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Completing an ultramarathon is a great accomplishment. Every athlete who raced this weekend, from the first to last place finishers, put in months of dedicated training just to get to the starting line—not to mention overcoming all the challenges of race day. While I can’t list every finisher here, please keep an eye out for the results of your race as they roll in. Then pour your favorite beverage, sit back and take a moment to celebrate your accomplishment. You earned it! Now, on to this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap.
We start in Auburn, California, for the Canyons Endurance Runs (50k, 100k and 100-mile races). In the much anticipated 100k race, runners battled it out for the last two male and female Golden Tickets to this year’s Western States 100, as well as automatic entries into the 2024 UTMB CCC race (top 10 male and female finishers). Due to a course change, this year’s edition began at China Wall Trailhead and finished in downtown Auburn. On the men’s side, Rod Farvard broke free from the pack in the second half of the race, winning in 8:44:30. Drew Holmen took second (8:51:09) and Petter Engdahl rounded out the podium in third (8:55:31). Holmen decided not to run Western States this year, meaning his Golden Ticket rolled down to Engdahl.
In the women’s race, Katie Schide lead wire-to-wire and won convincingly in 9:10:10 (sixth overall). Last year’s second-place finisher at Western States, Schide showed she’s in top form to make a run at this year’s title in June. EmKay Sullivan ran a strong race to finish second (10:01:26) and Anna Kacius took third (10:24:37). Both Sullivan and Kacius accepted their Golden Tickets into Western States (Schide already had an automatic bid based on her finish last year).
The 100-mile race saw 186 finishers out of 291 starters. In the women’s competition, Elena Horton was victorious in 21:35:56 (eighth overall). Jacquie Mannhard claimed second (22:35:52) and Sonia Ahuja took third (23:11:53). On the men’s side, Canyon Woodward raced true to his name, winning the Canyons 100 overall in 18:54:32. Nicholas Lightbody placed second (19:14:17) and Nick Orr claimed the final podium spot in third (19:55:51).
In the Canyons 50k race, we saw a deep field of elite men and women duke it out for top honors. First place went to Eli Hemming in 3:25:23, followed closely by Daniel Jones (3:28:03) and Cole Watson (3:32:51). In the women’s race, we saw another tightly contested battle with Dani Moreno taking the win (3:52:24), Jennifer Lichter placing second (3:57:49) and Tabor Hemming finishing third (3:59:44). Full results of all the Canyons races can be found here.
Next, we head to New Auburn, Wisconsin, for the 16th running of the Chippewa 50k. This year’s race saw 106 finishers, with Mia Rucoba taking the win in the women’s race in 5:34:04. Second place went to Tammi Braund (5:43:35) and Sierra Eichers finished third (6:09:59). In the extremely tight men’s event, Jonathan Neujahr secured the victory in 4:38:29, finishing just ahead of second-place Joshua Cerra (4:40:14) and third-place finisher Cavan Denning (4:44:23). Full results here.
Finally, we head to just outside of Boise, Idaho, for the 14th running of the Weiser River Trail 50k. The relatively flat course has historically produced fast times and this year was no exception. In the men’s race, Mac Moss put on a dominant performance winning in 3:21:16 (fourth-fastest time in course history). Jose Cervantes finished second (4:00:03) and Kevin Guillard claimed third (4:09:44). In the women’s contest, Jenna Maffey took first (third overall), running the fourth-fastest female course time in 4:05:01. Leslie Babbel placed second (4:31:53) and Sarah Bisterfeldt finished third (4:37:53). Full results here.
Other results from this weekend include: Thelma and Louise 50k (Moab, UT), Ultra Race of Champions – UROC 50k & 50 miles (Montebello, VA), Heartland 50k & 50 miles (Cassoday, KS), Howland’s Neck Ache 6, 12 & 24-hour (Tunkhannock, PA), Almira 50 mile (Wynne, AR), Child Nonsense 50k & 50 miles (Palatine, IL) and On the Dam Trail 34 miles (Hooversville, PA).
Click here for our complete list of results.