Weekly Rundown for September 16, 2020

Trails Collective’s Weekly Rundown

September 16, 2020 DC (During-Covid)

At the Races

No results yet listed for:

 

FAAP Fall Classic 5K, Allison Park, PA, 5.0 / 10.0 / 20.0: http://faap5krace.yolasite.com/register-and-pay-online-here.php

 

Where the Pavement Ends – a 4.25 mile hybrid : https://runsignup.com/Race/CT/Ridgefield/WherethePavementEnds

 

For those with results posted:

 

Dam Yeti 50 / 50 in Damascus, Virginia, a push back from June which I missed this round. There were 37 finishers in the 50 mile with Jason Locke taking the overall win and course record in 5:22. Danielle Luhmann took the women’s win in 8:47 for the 8th fastest women’s time. No results listed for the 50k. 

 

Water Gap Trail Runs, Milford, PA, 25k / 50k. 50k wins went to Dan Cummings and Alan Yorke in 4:16, and Carly Sedlock in 4:32. For the 25k, wins went to Uval Zarai with Alex Kelly just a minute behind coming out of a different wave. Lauren Wagner earned the women’s win in 2:42. Here’s RD Vinny Cappadora from Happily Running giving the rundown. (insert clip) 

 

Breakneck Point Trail Runs, Beacon, NY. So long as we clear any COVID attributions over the next couple weeks, it will have been an amazing day, and so many of us are thankful we collectively hung in there. Our courses have been tweaked year over year, but we think we found one we’ll stick with for a while. The winners of both events hammered. In the Half Marathon Aaron Newell took the win in 2:09, establishing a new course record in the process. Kirby Mosenthal took it for the women in 3:03. For the marathon, a burly course with roughly 8,500 of gain, Ithaca’s David Hedges took it in 4:35, setting a new course record in the process, with Stef Bishop 3rd overall and first female in 5:17. Both she and second place finisher Lauren Longfield both ran under Kehr Davis’ prior course record. 

 

In a close-call moment of the day, tough-as-nails half marathon entrant David Depew caught a rock, going down hard and being impaled by a stick, going deep and just missing his lung. He made the call to pull it out, call his wife to hail an ambulance, and walked the mile or two out, significantly bleeding, but making it through. He’s doing okay and hopefully will be back in the mix for 2021. Had that punctured his left rather than right side, it would have been game over. A reminder of how thin that line can be, and to be thankful for our relative luck out there.

 

Rock ‘N The Knob Trail Races at Blue Knob, Claysburg, PA, 10k / 13.1 / 26.2, PA’s highest trail race” and “most challenging 10k in PA with a ½ marathon and marathon in the mix as well. The results aren’t yet posted to UltraSignUp as of filming. But, even better than me reading them if they were, is you getting the rundown from the RD himself, Ben Mazur.  

 

Pine Creek Challenge, Wellsboro, PA, 26.2 / 50.0 / 100.0. Of 24 finishers, the Marathon wins went to Shawn Bubany 2:59, establishing a new men’s course record and Sandra Hogg in 4:01. IN the 50 Mile, 36 finishers with wins went to Jason Lamb in 8:05, and Melissa Lin in 8:32. 100k had 19 finishers with Mario Zuniga and Deb Dzurinko in 9:22 and 11:03 respectively. And in the big one, 54 finishers in the 100 mile with the wins going to Padraig Mullins and Jassica Grinspan in 16:40 and 19:06 respectively.

 

Boulder Field 100, Jim Thorpe, PA. Three events woven in. The kiddy run 18 miler pulled in 78 finishers with Vladislav Los and Michaela Rubenstein taking the top two spots and Men’s and Women’s wins. For the 50k, 95 finishers crossed with Robert Kehoe and Jill Roper taking the wins. And, for the macdaddy of the day, 100k, Jeff Alpert and Laura Moore crossed first. We connected with Laura for a snapshot of the experience for her. Take it Laura (inserted video clip). 

 

Mahoosuc Ridge to the River Challenge, Bethel, ME, a beautiful course to keep an eye on for next year. 17 Marathon finishers with Jennifer Keaten and Sam Holt taking the wins. 54 Half Marathon finishers with Sam Lanternier and Steph Nicols taking the wins. And in the 10k, of 42 finishers, Katy Crooker and Jacob Boone taking the wins.

