Over 59 ultramarathons were scheduled to take place this weekend across North America. Unfortunately, due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, not all events were able to go ahead as planned. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the storm. We’d also like to send a shoutout to the runners, volunteers and RDs at the Yeti 100, who stuck around after the race was canceled to donate food, supplies and assistance to the residents of Damascus, Virginia, who were hit extremely hard by floods. I’m sure this is just one of many instances of our amazing ultrarunning community out there helping neighbors in need. It’s truly an amazing group.
In this week’s Ultra Weekend Recap, we feature results from Utah, North Carolina, Colorado and New Mexico.
We start in Fish Haven, Idaho, for the Bear 100. This year’s race welcomed runners with brilliant fall colors on their 100-mile journey from Logan, Utah, to Bear Lake. In the women’s event, Careth Arnold put forth a dominant performance, winning in 20:25:49 and finishing third overall. Kathryn Graham finished second female in 23:14:08, and Rebekah Rose (24:20:28) took third. Jose Cruz was victorious on the men’s side, taking the overall win in 19:55:23. Henry Harris placed second (20:18:28), and Kris Brown (21:26:18) snagged third. Full results here.
Our next stop takes us to Rockingham, North Carolina, where 437 runners lined up to participate in the 18th annual Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra Classic. This year’s top runner was Zac Godfrey who completed 111.23 miles (74 laps) to take home the victory. Spencer Vaughn finished second place male with 100.71 miles, and Christopher Scott claimed third (also with 100.71 miles but with a slower total finish time). On the women’s side, Michelle Gray completed 102.21 miles (68 laps) to secure the win and finish second overall. Rene Crickenberger (91.69 miles) took second and fifth overall, and Kjirsti Myles placed third (79.66 miles). Full results here and special thanks to Robbie Singletary Photography for the photo.
Heading out to Nathrop, Colorado, we drop by challenging high-altitude Sawatch Ascent 50k. This year’s female winner was Lindsey Anderson in 6:07:05 (eighth overall). Ash Warner (6:19:11) finished second female, and Brianne Steed rounded out the podium in third (6:46:21). In the men’s event, Kieran Nay led wire-to-wire to take the win and set a new course record in 4:58:42. Ryan Smith placed second (5:26:19 and third-fastest course time), and Reid Burrows (5:48:45) snagged third. Full results here.
Our final stop takes us to Grants, New Mexico, for the 13th annual Mt. Taylor 50k. 125 runners crossed the finish line, led by Joshua Reddish who earned the overall win in 5:04:31. Matthew Van Cleave (5:07:03) finished second, and Collier Kempton placed third (5:12:56). In the women’s race, Johanna Hamblett was victorious in 5:40:11 (fifth overall). Amy Rosebrough (6:27:07) took second, and Helen Wang finished just behind in third (6:29:06). Full results here.
Other results from the weekend include Bogus 50/50 (Boise, ID), The Hungerford Trail Races (Big Rapids, MI), Parallel of Latitude 8-Hour Endurance Run (Dryden, NY), The Ivy Trek Ultra (Quitman, MS), Flagstaff Sky Peaks Mountain Runs (Flagstaff, AZ), Crested Butte Ultra (Crested Butte, CO), Bandit Ultra Trail (Simi Valley, CA), and The Bear Chase (Lakewood, CO).
Check out our full list of results here.