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We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and found some time to get out and enjoy the trails. The final weekend of November featured 10 North American ultras on the UltraRunning Magazine race calendar. In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we highlight results from California, North Carolina and Washington.
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend and be sure to check out all the race results as they roll in on our results page.
Quad Dipsea
We kick things off in Mill Valley, California, for the 42nd running of the Quad Dipsea. There were 276 runners who set off on Saturday in an attempt to complete four trips up and down the historic Dipsea Trail for a total of 28.4 miles and more than 9,200 feet of climbing and descending. In the men’s race, Nick Handel continued his Quad Dipsea dominance, winning the race for a remarkable fourth straight year in a new course record time of 3:39:45. Jacob Banta was the second finisher in 3:56:12. Nick Reshetnikov came in third (4:07:09).
Megan Roche ran the fastest female course time ever on her way to winning the women’s race in a speedy time of 4:35:30. Roche took over 3 minutes off of Caren Spore’s previous course record which had stood since 2010. Sophia Steffens earned a second-place finish in 4:41:54. The 2024 winner, Sylvie Abel, took third (4:54:02).
Full results here.
The Derby 50k
Our next stop takes us to Ellerbe, North Carolina, for the 23rd annual Derby 50k. There were 80 runners who completed the 50k race on Saturday, with top female honors going to Caroline Hardin in 4:39:48. Hardin placed seventh overall. Melissa Lee was the second woman to cross the line, earning a runner-up finish in a time of 5:38:04. Malini Ballekere Raju rounded out the podium in third (5:42:36).
John Dallas raced to the men’s victory in 3:32:16, improving on his 2024 second-place Derby 50k finish. Christopher Mortensen claimed second in 3:40:12. Aidan Quigley finished third (4:10:30).
Full results here.
Seattle Ghost
Our final stop takes us to Seattle, Washington, for the 40th running of the Seattle Ghost Marathon. Saturday’s 50k men’s race went down to the wire, with Zach Rowland edging out Jasper Johnson by less than a minute. Rowland broke the tape in 4:21:09, and Johnson finished just behind in 4:21:50. Kudzai Mapingire completed the men’s podium in third (4:36:16).
Sonja Fjetland won the women’s race in 5:40:38. Taylor Bettencourt ran to second (5:44:32), and Cecilia Eldridge (6:20:05) snagged third.
Full results here.
Other results from this weekend include: Boundiful Endurance Runs (Hemet, CA), Turkey Burn Ultra (Clermont, FL), and Tooele Turkey Trail Trot (Ophir, UT).