 

Tunxis Trail UltraMarathon, Burlington, CT, 8.0 / 30.0 / 60.0, benefiting the Burlington Land Trust. There were twelve finishers in the 8k with Eric Ciocca taking the overall win in 53:26 and Maria Rycerz for the women in 1:05. In the 30k, 15 finishers with Kevin Lemanuais taking the overall in 3:43, and Anna Proczek for the women’s field in 4:50. Topping out in the 60k, 4 finishers with Matt Toney and Elizabeth Allen taking the wins.

 

Breaks UltraMarathon 45M Trail Run, Breaks, VA, 45 (https://nextopportunityevents.com/breaks): 68 finishers, Radu Diaconu in 10:20 for the overall and 2nd fastest on the course, and Amy Macintire for the women’s win in 11:06, also second fastest on the course. Good clip of Leanne Hood and Mike Hill of Ohio coming in at 15:57 just a bit under the 16 hour cutoff.

 

Macedonia Trail Race, Kent, CT, 7.3 / 25 / 50. This was one of the only remaining events I’d registered for in 2020 which made it through COVID, and I’m stoked it did. Brian and crew choose wonderful venues and put on great events, and this was one.

Although I was dragging from putting on Breakneck Point the day prior, my oldest daughter and I headed over Sunday morning. We found a  beautiful, very runable, flowy course, with a playground of a rock scramble climb around mile 5, and gorgeous ridge views in the mile after. An excellent course for a beginner trail runner looking to challenge themselves a bit, or a season vet looking for an honest but fast course to lay it down.

The 12k wins went to Mitch Morris and Sarah Jane O’Connor. The 25k saw solid races, with the top two men, Brendan Atkins and Benjamin Hearon finishing less than a minute apart. I ran a bit behind both of these guys capturing some film, and Benjamin must have been closing hard. The women’s race was equally as tight with Brittany Telke finishing less than a minute behind runner up Sherri Odell. All flour of these individuals were under the prior course records. For the Ultra on the day, the 50k titles went to Jim Harron in 6:31, and Robyn Bratica in 7:19.

 

FKT’s

CT:

Richie Rodgriguez, 13h 8m for the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, a 54.5 mile paved running from Yale to the Mass border. This is an opening mark for the one-way format, but appears not too far off the pace set by the CULTRA Trail Ultra Running podcast in August of this year for the out-back format. 

 

Grace Long, 1h 55m for an unsupported baseline for the Out-Back on the 12 km Iron Trail

 

MA:

 

Brian Butterfield 4h 27m for the Boroughs Loop which is a 32 mile circuit with 2800’ of gain which, according to the map, is located about a thumb’s width west of Walmart.

 

NY:

Jake Stookey and Bill Hoffman, 15h 51m for the Saranac Ultra 6er Challenge. They did it in a more purist fashion by opting for the Duathlon version, which is cycling between legs. This is the first mark for that format.

 

VA:

Mike Wardian – 1h 57m for the Arlington Loop in Unsupported fashion, shaving 9 minutes off of the prior mark, and 8 minutes off of his prior Supported mark for the route from May of this year. I guess he’s just faster solo.

 

Witt “El Matador” Wisebram 1d 5h 37m for the Shenandoah section of the AT. This is a monster of a section, covering 110 miles with 31,500 ft of elevation gain. Witt took the bull by the horns throwing down in Unsupported fashion. 

 

Danny Mathieson, 7h 54m for the Catawba Triple Crown, a beautiful section of the AT and North Mountain Trails for a 54km loop with 8,800 feet of gain.

 

Coming Up:

Virtual:

Starting this past Monday, the NYNJ Trails Conference’s 100 Mile Trail-A-Thon. Need a virtual event to support to toe into those waters? This is an excellent one. Please support an entity who gives a ton to make our trails possible. https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Virtual/100Milesfor100Years

4th Annual Mt. Agamenticus Trails Challenge, a 1 mile and 5k in York Maine, Virtual for 2020, with runs to be completed between September 1 and 30th. Also have trail work days on the originally scheduled event date of September 19th, and an invasive species management day on October 10th.

https://runsignup.com/Race/Events/ME/York/4thAnnualMtATrailChallenge5K1Mile

Diakon Outdoor Adventure Challenge Virtual 5k in Mechanicsburg, PA. Adventure center looks pretty fun for when it’s back in action in person for 2021: https://www.diakon.org/giving/outdoor-adventure-challenge/

The Virtual edition of the Nasty 9 Trail Run, with 9 and 3-4 mile options at Brushy Hills in Lexington, VA. Run the white-streamer marked course in September: https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Lexington/Nasty9TrailRunVirtual

