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In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we travel to Maryland, Texas, California and South Carolina. Let’s get to it.
We kick things off in Boonsboro, Maryland, for the 62nd annual JFK 50 Mile, the country’s oldest continuously running ultramarathon and also one of the largest and most competitive. This year’s race saw a whopping 1,120 runners cross the finish line, highlighted by course records in both the men’s and women’s events. In the men’s race, David Sinclair smashed Hayden Hawks’ previous course best time by over 10 minutes, winning in 5:08:27 (a 6:09 pace)! Ryan Sullivan took second in 5:27:40, and Matthew Seidel (5:29:34) finished third. Not to be outdone, the speedy Rachel Drake became the first female runner in race history to crack the 6-hour mark, setting a new course record in an insanely fast time of 5:57:32. Drake’s time was over 8 minutes faster than Sarah Biehl’s 2022 CR and placed her tenth overall. Second-place female honors went to Mary Denholm who also ran under the previous course mark in 6:04:15. Valérie Arsenault (6:16:00) rounded out the podium in third. Both Sinclair and Drake netted an additional $3,000 in bonuses for setting new course records (on top of their cash prizes for winning the race). Full results here.
Up next, we journey to Glen Rose, Texas, for the eighth running of the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run (50k, 100k and 100-mile). Because of the multiple race distances, we’re only going to list the winners, but you can find the results for every event here. Beginning in the 100-miler, Aimee Jacobs set a new course record for both the men and women, securing the overall win in 19:40:30. Mark Wooten (20:52:12) finished first for the men. Dropping down to the 100k (where 100-mile participants also record a time), Aimee Jacobs once again took the overall win, running the first 100k of her 100-miler in 11:01:01 and setting a new female 100k course record by over an hour. Brad Trexler (11:14:19) finished first place male. Finally, in the 50k race, another woman, Katy Barber took the overall win in 6:00:08, and Ian Bost (6:30:28) claimed the victory for the men. Full results here.
Heading to the West Coast and San Francisco, California, we check in on the Golden Gate Spartan Trail Classic (50k) where an impressive 249 runners completed the course under the 9-hour cutoff. In the women’s event, we have what appears to be a sprint finish with race winner Sara Bagnell (4:55:56 and ninth overall) crossing the finish line just one second ahead of Carly Bandt (4:55:57 and tenth overall). Fem Woodruff (5:09:42) completed the women’s podium in third. On the men’s side, Spaniard Marc Bernades ran to victory in 3:56:17, the second-fastest course time ever run. Jamie Woodbury came in second (4:25:48), and TJ Davis (4:26:21) finished third. Full results here.
Our last stop takes us to Fort Mill, South Carolina, for the 10th annual Lake Haigler 12-Hour, in which participants attempted to see how many 5k loops they could run around Lake Haigler in under 12 hours. The women’s winner and first place overall went to Natalie Daniel with a new female course record distance of 55.84 miles. Kelly Woodard placed second (49.60 miles), and Rene Crickenberger (43.40) took third. In the men’s race, Keith Crapps ran the farthest with 52.70 miles. Brian Doring claimed second (49.60 miles), and Chris Sergeant placed third (also 49.60 miles but with a slower overall finish time). Full results here.
Other results from this weekend include CT Trailmixers Fall Fling 400 (Southington, CT), and Fat Ox (Buckeye, AZ).
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and be sure to check out UltraRunning Magazine’s full list of results here.