 7.6, Brinkman was running 95 seconds ahead of Mathys. And Sophia Laukli (USA) and Allie McLaughlin (USA) were between Brinkman and Mathys at those points, running second and third. That breakaway group of four was over three minutes in front of everyone else at that Barr Camp 7.6-mile split.
Once the race moved above treeline, Mathys was the fastest. She moved into second place and ate into Brinkman’s lead, but didn’t get all the way there.
Brinkman summited first in 2:27:26. Mathys followed in 2:28:40. Laukli was third in 2:34:20 and McLaughlin was fourth in 2:39:40.
Nienke Brinkman, the 2022 Pikes Peak Ascent women’s champion. Photo: Golden Trail Series|Pikes Peak Ascent|Jordi Saragossa
Brinkman and Mathys posted the second- and third-fastest climbs ever, trailing only Kim Dobson‘s 2:24:58 course record from 2012.
When Mathys won the 2019 Pikes Peak Marathon, she summited in 2:29:03.
(In 2015, Mathys received a warning without suspension from the Disciplinary Chamber for Doping Cases of Swiss Olympic for two positive tests for clomifene [previously clomiphene] after it was determined that she was mistakenly taking the drug without first obtaining a World Anti-Doping Agency Therapeutic Use Exemption.)
The rest of the top 20 included:
5 – Kim Dobson (USA) – 2:40:45
6 – Blandine L’hirondel (France) – 2:44:17
7 – Bailey Kowalczyk (USA) – 2:46:43
8 – Élise Poncet (France) – 2:47:30
9 – EmKay Sullivan (USA) – 2:48:37
10 – Sara Alonso (Spain) – 2:49:21
11 – Marcela Vasinova (Czech Republic) – 2:49:29
12 – Tabor Hemming (USA) – 2:52:26
13 – Sarah Marie Guhl (USA) – 2:57:19
14 – Kimber Mattox (USA) – 2:58:06
15 – Lauren Puretz (USA) – 3:04:10
16 – Iris Pessey (France) – 3:04:51
17 – Hirut Guangul (USA) – 3:05:43
18 – Samantha Diaz (USA) – 3:05:43
19 – Grace Staberg (USA) – 3:07:16
20 – Simone Brick (Australia) – 3:11:25
Men
Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland) called his shot earlier in the week. He set a new fastest known time on the Manitou Incline, a popular 0.88-mile-long all-stairs climb that gains 2,000 feet. He finished that segment in 17:21, bettering Joseph Gray‘s 17:45 from 2015.
But still, Bonnet had twice raced the marathon here, never summiting faster than 2:16.
Just 3.1 miles into the race Bonnet was the leader with Gray four seconds behind. 7.6 miles into the race that gap had grown to 39 seconds. From there, Bonnet remained out of reach for the rest of the field. He finished in 2:07:02. That’s the fastest winning time since Gray ran 2:05:28 in 2016, but it does trail Seth Demoor‘s 2:06:44 split from last year’s marathon race.
Rémi Bonnet, the 2022 Pikes Peak Ascent men’s winner. Photo: Golden Trail Series|Pikes Peak Ascent|Jordi Saragossa
Daniel Osanz (Spain) ran down (up?) Gray for second, finishing in 2:08:42, and Gray was third in 2:09:13.
The rest of the top 20 included:
4 – Eli Hemming (USA) – 2:09:54
5 – Francesco Puppi (Italy) – 2:12:56
6 – Chad Hall (USA) – 2:14:02
7 – Anthony Felber (France) – 2:15:19
8 – Sylvain Cachard (France) – 2:16:35
9 – Henri Aymonod (Italy) – 2:20:13
10 – Ruy Ueda (Japan) – 2:20:58
11 – Morgan Elliott (USA) – 2:21:39
12 – Brian Whitfield (USA) – 2:22:16
13 – Quentin Meyleu (France) – 2:22:38
14 – Andy Wacker (USA) – 2:23:06
15 – Cam Smith (USA) – 2:23:57
16 – Roberto Delorenzi (Italy) – 2:25:47
17 – Matt Chrabot (USA) – 2:26:50
18 – Bart Przedwojewski (Poland) – 2:27:02
19 – David Norris (USA) – 2:29:31
20 – Nicholas Turco (USA) – 2:29:42
Twenty men broke the 2:30 mark for this best-ever field, but Matt Carpenter‘s course record split from the 1993 marathon remains completely out of reach.
