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2002: March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December 2003: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December 2004: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December 2005: January | February
| March | April
| May | June
| July | August
| September | October
| November | December
Anne Lundblad, 39 of Asheville,
NC ran one of the great performances of the year, shattering the women's
course record at the JFK 50 Mile. Lundblad was recently was named
the 2005 Ultrarunner of the Year for Women by USATF, based largely on her
stunning success at the World 100K in Japan, leading the USA Women to the
team gold, with her second place finish in the individual results.
Lunblad's time and new course record at JFK was a remarkable 6:29:42, breaking
by over 20 minutes a record which had stood for over 20 years.
Katherine Koski,
32 of Two Harbors, MN ran a stunning 100K debut at the Ed Fitz and finished
first among women in an outstanding time of 8:00:28. A speedy marathoner
and half-marathoner, Koski brings some much needed legspeed to the American
road ultrarunning scene and will hopefully join the reigning World Gold
Medalist Women's 100K Team in 2006.
Rebecca Johnson, 36 of Lafayette,
CO ran a similarly well paced run at Olander Park to take the women's national
crown in 15:41:50, with remarkable 50 mile splits of 7:41 and 8:00. Johnson
bested Janet Runyan by 1.5 hours.
Nikki Kimball of Bozeman, MT won
the women's side of the Leadville event in an impressive time of 20:28:21.
This comes a mere two weeks after her successful win at the White River
50 Mile National Trail Championship, where she is a three-time defending
champion and course record holder.
John Geesler of St. Johnsville, NY was the top American at the annual World 24 Hour, held on July 16-17th in the small village of Worschach, in the foothills of the Austrian Alps. Geesler, a three-time National 24 Hour Champion, totaled 144 miles for the 24 hours for 14th place and led the USA men to a 6th place finish. Sandy Powell of Greenville, VA ran
a stunning World 24 Hour event in Worschach, finishing 6th overall among
women to lead the USA women to the team bronze. Powell, a physical
education teacher, ran a distance of 133.1 miles, which is a new personal
best
Howard Nippert, 39, Pembroke, VA was the top American male at the annual World 100K, which took place on June 26th at Lake Saroma, Hokkaido, Japan. The stalwart of the American team, Nippert's finish time of 6:59:20 was good for 8th place overall, under warm, sunny conditions. Anne Riddle-Lundblad, 38, Asheville,
NC stunned the World, by nearly overtaking the leader of the women's World
100K race in the last few miles. Despite coming up a mere 40 seconds shy
of first place gold, Riddle-Lundblad finished with a PR of 7:54:22 and
led the American women to a shocking team gold.
Brian Morrison, 26, of Seattle, WA won the very rugged McDonald Forest 50K Trail Run on May 6th in a time of 4:39:23. Morrison, a relative newcomer to the sport of ultradistance running, beat a top field, which included 6-time winner of the Western States 100, Scott Jurek. He also bested top American trailrunners, Hal Koerner and William Emmerson. Ann Heaslett, 41, of Madison, WI
won the women's division at the Ice Age 50 Mile Trail event in the
heart of Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest. Heaslett's time
was 7:49:52, an 8 minute margin over Carolyn Smith of Milwaukee, one of
the top 24 Hour runners in the country.
Philip Kochik, 26, of Seattle, WA won the American Rive 50 Mile Run on April 6th in a time of 6:06.22, a close two minute victory margin over runner-up Eric Grossman of Louisville, KY. The American River 50 Mile run is one of America's largest ultramarathons, with approximately 500 entrants. The race, which is a combination of a flat, fast pathways for the first 30 miles, turns into more difficult trails, with a steep climb in the last couple of miles, making this a unique test of endurance and strength. Beverly Anderson-Abbs, 40, of Red
Bluff, CA won the women's division at the American River 50 Mile run, with
a time of 7:07:43. Anderson-Abbs had a breakout year in 2004,
becoming one of America's premier ultrarunners. She was named to
the 2005 National 100K team to the 100K World Cup that will compete at
Lake Saroma, Japan in June, but declined the team selection so that she
can focus on the prestigious Western States 100 Miler, held on the same
weekend as the World Cup event.
Dave Mackey, 35, of Boulder, CO, was the 2004 Ted Corbitt award winner for the Outstanding USA Male Ultrarunner. Mackey picked up right where he left off after last season by winning the spring's biggest and most competitive 50K trail event, The Way Too Cool Trail 50K in Cool, California. He took first place in a time of 3:39:28, defeating a stellar field. Nikki Kimball, 33, of Livingston,
MT, like Mackey, was the 2004 USA Outstanding Female Ultrarunner award
winner. She continues to be one of the more prolific women ultrarunners
in the country. On March 12th, she bested a strong women's field to win
the Way Too Cool Trail 50K run in a time of 4:11:04.
Jorge Pacheco, 37, of Los Angeles, CA won the Rocky Racoon 100 Mile Trail run in a quick 14:14:12 to win by more than one hour over his nearest competitor. Sandy Powell, 45, of Greenville,
VA continues to be one of the most consistent women 24 Hour runners in
the country. On February 12th, she set a new personal best in Houston,
with a total mileage of 129 miles. Powell is a two-time National
24 Hour team member (2003 and 2004).
John Geesler, 45, of St. Johnsville, NY, a three time National 24 Hour Champion won the Across the Years 72 Hour event in Phoenix, Arizona. The race, which began in 2004, ended on New Years Day and Geesler accumulated 300 miles, for an average of 100 miles per day. Geesler is the American Record holder for the 48 hour run, with 248.55 miles. Carolyn Smith, 39, of Milwaukee,
WI, like Geesler, ran the Across the Years Ultra event, but performed at
the 24 hour distance. Her New Year's day finishing total of 128 miles
was a personal best and achieves the "A" standard for National Team status.
