Race Reports

Alaska is fabulous. The Resurrection Pass Ultras showcase the Resurrection Pass area of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage between the towns of Hope in the north and Cooper Landing in the south, which comprises just one tiny corner of the vast miracle that is the state of Alaska. Running the Resurrection Pass 100 was one of the greatest adventures I’ve had in 25 years of ultrarunning.

After nearly a 17-month hiatus, the notoriously competitive Lake Sonoma 50 returned to action this past weekend in Northern California’s renowned Sonoma County. In addition to the traditional 50-miler on Saturday, the race director and owner of Healdsburg Running Company, Skip Brand, recruited Keira Henninger to add a 100k race on Sunday.

Around mile 28 of the High Lonesome 100, when thunder rumbled overhead from slate-gray clouds to the west, a man ahead of me turned back to ask, “What do you think, is it safe to keep going?”

As an autistic runner, running is how I care for myself. The movement is important. My daughter Kala is also autistic with Cerebral Palsy, and I share my self care with her by pushing her in her Chariot. Although, the Galena Sky Trail Race was for me alone, and I had been looking forward to it for months. This is where I belong, and it felt so good.

Cry Me A River! is where resolve goes to die. At least that’s where mine is buried, near mile 44 in the wooded hills north of Peoria, Illinois. The course is relentless, as one hill collapses callously into another and another, ad nauseam. The 100-mile run entails roughly 23,500 feet of vertical gain. A fool’s endeavor.

The inaugural Flower Moon Trail Run was held in Osage Hills State Park, just west of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Flower Moon is named for the full moon of May and the flowers that bloom during the month. It is also an homage to the history of the area detailed in the great book Killers of the Flower Moon

The Miami 50/50 is an urban adventure race that requires runners to team up with a partner and tackle 50 miles together from start to finish, totally self-supported. To add to the challenge, the course map is unknown prior to race morning. Runners receive course directions every ten or so miles along the way, at designated checkpoints.

Runners returned to Olympic Valley, CA, this past weekend to run the world’s oldest and most iconic 100-mile race. Although the event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, organizers, volunteers and participants didn’t skip a beat this year.

As one of the oldest ultras in Kansas, Rockin’ K has had time to develop a bit of a reputation. After dwindling numbers in the 50-miler, the race organization decided to retire that distance (for now) and introduced the Rockin’ K 50K. Now runners can choose between a “marathon that’s really an ultra,” or they can run an actual ultra.

Runners often describe their KEYS100 race experience as “deceptively hard.” The course is nearly a straight shot along Overseas Highway until you reach Key West, is flat except for a handful of bridges along the way, and there are plenty of opportunities to meet your crew for whatever support you might need. And yet the finishing rate is around 60%.

The Pulse Endurance Runs held in Eagle Island State Park just west of Boise, Idaho, in late May reminded me why I love running 100 miles on a short loop course. Much of the aggravation that comes with running an unfamiliar point-to-point course is stripped away and you can concentrate fully on the distance and on the joy of pure running.

The 22nd Chubb 25 & 50K was held on April 17, 2021 after a hiatus in 2020. In the months leading up to the start, I wasn’t sure if the St. Louis County restrictions would allow us to run our normal race with a mass start, a smorgasbord of ultra snacks and a post-race barbeque. However, since I am writing this report, you can assume that some kind of race actually happened. Here’s how it went down.

If you’ve ever used the word “pleasant” to describe a 100-mile race, it’s likely going to be the C&O Canal 100 near Knoxville, Maryland. Forget about tripping down technical trails, battling brutal heat or sub-freezing temps and facing quad-burning elevation. Instead, imagine banks of wildflowers, a wide river flowing nearby and a running surface free of rocks, ruts and anything that would require your attention.

I made a long trip up to the still-thawing-out Pacific Northwest for the 19th Annual Peterson Ridge Rumble, previously advertised as a 40-miler, but really known to only be 60k. Either way, it’s a fast and runnable course with two big climbs and tons of flowy single track southwest of Sisters, Oregon, in the Deschutes National Forest.

When I found out that Terrain Trail Runners was adding a 100-mile distance to its Ozark Foothills lineup, I was beyond excited. This is a first-of-its-kind for the greater St. Louis area. We have a strong trail and ultrarunning community, but somewhat lack in the availability of races over 50 miles.

