UltraRunning February 2020
- 2019: The Year In Review by John Medinger
- Ultrarunners Of The Year
- 2019 Top Times
- Ones to Watch in 2020
- Winning Nutrition at Big’s
- Fastest Known Times Of The Year
- Biggest North American Ultras
- Performances Of The Year
We all face villains in both life and running, and we all have those climatic moments when it would be easier to quit than to keep moving forward. But we all have the ability to be heroes if we work hard, believe in ourselves and help out others along the way. So in 2020, be sure to write your own story and help someone else write theirs.
Camille Herron’s 24-hour world record and Jim Walmsley’s Western States course record are the 2019 UltraRunning Performances of the Year
As 2020 begins, I look back with gratitude to the year 2010—a decade that began with darkness and confusion, and ended with hope.
Jim Walmsley is the Ultrarunner of the Year for 2019. This is the fourth year in a row that he has won the men’s honor, a feat only previously accomplished by Tom Johnson (1992-1995). Walmsley’s year was topped by a 14:09:28 course record at the venerable Western States 100 and a world record 50-mile time of 4:50:08 at the Project X Invitational. He also won the Santa Barbara Nine Trails 35 Mile in course record time, Norway’s Ultravasan 90k, and the inaugural Fast 50 (Mile) in Hong Kong. Walmsley lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, with his girlfriend, Jessica.
What initially drew Chattanooga, TN, ultrarunner Seth Ruhling into the ultrarunning community nearly a decade ago, was the allure of a finisher’s sweatshirt that told the world he ran 40 miles in one day.
Clare Gallagher is ranked second in the UROY voting for 2019. Gallagher won the Western States 100 in 17:23:25, the second-fastest time ever posted. She also won the highly competitive Way Too Cool 50K and was eighth at The North Face Endurance Challenge. An ardent environmental advocate, Gallagher lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Jared Hazen is ranked third in the UROY voting for 2019. Hazen placed second at Western States in 14:26:46, a time that was under the previous course record, only to be second to his roommate and training partner, Jim Walmsley. He also placed second at the Santa Barbara Nine Trails 35 Mile, in a time that was under the previous course record, only to be second to his roommate and training partner, Jim Walmsley. Hazen also won the über-competitive Lake Sonoma 50, where his winning time of 6:08:31 was the third fastest in race history. Hazen lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Camille Herron is ranked fourth in the voting for 2019. Herron broke her own world record with a startling 167.842 miles while winning the IAU World Championship in Albi, France. She also won the Tarawera 100 Mile in New Zealand, setting a course record. In an up and down year, Herron suffered DNFs at Lake Sonoma, Comrades and Western States. A native of Oklahoma, Herron and her husband, Conor, recently moved to Alamosa, Colorado.
Jeff Browning is ranked fifth in the voting for 2019. One of the most consistent runners in recent years, Browning won the Bear 100, Tarawera 100 Mile in New Zealand and finished ninth at Western States. A coach and graphic designer, Browning, his wife Jennifer and their three kids recently moved to Bozeman, Montana.
Brittany Peterson is sixth in the 2019 UROY voting. She won the Bandera 100K to earn a golden ticket to Western States, where she finished a strong second. Later in the summer, she was fourth at the Tromsø SkyRace in Norway. A native of Minnesota, Peterson teaches occupational therapy at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.
Olivier Leblond checks in at number seven for 2019. Leblond won the Umstead 100 and Old Dominion 100, and placed third at the IAU World 24-Hour Championship with a stellar 171 miles – the second best mark in U.S. history. An IT contractor by day, Leblond lives in Arlington, Virginia.
At first, Escape from the Jungle, which will take place in the deep jungle of Belize during February 24–March 7, appeared to be an insanely dangerous event. The first week is called “Jungle Survival Training,” and local guides will follow each runner during the actual race, making sure participants will not…die.
Addie Bracy checks in as number eight in 2019. Bracy had a strong and consistent year, with podium finishes at Way Too Cool, Lake Sonoma 50 and The North Face Endurance Challenge. She also won the Quad Rock 50 and was ninth at Western States. Bracy lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her partner Corey, and recently completed a graduate program in sports and performance psychology at the University of Denver.
Matt Daniels is the ninth ranked runner in the 2019 Ultrarunner of the Year voting. After a DNF at the Bandera 100K in January, Daniels destroyed a deeply talented field while winning the Black Canyon 100K in February and receiving a golden ticket to Western States, where he finished fourth in his debut 100-miler. A Navy veteran and former All-American track standout at Adams State, Daniels lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his new bride, Lauren.
Two early releases in the UltrAspire lineup for Spring 2020 are available this month: the new Basham race vest and the Spry 3.0 race vest.
Amanda Basham is the 10th ranked woman for 2019. She won three races and placed second at the highly competitive Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix (CCC) 101k race in the Alps. Originally from Oregon, she now lives in Manitou Springs, Colorado.
The big news for Surf the Murph, now in its 11th year, was co-mingling with the Savage 100 this time around for a plethora of racing options. The Savage 100 had been held five years prior and was making another appearance for runners who wanted 100k or even better, 100 miles of autumn bliss at Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, Minnesota.
The morning of August 3, 2019, I set off to encircle Mt. St. Helens – the mountain that provided me with the most important event of my life. Its cataclysm forged a bond between boy and father so deep that decades of estrangement, alcohol, shame, failure, fear and disease could not destroy it.
Our editorial team has been busy testing a wide range of gear from Santa’s workshop to bring you these special gift ideas for your favorite ultrarunner this holiday season.