Max King and Ellie Greenwood each came home with a win Saturday at the 22nd annual Chuckanut 50K in Fairhaven, Washington.
The men’s race saw Max and David Laney dueling it out once again, as they took advantage of dry, ideal racing conditions. Max was geared up for a win this year after losing to David by three minutes in 2013, just one week after Max set a course record at Way Too Cool 50K last year. With Max running on fresh legs this year, the duo swapped for the lead until Max pulled ahead for the final time at mile 24, setting a course record by four and a half minutes, finishing in 3:35:42. David finished second with a time of 3:38:35, and Daniel Kraft, Ryan Ghelfi and Ed McCarthy finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
In the women’s race, Jodee Adams-Moore, last year’s winner and current course record holder, went out for another win and held onto the lead until the last few miles when Ellie overtook Jodee’s three-minute advantage. Ellie was back after almost a year off due to injury, and won with a time of 4:11:51 – her fourth victory at Chuckanut. Jodee finished second with a time of 4:20:29. Melanie Bos, Trisha Steidl and Gina Lucrezi rounded out the top five women finishers, respectively.
The Chuckanut course begins at sea level and continues a gradual climb, paralleling Chuckanut Bay in Puget Sound. The route peaks at an elevation of 1,874 feet between miles 21-22, a section of the course known as Chinscraper. The trail then takes a 1,670 downhill scream over the next three miles, leading to a city finish in Fairhaven. Directed by professional ultra runner, Krissy Moehl, the race has been a draw for top names in ultra running, such as Tim Olsen, Hal Koerner, Sage Canady, Nikki Kimball, Cassie Scallon and Pam Smith. Due to the moderate temperatures and lack of precipitation in the Evergreen State, the mostly mud-free course saw only four DNFs and a total of 348 finishers this year.
Ellie was Ultra Running Magazine’s Ultra Runner of the Year in 2011 and 2012, and Max took the title of #3 Ultra Runner of the Year in 2012.