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This is one of my favorite times of the year for trail running. Temperatures are starting to warm and many areas are thawing out after a long winter, which means more races are taking place throughout the country. There are also more local options for runners who may not have had the opportunity to travel to events this winter. It’s an exciting time of year and the ultra-running action is really starting to heat up!
We start this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap in Healdsburg, California, for a wet and muddy Lake Sonoma 50. In the men’s race, Francesco Puppi delivered a dominant performance, winning wire-to-wire in 6:30:17 and running the fastest time on the course since 2019. Second place went to Daniel Button in 7:48:59, and Grant Hotaling rounded out the podium in third (7:52:19). In an extremely close women’s race, Lindsay Allison (8:44:11) pulled ahead late to edge out Anna Fisher (8:44:44) by a mere 33 seconds. Andrea Stofko (8:47:48) took third just over 3 minutes back. All three women finished in the top 10 overall. Full results here.
Next, we journey up the coast to Cascade Locks, Oregon, for the Gorge Waterfalls 100k and 50k races. Conditions were much improved from last year with sunshine welcoming runners all weekend long to the scenic Columbia River Gorge. In Saturday’s 100k race, Lotti Brinks came from 20 minutes back of the lead to claim victory in a time of 9:53:56 (sixth overall). Ailsa Macdonald held on for second place in 10:01:57 (eighth overall) and Kristina Randrup claimed third (10:14:54 and tenth overall). In the men’s race, Adam Loomis ran a strong and steady race to take home the win in 8:44:12. Elliot Cardin placed second (8:58:30), and Andrew Simpson finsihed third (9:42:37).
In Sunday’s 50k race, Chris Myers charged to victory in a blistering time of 3:51:01 (the second-fastest time on the updated, post-fire course). Dylan Humberger took second (4:02:36), and Jared Forman secured third (4:07:36). On the women’s side, Sarah Biehl came out on top and finished fifth overall in 4:26:20 (third-fastest time on the updated course). Tara Fraga placed second and finished 10th overall (4:37:05), with Lauren Puretz just behind in third (4:38:52). Full results here.
Heading east, we check in on the Singletrack Maniac 50k held in Williamsburg, Virginia. In the women’s race, Erin Davis cruised to victory in 5:21:10 (third overall). Leandi O’Connell placed second (6:18:05), and Rebecca White took third (7:50:26). On the men’s side, Patrick Wachter flew around the course in 3:42:02, taking home the win and setting a new course record by over 12 minutes. Joshua Blythe finished second (4:53:27) and Kevin Bumgarner secured third (5:24:43). Full results here.
Other results we have so far include: Serengeti Trail Races (Erda, Utah), Rattler Trail Race (Colorado Springs, Colorado), Leatherwood (Ferguson, North Carolina), Cottontail 6 & 12-Hour (Seattle, Washington), Zion Ultras (Apple Valley, Utah), James River Trail Runs (Gladstone, VA), OAT Run (Port Angeles, WA), Traprock (Simsbury, CT), and Mountains to Sea Challenge (Raleigh, NC).
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and please continue to check our race results page as more results roll in.