There are just under two months remaining on our 2023 North American UltraRunning Calendar, but there are still tons of places to get out and find a finish line across the nation if you’re in need of some last-minute inspiration. This week in our What’s Up in Ultra column, we’re highlighting a potentially record-setting Tunnel Hill in Illinois, a 50/50 near to the UltraRunning headquarters in Central Oregon, a 50k on Mt. Tamalpais in the San Francisco Bay Area and more.
The Tunnel Hill 100 (and accompanying 50-miler) in Vienna, Illinois, on Saturday, November 11, is the place to be for a pre-Thanksgiving PR attempt. The forecast looks favorable and race director Steve Durbin believes that three men are potentially targeting a new course record: Taggart VanEtten, Phil Young and Elov Olsson of Sweden. Devon Yanko is looking to take the title in the women’s race on this flat, out-and-back, rails-to-trails course. In the 50-mile contest, Charlie Lawrence has announced his intentions to go after Jim Walmsley’s 4-hour, 50-minute and 7-second world best set in 2019. Rajpaul Pannu ran the course in 5 hours, 8 minutes and 41 seconds in 2022, and will be looking to take the win again this year. Keep your eyes on Allison Mercer in the women’s field to be the first to break 6 hours and snag a new course record in the process. At 80 years old, Wally Hesseltine is also in the field. Race day live tracking and results here. There are 26 spots left in the 100-miler and just two left in the 50-miler.
Just north of UltraRunning Magazine’s headquarters in Bend, Oregon, is Run The Rock 50/50 in Terrebonne. Saturday’s 50-miler consists of a two-loop course and the 50k on Sunday is a lollipop-style course. Both races run within Smith Rock State Park and the Crooked River National Grasslands, providing runners with stunning views of the snow-capped Cascade Range mountains to the west. There are only eight spots left in the 50-mile on Saturday if you want in on the fun.
Traveling south down the West Coast to just north of San Francisco, is the Mt. Tam Trail Run 50k that starts and finishes in Stinson Beach also on Saturday. The figure-eight-style course accumulates over 6,000 feet of climbing and descending on the shoulders of Mount Tamalpais, through the infamous Muir Woods National Monument and into the Marin Headlands. There is a $1,200 prize purse to be split evenly between the men’s and women’s podiums. The race is sold out this year.
As always, the aforementioned races don’t even scratch the surface of what’s happening around the continent this weekend on our calendar. Don’t miss the Rosaryville Veterans Day 50k in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, the Dogwood Canyon 50k in Springfield, Missouri, the Upchuck 50k in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Pass Mountain 50/50 in Mesa, Arizona, the Rockledge Rumble 50k in Grapevine, Texas, The Stinger All Comers Track Race 6/12/24-hour in Hampton, Georgia, the KUS 6/12/24-hour in Wichita, Kansas, and the tBunk Endurance Challenge 50k/50-mile/100-mile/150-mile/200-mile in LaGrange, Wisconsin.
Do you have an event you’re excited about this weekend that we failed to mention? Let us know below, revisit our Ultra Weekend Recap from last weekend if you missed it, and subscribe to our Thursday newsletter to stay in the loop with UltraRunning Magazine.