Pikes Peak Marathon – Manitou Springs, Colorado
Sunday’s roundtrip race up and down Pikes Peak, 13.3 miles up and 12.9 miles down, wasn’t part of the Golden Trail World Series and was a bit of a B race to the ascent. The day earlier fields dwarfed those of the marathon, but come on, isn’t a run up and down a mountain like Pikes Peak awesome?
Prize money went five deep with $2,000 to each winner.
Women
Race local Kristina Mascarenas, racing the marathon for her fifth time, hit the top in 3:03, her fastest climb ever, and finished first in 4:37. Mascarenas won the 2017 marathon in 4:38.
Brittany Charboneau was second in 4:50 off of a 3:11 ascent, and Peyton Thomas was third in 5:19.
Men
It was close at the top, Noah Williams summited in 2:17 to Jonathan Aziz‘s 2:19, and the first six men were all under 2:30. And it was still close at the bottom!
Aziz raced down in 1:20, three minutes better than Williams. Aziz finished first in 3:40:41 and Williams was second 46 seconds later in 3:41:27. Aziz took a few stitches on the chin post-race too.
Cam Smith was third in 3:50, and he summited in 2:25, just over a minute slower than his time in the day prior’s Ascent.
IAU European 24-Hour Championships – Verona, Italy
Verona might be known for Romeo and Juliet, but Aleksandr Sorokin (Lithuania) and Patrycja Bereznowska (Poland) were the city’s stars this weekend.
It was the event’s 28th year and it was the championship’s 23rd year. The race happened on a 0.95-mile loop.
Women
Bereznowska topped the women’s group with 158.3 miles. Stephanie Gicquel (France) and Gorzata Pazda-Pozorska (Poland) were very close in second and third with 157.35 and 155.5 miles, respectively.
Men
Sorokin broke his own 24-hour world record. His splits on the way were 2:50 for the marathon, 6:50 for 100k, and 11:06 for 100 miles. At the 24-hour mark, he had totaled an incredible 198.6 miles. That’s 7:15 per mile. His old record was 192.2 miles. That’s just amazing. It’s easy to lose track of his records, but in addition to again breaking the 24-hour world record, Sorokin also holds the six-hour, 100k, 100-mile, and 12-hour world bests. Check out our news article about Sorokin’s new 24-hour world record.
Aleksandr Sorokin after setting the 24-hour world record. Image: Marius Antanaitis screen capture from race video
Andrzej Piotrowski (Poland) totaled an outstanding 186.7 miles for second and Marco Visintini (Italy) was third with 179.2 miles. Piotrowski’s distance ranks fourth fastest ever.
Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile – Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The 10th annual race had a $75,000 prize purse with $15,000 to each of its winners. That’s just incredible. Money stretched seven deep.
iRunFar covered much of the race dynamics separately.
Women
Annie Hughes for the win, again! The 24-year-old won the Coldwater Rumble 100 Mile in January, won the Cocodona 250 Mile in May, won the High Lonesome 100 Mile in July, and now won the Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile! She did this one in 21:26. She’s registered for October’s Javelina Jundred Mile too.
Tara Dower edged Mary Baughman for second in a very close race, 23:08 to 23:10.
Annie Hughes, 2022 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile champion. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Men
I’ve been hearing it all year long, watch out for Richard Lockwood, and he leveled up. Lockwood ruled the race’s second half and won by over an hour in 18:01. One-hundred-mile man Arlen Glick overtook 100-mile rookie Nick Elson late for second, 19:04 to 19:12.
Richard Lockwood, 2022 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile champion. Photo: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Hughes teamed with 12th-place male Peter Mortimer to win an additional $5,000 as part of the two-person team competition too.
Tor des Géants – Courmayeur, Italy
Tor des Géants is the OG 200-mile race. Officially it goes for 330 kilometers (205 miles) with an enormous 24,000 meters (78,740 feet) of elevation gain.
Women
Sabrina Verjee (U.K.) won the women’s race in an astounding 80:19. The course was different than in the past, but it appears that the race will recognize the time as a new course record. Verjee was much faster than anyone else before, and is the first female finisher under 85 hours.
Silvia Trigueros (Spain) was the race’s longtime leader and chasing her fourth win, but couldn’t match Verjee late and finished second in 84:58. Sandrine Béranger (France) was third in 89:40.
