Happy Valentine’s Day, lovers and Monday morning quarterbacks. The Black Canyon 100k sent out six Golden Ticket Valentines, and next week’s Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival 100 Mile presents a compelling USATF road national championships start list. That’s the bulk of this week’s reading as February rolls on.
Black Canyon 100k – Mayer, Arizona
The point-to-point run was a Golden Ticket race and awarded three entries to the Western States 100. Have a look at iRunFar’s results article for additional coverage.
Women
Dominika Stelmach (Poland), best known for earlier Red Bull Wings for Life wins, stepped on the gas on this desert trail course. She led both early and late, but was swallowed up by Clare Gallagher just before the finish. Gallagher finished in 9:06 to Stelmach’s second-place 9:10.
Anne-Marie Madden (Canada) and Taylor Nowlin were third and fourth in 9:23 and 9:44. Gallagher, the 2019 Western States 100 winner, declined her Golden Ticket, and Stelmach, Madden, and Nowlin all accepted.
Clare Gallagher, 2022 Black Canyon 100k champion. Photo: iRunFar/Alex Potter
The rest of the top 10 included:
5 – Brianna Grigsby – 9:49
6 – Natalie Sandoval – 9:54
7 – Lauren Puretz – 10:11
8 – Shea Aquilano – 10:18
9 – Nicole Hanson – 10:18
10 – Lauren Coury – 10:20
Other runners included in last week’s preview were:
15 – Rachel Spaulding – 10:52
20 – Pam Smith – 11:16
23 – Addie Bracy – 11:22
Bracy would later go to the hospital for rhabdomyolysis. We wish her a smooth recovery.
Drops included Jade Belzburg, Corinne Shalvoy, YiOu Wang, and Devon Yanko.
Salynda Heinl and Marianne Hogan (Canada) did not start the race.
Anne-Marie Madden on her way to taking third at the 2022 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: iRunFar/Alex Potter
Men
If the favorites largely came through in the women’s race, that wasn’t at all true for the men. None of the top four men were included in last week’s preview.
Wow, just seventh here in 2020, Trueheart Brown shined through with a great 7:57 first-place run. That was a big surprise, and so too were second-, third-, and fourth-place Scott Traer, Jeffrey Colt, and Makai Clemons. Those three finished in 8:03, 8:05, and 8:18, respectively.
Truehart Brown, 2022 Black Canyon 100k champion. Photo: iRunFar/Alex Potter
The rest of the top 10 included:
5 – Anthony Costales – 8:25
6 – Seth Ruhling – 8:28
7 – Matt Belus – 8:28
8 – Michael Tappel – 8:33
9 – Logan Williams – 8:42
10 – Dan Green – 8:48
The rest of the group from last week’s preview included:
11 – Preston Cates – 8:52
12 – Brian Whitfield – 8:56
14 – Elliot Cardin (Canada) – 9:02
27 – Adrian MacDonald – 10:09
Drops included Reid Coolsaet (Canada), Justin Grunewald, Jared Hazen, Jacob Jackson, and Eric LiPuma.
Jackson Brill did not start the race.
The year’s last Golden Ticket race is the April 23 Canyons 100k in California.
Jeffrey Colt took third at the 2022 Black Canyon 100k. Photo: iRunFar/Alex Potter
Additional Races and Runs
2022 Winter Olympics – Beijing, China
Nils van der Poel (Sweden) earned men’s 5,000- and 10,000-meter speedskating gold medals. He set a new Olympic record in the 5,000-meter race, and a new world record in the 10,000-meter race. Andy Jones-Wilkins reported earlier on the phenom’s path toward Olympic glory, which included a number of ultramarathon finishes.
The Coastal Challenge – Costa Rica
Giuditta Turini (Italy) and Hayden Hawks (USA) won the six-day 230-kilometer (143 miles) stage race with 32:45 and 24:26 finish times. Full results.
Running Up For Air Mt. Sentinel – Missoula, Montana
A week after a pair of races in Utah, the benefit run jumped up 5,158-foot Mt. Sentinel. Allie Bean and Kris Brown led the three-hour race, Marilee Woyth and Dakota Jones topped the six-hour run, and Kristina Trygstad-Saari and Seth Orme won the 12-hour race. Full results.
Mesa Marathon – Mesa, Arizona
Anthony Kunkel ran 2:31 for eighth at the marathon distance. Full results.
Rocky 50 Mile – Huntsville, Texas
A weekend after the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, the Rocky 50 Mile hit the same trails. Elizabeth Shell and Matt Smith won in 7:58 and 7:25, and in the 50k, Aja Clark and Christopher Dunn won in 4:19 and 3:53. Full results.
Algonquin 50k – Pocomoke City, Maryland
Maria Miller and Nick Cruz won in 4:36 and 3:58. Full results.
Next Weekend – Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival – Las Vegas, Nevada
The Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival will again host the USATF 100-mile road national championships. The race is contested on Friday, on a 1.17-mile fast loop. Elvis and the Las Vegas showgirls will be there, and these top runners too.
Women
- Stefanie Flippin – 14:04 at 2021 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile
- Camille Herron – 13:21 at 2021 Desert Solstice 100 Mile
- Catrin Jones (Canada) – 3:38 at 2021 Calgary Marathon 50k
- Julie Kheyfets – 15:34 at 2019 Brazos Bend 100 Mile
- Nicole Monette – 14:45 at 2021 Desert Solstice 100 Mile
Men
- Arlen Glick – 13:27 at 2021 Desert Solstice 100 Mile
- Mark Hammond – 14:01 at 2021 Brazos Bend 100 Mile
- Kallin Khan – 2:57 at 2020 Caumsett 50k
- Alex Nichols – 10th at 2021 Western States Endurance Run
- Patrick Reagan – 14:51 at 2021 Jackpot Ultrarunning Festival 100 Mile
Call for Comments
What other racing and running fun can you call out with us this week?