The last time I’d been to Zumbro was as a pacer during the blizzard of 2018, where I watched the trail disappear amidst wild raging winds and swirling piles of snow. In 2019, yet another blizzard had prevented the race from happening, followed by 2020, when it was canceled, along with most everything else. But in 2021, this southern Minnesota race was back. Things looked different, of course. The 17-mile race remained, but the 100-mile and 50-mile races were exchanged for a 34-mile option.

Instead of gathering in Hong Kong, Vibram Hong Kong 100 runners from across the world were offered an alternative: run it anywhere, on their own course. The rules were straightforward: run the course in Hong Kong without any official support from the race organizers, only if you were a local resident. Or, run and match the distance and elevation from wherever you live. That’s the brilliant part. 

The King’s Highway Trail Race had its second annual race this year, held at Hobcaw Barony on the outskirts of Georgetown, South Carolina. The property includes more than 37 historic buildings and structures representative of the eras of both 18th and 19th century rice cultivation and 20th century winter retreats.

The Stone Mill 50 was named the RRCA National Championship Race ultramarathon for 2020, but as the spring unfolded, it became apparent that what we were hoping to offer was not likely going to be allowed. As race director, I did not relax until the day before race day at 5 p.m., when I knew county officers had left for the day and our permits were intact.

This year’s Hellcat 50K almost didn’t happen. Not only did the organizers have to contend with COVID, but highway construction wiped out part of the old course. If that wasn’t enough, Mother Nature dumped three inches of rain on the course the night before, turning the trail into a mudfest.

Despite lower participant numbers, it was a race for the record books. The winner of the race, Hayden Hawks, set a new course record in 5:18:40, nearly four minutes faster than Jim Walmsley’s time from 2016. And for the first time since 2017, when Emile Harrison Torrence ran the fourth fastest time ever in 6:27:43, a woman cracked the top ten as Camille Herron ran the eighth fastest time ever in 6:31:14.

I have directed over 100 ultras. This past Hellgate was the most stressful one I have ever directed. There was so much uncertainty—things kept changing just like all of life. We found out for sure that we could hold the race 32 hours before the start.

Race Director Bryant Baker worked hard at making the inaugural running of the Rim to River 100 Mile, West Virginia’s first-ever hundred-mile race, something special. At packet pick-up, he mentioned that the course visits every spot in the area he would want his best friend to see if they were out on a run together.

During a time when so many races have been canceled, The Stinger All Comers Track Race was a reminder of the benefits of persistence, camaraderie and the great outdoors. Running around a 400-meter track hour after hour is also a great way to reflect and remove ourselves from the chaos that surrounds us.

The wild weather at Whiskey Basin Trail Runs in Prescott, Arizona, added to a palpable feeling of high energy, and though I couldn’t see others’ expressions due to masks and being distanced for COVID-19 precautions, everyone seemed to be in a good mood judging by the elbow-bumps. While it was a dark and stormy morning, we all needed to run.

“Where are the women?” I yelled at my computer last December. Race lotteries had been announced, running calendars had been released and lady runners were quietly missing. It was unacceptable. I wanted to do something crazy to invite women to the Jewel. Something big. Something special.

I’ve known races in the past to be canceled or postponed, but never the entire season as a whole being more or less shut down. To add to this mix, I lost my favorite sister, Gwen, to complications of the dreaded COVID virus, so I wasn’t feeling at all good about 2020. A sense of melancholy is exactly what I was feeling when I finally decided to try and enter the Heartland 100 yet again this year.

It was a calm, crisp morning at the start of the Moab 240, as the last group of runners lined up by the arch five minutes before 7 a.m. We hollered in anticipation, as we were about to embark upon 241 miles of remote country before returning to where we started.

After months of uncertainty with canceled races and FKT attempts, I caught wind that Javelina Jundred might take place. The pancake flat, fully exposed Arizona desert is a far cry from the terrain and climate where you would expect to find this mountain-minded ultrarunning junkie, but I needed something to look forward to.

Ride the Wave 50-Miler consisted of three legs: two checkpoints at miles 10 and 31, plus the finish line. The directions and course map were unknown for each leg until we arrived at the checkpoints, where we received the directions and maps on laminated cards to assist us in getting to next leg.