Katowice, Poland, September 9. Mike Morton and Connie Gardner both broke the American Records for 24 hours at the World 24-Hour Championships.
Morton led throughout the race, winning by nearly 10 miles, and broke Scott Jurek’s 2010 mark by nearly 7 miles.
Gardner, who twice has run 145 miles, ran in second place for most of the race behind Emily Gelder of Great Britain. She was passed by Michaela Dimitriadu of the Czech Republic just after the 20-hour mark, and then both runners eventually passed Gelder. Gardner surged in the last hour to best Sabrina Moran’s American record, set earlier this year.
Suzanna Bon of the US placed fifth, posting the fourth best all-time U.S. performance.
The American women’s team of Gardner, Bon and Anne Lundblad won the team title by a large margin. France edged Great Britain by a mere 42 meters to take second. The American men’s team of Morton, Harvey Lewis and Joe Fejes led at the 23-hour mark, but a final surge by Germany won the team title and the U.S. men slipped to third.
Men
1. Mike Morton, 41, Lithia, FL, 172.457 miles (new American record, old record 165.705 miles by Scott Jurek, 2010)
2. Florian Reus, 28, DEU, 162.624
3. Ludovic Dilmi, 47, FRA, 160.201
4. Ryo Abiko, 37, JPN, 158.752
5. Piotr Sawicki, 38, POL, 157.886
also:
22. Harvey Lewis, 36, Cincinnati, OH, 148.958
27. Joe Fejes, 47, Hoschton, GA, 147.586
56. Wayne Gaudet, 56, Okotoks, AB, 135.787
84. Philip McCarthy, 44, New York, NY, 128.780
102. Jeff Ashizawa, 47, Waterloo, ON, 123.595
119. Bruce Barteaux, 57, Orleans, ON, 120.055
146. Serge Arbona, 47, Parkerville, MD, 113.089
166. Jonathan Savage, Charlotte, NC, 46, 106.254
Women
1. Michaela Dimitriadu, 39, CZE, 151.759
2. Connie Gardner, 49, Medina, OH, 149.368 (new American record, old record 147.90 miles by Sabrina Moran, 2012)
3. Emily Gelder, 37, GBR, 148.430
4. Cecile Nissen, 40, FRA, 145.726
5. Suzanna Bon, 48, Sonoma, CA, 143.583
also:
9. Anne Lundblad, 46, Swannanoa, NC, 138.665
22. Lana Hauberk, 25, USA, 129.846
51. Sharon Zelinski, 48, Toronto, ON, 113.570
55. Deb Horn, 53, Shaker Heights, OH, 111.225
57. Marylou Corino, 34, Georgetown, ON, 108.236
59. Sue Armstrong, 52, Dunrobin, ON, 106.608
63. Cherie Cromie, 36, Hamilton, ON, 102.189
Men’s Teams
1. Germany, 471.904 miles
2. France, 470.198
3. U.S.A. (Morton, Lewis, Fejes), 469.002
Women’s Teams
1. U.S.A. (Gardner, Bon, Lindblad), 431.617
2. France, 414.145
3. Great Britain, 414.119
Photo, top: Mike Morton leading the field at the World 24-Hour Championships (photo by Jan Vandendriessche)
Above: Connie Gardner (photo by Bob McGillivray)
