Ultra Weekend Recap — December 15

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through December. While many of us have our sights set on 2025 races, there are still a few chances left to chase down 2024 ultrarunning goals. This week’s UltraRunning Magazine race calendar includes 30 exciting events taking place this weekend across North America. Let’s get to the action.

We kick off the Ultra Weekend Recap in Fincastle, Virginia, at the Hellgate 100k, where runners battled through the night after the start at 12:01 a.m. Aaron Slabach took the win in 10:43:14, with Barret Stanton coming in second in 11:20:42. In third, and first masters, was Christopher Brand, age 52, in 11:2817. In the women’s race, Rachel Corrigan came away with the victory in 12:22:13. Justyna Wilson, age 49, came in a close second in 12:28:16 and first masters. Rounding out the podium was Nora Jodrey in 12:40:02. Full results here.

Across the country in Phoenix, Arizona, where the temperatures were a balmy 70 degrees, Desert Solstice Track Invitational 24-hour race took place at the Central High School Track. After the 24 hours were up, Stephanie Gicquel came away with the overall win, running 154.8 miles. Second woman, and third overall, was Lauren Jones who ran 153.9 miles. Megan Eckert was third with 153.4 miles. First male, Don Reichelt, came in second overall with 154.1 miles. Second male was Chad Lasater with 137.9 miles, and rounding out the podium was Pat Hasler with 124 miles. There were a whopping seven females who finished in the top 10, and eight women who met the (men’s) team standard for the US 24-hour team. There were also eight men who met the standard after finishing the event.  Full results here.

Staying down south, the Dallas 50k took place during the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival in Dallas, Texas, and had 221 participants. Sarah Rabourn was the first female finisher and fifth place overall in 3:39:18. Diana Filtz finished in second in 4:06:51 and Haley Armentrout snagged third in 4:21:59. On the men’s side, Scott Preston took the win in 3:19:20, with Adam Fortin just 7 minutes behind in 3:26:19. Wesley Baird was right on Fortin’s heels in 3:26:47, for third place. Full results here.

Finally, the Bell Ringer 50k in Burns, Tennessee, saw Zack Jordan take the win in 4:27:12. Jason Cheek was just 3 minutes behind in 4:30:07, and Chase Papajcik was third in 4:52:15. On the women’s side, Lauren Osborne was first female and third overall in 4:43:48. Hannah Stoneking came in second on 6:03:32, and Sarah Harris came in third in 6:38:59. Full results here.

Other results from this weekend include: Nutcracker 12-hour Endurance Run (Dunn, NC), and Deception Pass (Oak Harbor, WA).

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and be sure to check out UltraRunning Magazine’s full list of race results here.