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The second weekend of January featured 20 ultramarathon races in North America. In this week’s What’s Up in Ultra, we check in on events in California, Texas and Illinois. Let’s get to the action.
We begin at California’s Catalina Island for the 43rd annual Avalon Benefit (50 Mile and 50k). Due to the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area, runners were given the option to defer their entry to 2026, however, the race went on as scheduled. In the 50-miler, an impressive 301 runners finished the race, led by Michael Ruf who tackled the out-and-back course in 6:28:53. Nicholas Spector took second (6:42:04), and Emilio Sanchez (6:43:06) finished just behind, in third. In the women’s contest, Paige Clarke earned the victory, winning in 8:12:25. Sarah McMahon placed second (8:29:19), and Ella Warkentine (8:34:30) came in third.
Lydia Van Hoff (4:41:26) finished first female and sixth overall in the 50k distance. Geny Ramirez was the second woman to cross the line in 5:27:23. Gabriella Escobar (5:28:05) rounded out the podium in third. On the men’s side, Siqi Wu took the win in 3:58:30. Matt Powers finished second (4:03:48), and TJ Oros (4:23:54) claimed third. In total, 378 runners finished ahead of the 11-hour cutoff time. Full results from both races here.
Staying in the Golden State, we journey up to Auburn, California, for the fourth running of the No Hands 50k where runners raced their way along the historic Western States trail out to the iconic No Hands Bridge. In the women’s event, Peyton Bilo set a new course record on her way to winning and placing fourth overall in 4:58:08. Mei Yang finished second (6:11:36), and Jessica Henning (6:16:43) took third. The course record also fell in the men’s race, with Darren Thomas establishing a new time to beat in 4:09:07. Matt Collins claimed second (4:30:00), and Daniel Issing (4:52:29) ran to third. Full results here.
Sliding over to Texas, we dive into the results of the Bandera 100k and 50k. Heavy rains forced this year’s event to be moved from the traditional starting line in Hill Country State Natural Area over to Camp Eagle in Rocksprings. Despite the late pivot, over 350 runners took part in the 100k race. Top honors in the men’s race went to Dany Racine in 10:20:26. Nick Petterson finished second (11:21:51), and Stephen Bennett (11:48:57) snagged third. In the women’s race, Aimee Jacobs earned the win and finished third overall in 11:33:10. Shelley Walushka placed second (12:10:55), and Lila Gaudrault (12:23:38) completed the podium in third.
In Sunday’s 50k race, Courtney Rouse paced the way, winning the women’s event and finishing sixth overall in 5:03:00. Ally Hagen placed second female (6:21:00), and Kathryn Tubb (6:40:19) took third. In the men’s 50k, Hans Troyer sped to victory in 3:46:53. Alexander Pawlak came in second (4:23:06), and Ryan Miller (4:27:41) finished in third. Full results of both races here.
Our final stop takes us to Crytal Lake, Illinois, where 58 runners completed the 15th annual Frozen Gnome 50k. In the men’s contest, Andrew Schroeder took the win in 4:41:00. Dustin Mitchell earned second (4:45:47), and Ben Kerezman (4:49:15) finished third. Rachel Reyes won for the women and took ninth overall in 5:24:34. Annie Haas was second female (5:38:09), and Kathryn Froehlich (6:54:02) came in third. Full results here.
Other results from this weekend include: Frozen: H3 (Bethera, SC), Crystal Springs Trail Run (Woodside, CA), and Lost in Miami Ultra (Miami, FL).
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, and sure to check out UltraRunning Magazine’s full list of race results here.