Sacramento, California, February 9. Todd Braje of McKinleyville, California ran the fastest 50 mile in the U.S. in more than four years while winning the 31st Annual Jed Smith Ultra Classic at Gibson Ranch. Braje’s time of 5:30:50 was the fastest since Chad Ricklefs ran 5:24:45 at Tallahassee in December 2004. Leslie Antonis was the women’s winner.
In the accompanying 50 km, Chikara Omine and Jenny Capel were the winners. Noteworthy among the finishers were spectacular performances by 63-year-old Ernest Takahashi of Sacramento, California, who ran 4:17:18 and 73-year-old Bill Dodson of Mountain View, California, who posted a 5:12:50.
50 Mile
Men
1. Todd Braje, 32, McKinleyville, CA 5:30:50 (course record, old record 5:33:31 by Sean Crom, 1996)
2. Sean Meissner, 35, Sisters, OR 6:19:45
3. Michael Kanning, 17, Los Altos, CA 6:23:55
4. Joseph Palubeski, 42, Red Bluff, CA 6:58:00
5. Ray Sanchez, 42, Sacramento, CA 7:05:49
Women
1. Leslie Antonis, 46, Modesto, CA 7:52:52
2. Linda McFadden, 46, Modesto, CA 8:53:23
3. Linda Frazier, 50, Placerville, CA 9:45:59
50 km
Men
1. Chikara Omine, 26, San Francisco, CA 3:08:44
2. Michael Fink, 40, Lincoln, CA 3:19:02
3. Jean Pommier, 44, Cupertino, CA 3:51:03
4. Eduardo Vazquez, 36, Sausalito, CA 3:51:10
5. Scott Dunlap, 39, Woodside, CA 3:57:00
Women
1. Jenny Capel, 36, Reno, NV 3:55:49
2. Rena Schumann, 47, Folsom, CA 4:26:59
3. Claire Gills, 31, Reno, NV 4:37:29
4. Tamara Johnson, 44, Pleasant Hill, CA 4:39:47
5. Allyson Thomas-Conwell, 28, Sacramento, CA 4:48:33