Mike Morton continued his recent comeback with a new course record at the 18th annual Umstead 100. Morton took the lead early in the race and was an hour clear of runner-up Jim Sweeney by the finish.
Traci Falbo from Indiana won the women’s race, comfortably ahead of Allison Moore. It was a rainy morning, but was sunny later in the day, with high temperatures reaching the mid 70s. A thunderstorm hit with a little rain during the wee morning hours and then it cleared for a sunny finish. The overnight low was in the upper 50s. There were 252 starters, and 149 finished within the 30-hour time limit.
Men
1. Mike Morton, 40, Lithia, FL, 13:11:40 (course record, old record 13:23:02 by Zach Gingerich, 2010)
2. Jim Sweeney, 30, Albany, NY, 14:14:25
3. Mark Manz, 26, Cary, NC, 14:16:25
4. Jonathan Allen, 33, Simpsonville, SC, 15:19:53
5. Troy Shellhamer, 31, Louisville, KY, 15:27:50
Women
1. Traci Falbo, 40, Charlestown, IN, 17:02:39
2. Allison Moore, 42, Seattle, WA, 18:45:02
3. Beth McCurdy, 42, Dacula, GA, 19:11:28
4. Ronda Sundermeier, 45, Tigard, OR, 19:37:36
5. Jeri Ginsburg, 53, San Diego, CA, 20:10:21
Photos: Top, Mike Morton (photo by Tim Szydlowski). Left, Traci Falbo winning the 2011 Big Island Marathon (courtesy runningskirts.com)