Trails to Prevail 10k, a virtual option from the week of September 20 – 26th, move in any way you choose, and to celebrate wellness, trails, and the power of community in Portland, Maine and raising awareness and funds for Portland Trails. http://trails.org/events-2/races/trail-to-ale/

Patapsco Trail Fest in Ellicott City Maryland, with virtual running window between September 18 and October 18th, and further information at https://pvsptrailfest.com/

 

In-Person / Traditional:

Saturday, September 19th:

2nd Annual Morgan Hill Meat Grinder, put on by Salt City Sports, in Morgan Hill State Park and Toggenburg Ski Resort in Fabius / Cortland, NY. They’re still hoping to run with their 2020 reduced COVID capped fields of 50 in the Half Marathon and 50 in the full set to go. Shout out to my Altra Running and Ultilmate Direction rep John Roadarmel being currently seated 2nd in the Half Field. For the full, a solid field up front with Jared Burdick, Jim Mollosky, and Jason Mintz being on the men’s card.

http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=75524

4th Annual Forgotten Forest Ultra, a 9 Hour timed run in Stratford, CT, With 45 entrants, registration live through Thursday at UltraSignUp

http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=71225

FireBird Trail Races, 5k, 13M, and 50k events run in Windham Maine and with a course which uses the Cross-Falmouth Trail from Windham to Falmouth. Entry format entails entrants making a donation to a non-profit of their choice in addition to the race. Currently 1 registrant in the 5k (signup now and equal odds you’ll podium this year),  24 in the 13M, and 33 in the 50k.

http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=71238

Sunday, September 20th: 

TAM Trek’s beautiful 19 mile event to benefit the Trail Around Middlebury annual maintenance costs. Also have 10K and 2-mile family fun runs. Jump in this community event with a really runable course via RunSignUp: https://runsignup.com/Race/VT/Middlebury/TAMTrek

Bishop’s Event’s Gnarled Orchard Hard Cider Challenge 5k, 10k, and Half at Valley View Farm with proceeds benefiting the Friends of Sky Meadow’s. https://bishopsevents.com/event/2020-gnarled-orchard-hard-cider-challenge-5k-10k-half/

September 25 / 26:

Pemberton 24, a festival of 5k’s, with a format of a 5k starting every hour with participants able to run as many as they like, whether one, five, or all 24. Camping included with registration, and team options in the mix: https://www.pembertonpark.org/pemberton-park/events/Pemberton-24

The Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run – Gaining only 3000’ while crossing 141 trestles along the crushed cinder Virginia Creeper Trail in Abingdon, VA. A Western States Qualifier, with registration opening and capping back in January. 338 entrants in the mix. With a slogan of “Where Debauchery Is Welcome”, and in the spirit of the entity, we’re not going to tell you which entrant’s are ranked up top. We’re going to give praise to the three entrants with the distinction of being UltraSignUp ranked as the DFL, or, Dead Fucking Last podium contendors.., Miranda Riley, Tara Pagano, and Eva Jones…get out there and get it done! 

Saturday, September 26th:

The rugged, tough, remote, and beautiful World’s End Ultra’s 50k and 100k’s, going down in World’s End State Park and Loyalsock State Forest. Also a Western States qualifier, I believe long capped with 280 entrants. So long as PA stays off the NY State Quarantine List, I”ll plan to be out volunteering at the Dry Run Aid Station, mile 41 on the 100k course, for the duration. Stop in. https://worldsendultra.com/

Sunday, September 27th:

The Mid Penn Trailblazer’s Dam Half Marathon Trail Race at R.B. Winter State Park in Mifflinburg, PA. A fun rolling course with a few rock gardens, and a signature end of race 700 foot ½ Mile Stairway to Heaven climb before a 1.5 downhill stretch into the finish. Sounds flowey and fun.Not seeing any updates on COVID or protocols which makes me a bit uneasy, but the course look and sounds great and it appears the event is on and registration open at https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Mifflinburg/DamHalfDamFullTrailMarathon

Salomon’s Golden Trail Championships – 76 Golden Tickets, 5 in the US, with New England’s being the 17 mile iconic Presidential Traverse with the segment being the “new England Golden Ticket”. Looking for the top mark run between July 1st and October 1st. Only two weeks left to vie for the entries, flights, accommodations, and meals for the Golden Trail World Championships in the Azores starting October 29th.