Men
Jonas Russi (Switzerland) won the men’s race in 70:31. Russi was said to have slept only 17 minutes during the entirety of the race. Also, he incredibly was eighth at UTMB only two weeks earlier. Simone Corsini (Italy) and Andrea Macchi (Italy) were second and third in 75:27 and 76:43, respectively.
Defending champ and course record holder Franco Collé (Italy) did not finish.
Heavy snow impacted the end of the race and forced the race’s stoppage, along with the longer 450k race too.
Additional Races and Runs
Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race – Queens, New York
The world’s longest certified road race started on September 4 and runs for 52 days. Runners have been ringing the 0.55-mile urban loop and need to hit almost 60 miles per day to make 3,100 miles before the event’s end. Huang Lan Yang (Taiwan) is first woman, and Andrea Marcato (Italy), the winner of the 2021 race, currently leads the men’s race. The pair have covered some 864.9 and 1,005.9 miles through 14 days. Scoreboard.
EMU 6-Day – Balatonfured, Hungary
Balatonfured; I was there last month! But I definitely didn’t run for six days in a row like this group. This is the foremost six-day race in the world. Zsuzsanna Maráz and Gábor Rakonczay, both of the host country, won with 472.6 and 524.5 miles, respectively. Maráz won Spartathlon in 2018 and 2019. Rakonczay is a bit of an extreme athlete with a number of transatlantic expeditions among his adventures. Full results.
4 Peaks Mountain Challenge – Ficksburg, South Africa
The 24k race around Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve crowned Nicolette Griffioen and Collin Kanyimo as race winners in 3:24 and 2:50. Griffioen was a repeat winner and improved her course record from a year ago by 20 minutes. Kanyimo, last year’s third placer, won a close race by just over two minutes. Full results (when available).
Collin Kanyimo, the 2022 Four Peaks Mountain Challenge men’s winner. Photo: Craig Kolesky/Nikon
Nicolette Griffioen on her way to winning the 2022 Four Peaks Mountain Challenge. Photo: Craig Kolesky/Nikon
Trail des Dents du Midi – Vérossaz, Switzerland
Penelope Freedman (USA) and Jean-Philippe Tschumi (Switzerland) won the 31k mountain run in 2:59 and 2:13. Later results included Americans Maria Dalzot and Brian Tinder in third and ninth, respectively. Full results.
U.S. Adventure Racing Association National Championship – Bishop, California
Max King was part of the second-place coed team, finishing the race in 27:08. Surely there were some other ultrarunners taking part too that we haven’t identified? Leave a comment to let everyone know! Full results.
Noble Canyon 50k – Pine Valley, California
Jade Belzberg and Gabriel Kline were champs in 4:54 and 4:00. Full results.
Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line – Flagstaff, Arizona
Michelle Blackard and Paul Gesl led the 100-mile race in 25:03 and 20:52, and Rachel Buzzard and Caleb Schiff topped the 55k in 5:17 and 4:56. Full results.
Golden Leaf Half Marathon – Aspen, Colorado
Lindsey Knast and Galen Burrell raced from Snowmass to Aspen the fastest in 1:50 and 1:39, respectively. Full results.
Hocking Hills Indian Run – Logan, Ohio
Karina Zapiecki and Harvey Lewis won the 60k run through Hocking Hills State Park in 6:54 and 5:02, respectively. Lewis is just a few weeks out from a return trip to Big’s Backyard Ultra. Full results.
Barkley Fall Classic 50k – Wartburg, Tennessee
Andrea Larson and Aaron Bradner endured the Frozen Head State Park course the best, winning in 10:02 and 9:28. It was Bradner’s ninth finish of this race. He was second a year ago. Full results.
Grindstone 100 Mile – Swoope, Virginia
It was the race’s 15th year and Shannon Cebron and Daniel Frank were race winners in 24:25 and 18:29. Full results.
Georgia Jewel 100 Mile – Dalton, Georgia
Shannon Wheeler-Deboef and Zachary Nelson were victors in 22:59 and 22:43. Just 21 minutes separated the first four overall finishers. Full results.
Call for Comments
- I had a good Saturday, grabbing a line of two 14ers and three 13ers in Colorado, and that was fun for me. What’d you get into?
- What other race results can you share in the comments section?
- Were you at any of the races covered in this article? Leave a comment to share more color.
