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The first weekend of April saw over 40 ultramarathons run throughout the United States. It wasn’t long ago when you couldn’t be too picky about which races you wanted to run—there simply weren’t that many options. Now, you can select a distance, terrain, and location that truly inspires you. The growth of the sport is exciting, and I thoroughly enjoy researching all of the challenging and creative events put on by the ultrarunning community. Now, on to this weekend’s Ultra Weekend Recap.
We start in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the 29th running of the Umstead 100, where Tara Dower put on a show, winning overall in 14:58:21 and becoming only the second female in race history to crack the 15-hour mark. Congrats on an amazing race, Tara! Christina Marshall finished second (19:16:38) and Jamie Gurtov claimed third (21:22:21). In the men’s field, Jim Sweeney placed first (15:23:43), Brian Zickefoose took second (15:35:24) and Brian Mashburn (15:56:37) came in third. Full results here.
Next, we jump over to Ona, West Virginia, for the 13th annual Kanawha Trace 50k, where we saw a new course record set by Alex Minor in a blistering time of 3:46:53, besting the previous course mark by over 9 minutes. Daniel Nehnevaj took second (4:33:22), edging out third-place finisher Ryan Ramsby (4:35:18). In the women’s race, Raegan Good claimed top honors in 5:41:25, Leslie Starnes finished second (5:53:38) and Sarah Stevens placed third (7:38:00). Full results here.
Our next stop is in Needville, Texas, for the “fastest race in Texas,” the Brazos Bend 50 (50-mile and 50k races). In the 50-mile race there were 150 finishers, lead by Art Hurtado who won in a time of 6:21:49. Ramon Rosales Jr. took second (6:42:11) and Blake Ragland claimed third (6:48:12). In the women’s race, Martina Dujic secured the win in 7:05:24 (fifth overall and third-fastest course time), Alison McCully finished second (8:35:59) and Katie Tewart rounded out the podium in third (9:28:39).
Nicole and Zach Bitter celebrate their wins at the Brazos Bend 50k, pictured with TROT Race Director, Cal Neff. Photo: Jeremiah Justis
In the 50k race, we saw Zach and Nicole Bitter both coming out victorious. Nicole Bitter won the women’s race in 3:55:25 (fourth overall), followed by Victoria Nolan (4:30:09) and Laura Marino (4:56:33). On the men’s side, Zach Bitter cruised to victory in 3:19:19, just 9 seconds off his 2022 winning time. Charles Clark finished second (3:49:53) and Christian Martinez took third (3:53:06). Full results here.
Finally, we travel across the country to Folsom, California, for the American River 50 Mile Endurance Run. Of the 289 entrants, Jayson Hefner came out on top in 6:46:08. Eric Neill placed second (6:53:26) and Charles MacNulty rounded out the podium in third (6:55:19). In the women’s race, Kat Seeba took the win in 8:40:46, followed by Aryn Yancher in second (8:51:38) and Sydney Tremaine in third (9:18:11). Full results here.
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend. Please continue to check our race results page as more results roll in.
2 comments
Kanawha Trace 50k took place in Ona, West Virginia, not Oma, West Virginia.
Fixed! Thanks for pointing this out, Eli.
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