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The final weekend of October saw runners participate in 59 ultramarathons across North America. In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we dive into results from Tennessee, Arizona and Georgia. Let’s get to it.
We begin in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, at Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships, where 63 countries competed to see how many combined yards (4.167-mile loops) their 15 distance-running representatives could complete each hour, on the hour. The race kicked off on Saturday, October 19, but wasn’t over until four-and-a-half days later when three Belgian athletes—Merjin Geerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen—decided to unanimously retire from the event after each setting a new backyard ultra world record of 110 yards (458.36 miles). While rules state there was no individual winner in the Belgian race (no single runner completed the final lap), the remarkable feat of endurance and teamwork earned Belgium the overall team title. Australia finished second overall with 97 yards, and team USA finished in third (96 yards). In the US national competition, Scott Snell was victorious with 88 yards, while Megan Eckert came in with the assist and was the last female standing, shattering the previous women’s backyard ultra record by logging 87 yards (362.5 miles). Full results here.
Staying in the Volunteer State, we head to Jamestown, Tennessee, for the eighth annual No Business 100, where participants had 33 hours to complete a 102-mile loop course featuring 14,500 feet of climbing. In the men’s race, Davis Sullivan crossed the finish line first in 22:09:33. Jared Hites took second in 22:39:06, and Patrick Cole (22:44:47) finished just behind in third. Amy Holpuch claimed the win on the women’s side and finished eighth overall in 23:53:40. Amy Stulman ran to second (25:47:36), and Nora Bird (27:21:15) rounded out the podium in third. Full results here.
Heading out to the Arizona desert, we drop in on one of sport’s biggest parties and also one of the most competitive late season ultras, the Javelina Jundred (100-mile and 100k races). This year’s 100-mile race presented runners with their first opportunity on American soil to earn Golden Tickets into the Western States Endurance Run (WSER), with the top two male and female finishers earning automatic spots in the 2025 race. In the men’s race, David Roche, fresh off his course record win at Leadville, continued his impressive run at 100-milers, winning in 12:45:04 and missing another CR by less than 2 minutes. Jeff Mogavero finished second in 12:54:31 (now third-fastest course time ever), and Dan Green (12:58:04) ran in just behind in third. In the women’s division, Riley Brady took the victory and finished seventh overall in 14:19:01, the second-fastest time in course history. Hannah Allgood finished second and tenth overall (14:38:30), and Lauren Puretz completed the podium in third. Roche, Mogavero, Brady and Allgood accepted their Golden Tickets to run next year’s WSER.
The story of the 100k race was the domination by the ladies, with women claiming three of the top four spots overall. Anne Flower led the way in 8:23:13, taking the overall win and running the second-fastest course time in the process. Jane Maus finished second overall in 8:32:49 (third-fastest course time ever), and Silvie Abel (9:06:17) took third and fourth overall. In the men’s field, Jordan Brett finished first in 8:39:36. Joseph Roldan placed second (9:50:22), and Brandon Dugi (10:07:51) secured third. Full results here.
Our final stop takes us to Sky Valley, Georgia, for the 12th annual Sky to Summit 50k. This year’s race saw 177 runners earn an official finish, led by top female Amy Ross-Johnson who finished second overall and ran the second-fastest course time in 5:29:36. Eileen Klein came in second (6:21:01), and Rebecca Whitman (6:44:44) placed third. Kyle Kraeft finished first-place male and took the overall win in 5:12:36. Kyle Kalbus took second (5:39:20), and Bill Flowers (5:45:44) ran his way to third. Full results here.
Other results from this weekend include Marine Corps Marathon 50k (Arlington, VA), Canyonlands Ultra (Moab, UT), Womp Romp (Hingham, MA), Gate2Gate 50k (Alachua, FL), Summit 50/50 (Salamanca, NY), TPK Chasing Rabbits (Stanhope, NJ) and Kansas Rails-to-Trails Extravaganza (Ottawa, KS).
Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, and make sure to check out our full list of results here.
1 comment
Thank you for saying Riley Brady won the womens race. Other platforms listing Javalina results did not even mention female or women when it came to the women’s results.
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