Ultra Weekend Recap — February 25

One of my favorite things about racing ultras is the opportunity to interact with amazing people who I might not normally get the chance to meet. Whether on the trails sharing miles and stories, or at aid stations cooking quesadillas and filling bottles with fellow volunteers, I’ve been blessed to make many lifelong friends at ultra events. It’s just one of the many bonuses of this sport. For those of you who raced this weekend, I hope you achieved your goals and perhaps made a few new friends along the way. Now onto this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap.

We start in Mount Ida, Arkansas, at the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOVIT) 100 mile and 100k Endurance Runs. In the 100-miler, Karl Meltzer won for the second time in three years in 20:35:49 (the third-fastest time in course history), Joshua Zubler finished second in 21:19:58 and Matthew Moore (22:37:28) placed third. In the women’s race, Amanda Lynch won in 23:50:00 (the third-fastest time on the course), Christine Tokarz (24:16:22) followed in second and Lisa Mobley rounded out the podium in 26:11:23.

In the 100k distance, Jenny Overstreet set a new course record in 11:03:55, Laura Kearns finished second in 11:36:50, and Lauren Sewell (12:14:05) took third. On the men’s side, Caleb McMurry won in 10:05:56, Daniel Arnold (10:22:28) finished second and Daniel Isenberg (10:31:30) placed third. Full results here.

Next, we head to the San Juan Islands and Olga, Washington, for the always challenging Orcas Island 100. In the women’s race, Pollee Brookings cruised home with the win in 27:13:02. Anna Eshelman finished second in 28:58:52 and Van Phan toughed out a third-place finish in 29:52:31. In the men’s race, Jeremy Douglas won in 21:32:15, Patrick Haunschmidt (22:41:35) finished second and David Stoltzfus completed the podium in 23:33:25. Full results here.

Continuing on to Superior, Arizona, we check in on the Copper Corridor 50k. Results show that Stephanie Cloutier secured the victory in 4:45:31 (the third-fastest time in course history), Kylie Aldaz finished second in 5:24:12 and Kiko Wemmer (5:40:21) claimed third.  Jonathan Kuplack won the men’s race in 4:01:37, Nicholas Hilton (4:07:52) placed second and Danny Harper (4:20:10) took third. Full results here.

We finish in Marinwood, California, for the inaugural and highly competitive Big Alta 50k. Several elite speedsters toed the line Saturday with Eli Hemming taking the win in 3:38:33. Darren Thomas claimed second (3:55:25) and Matt Daniels (3:57:20) finished just 2 minutes back in third. On the women’s side, Lotti Brinks cruised to victory in 4:42:57, Kristina Randrup took second place in 5:04:07 and Sarah Allaben was less than a minute behind in third (5:05:01). Full results here.

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and please check out the Ultra Running Magazine race results page as more results roll in.