Chad Ricklefs, 37, of Boulder, CO ran one of the fastest 50 milers by an American in recent years, clocking a 5:24:45 time in Tallahassee, FL on December 11th. Running pretty much by himself, Ricklefs' steady pace at slightly better then 6:30 per mile is the leading time for the distance in 2004. Connie Gardner, 41, of Medina, OH continues
to be one of the more prolific women ultrarunners in the country. On December
11th, she bested a strong field to win the Sunmart 50 Mile Trail run in
a time of 7:16:27. Gardner is the 2004 American National 100 Mile
Road Champion, having won the Olander Park 100 Mile on September 11th.
Mike Dudley, 34, of Atlanta, GA nipped Kevin Beck by 50 seconds to win the USATF National 50K Championship on November 14th. A 2:14 marathoner, Dudley put his road speed to good use in averaging better than 6:00 minutes per mile pace to win the close contest with Beck. Ann Riddle, 38, of Asheville, NC
who is currently the leading road ultramarathoner in the US won the women's
division of the USATF National 50K Championship in a time of 3:39:58. The
win came only a couple of weeks after Riddle captured the National Trail
Marathon Championship and only two months after her sixth place finish
at the World Cup 100K in Winschoten, Netherlands, where she posted a remarkable
7:56:48 for the 62.1 mile distance.
Stephanie Ehret, 41, of Boulder, Colorado led a strong American women's team at the 2004 World 24 Hour event in Brno, Czech Republic with a total distance of 140.16 miles. This puts Ehret behind only the legendary Sue Ellen Trapp and Ann Trason on the all time American 24 Hour list for women. Ehret's total earned her a bronze medal third at the event and carried her American women's team to a third place team award. Scott Eppelman, 38, of Coppell,
Texas led the American men in Brno with a personal best total of 144.02
miles and an 11th place finish, which duplicated team mate John Geesler's
effort of the previous year. Eppelman is widely know for his consistent
finishes, regardless of the distance or terrain. This marks his third National
Team, having raced the World 100K in Torhout, Belgium in June of 2002 and
last years World 24 Hour in Uden, The Netherlands in 2003.
Howard Nippert, of Blacksburg, VA, ran the race of his life in finishing 7th at the World Cup 100K in Winschoten on September 11th. Nippert's time of 6:43:12 (6:29 pace) was a personal best by some 18 minutes and was a very evenly paced effort, with a 3:17 first half, followed by at 3:26 second half. This was his 6th appearance at the event, which is held annually. Anne Riddle, of Asheville, NC duplicated
Nippert's feat with a 6th place finish in Winschoten to lead the American
Women in a new personal best time of 7:56:48. Riddle's splits were even
more remarkable then Nippert's great effort, as she posted a 3:56 first
half, followed by a 4:00 second half. This was her 4th World 100K event.
The ultrarunners of the month for August,
2004 are Leadville Trail 100 Mile winners Paul DeWitt and Anthea Schmid.
DeWitt, of Colorado Springs, CO, broke the course record by 7 minutes with
his 17:16:19 win. Schmid, of Crested Butte, CO, won the women's division
for the second time in three years, with a final time of 20:50:05.
Uli Steidl, 33, Seattle, WA, won his 2nd straight White River 50 Mile Trail Run on July 31st, with a new course record of 6:32:43. A German Citizen with extremely fast marathon credentials, Steidl showed what world class speed can do at an ultramarathon distance. He beat the USA National Champion, Phil Kochik by 26 minutes as White River hosted the USATF 50 Mile Trail Championships for the fourth consecutive year. Nikki Kimball, 32, Livingston, MT
duplicated Steidl's feat with a new women's course record at the USATF
White River 50 Mile Trail Championship. Kimball's time of 7:45:21 was two
minutes ahead of her course record set last year. This marks the third
month in a row that Nikki Kimball has been named the American Ultrarunner
of the Month. Could she make it four in September? Kimball is set to lead
the American Ultrarunning 100K team at this year's World Cup, which takes
place in Winschoten, The Netherlands on September 11th.
Scott Jurek, 33, Seattle, WA, won his 6th straight Western States 100 Mile, with a new course record of 15:36:27. Jurek's performance is one of the finest ultrarunning performances in years, made even more remarkable by the fact that in each of his six wins, he has progresively lowered his time, each and every year. Jurek, a native of Minnesota, is also the 2003 Montrail Cup Trail Champion. Nikki Kimball, 32, Elizabethtown,
NY, is currently regarded as the finest American female ultrarunner.
In her debut at Western States, Kimball won in a very impressive 18:43:25
to become the third fastest female performer in the history of the event.
Kimball is the first repeat winner of Ultrarunner of the Month, having
earned the recognition in May, by winning the Ice Age Trail 50K run on
May 8th. In September, Kimball will lead the American 100K Team at
the World Cup 100K, to take place in Winschoten, The Netherlands.
Scott Creel, 41, Bozeman, MT won the Ice Age 50K Trail event in a fast time of 3:14:04. Run over the difficult glacial terrain of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Creel bested a very good field to win the event which is part of the 2004 Montrail Cup series. In 2003, Creel was the USATF National 50K Trail Championship Nikki Kimball, 32, Elizabethtown, NY equaled Creels effort, in winning the women's side of the Ice Age 50K Trail run with a time of 3:53:16. As in the men's race, this leg of the Montrail Cup series offered stiff competition, but Kimball, the 2003 50 Mile Trail National Champion prevailed and is now considered by many as the best all-around female ultrarunner in the United States.
Tim Clement, Solon, OH won his second national title in seven months by winning the American 100K National Championship on April 4th in Eagle, Wisconsin. Clement's time of 7:39:54 was 14 minutes better than runner-up Mark Werner, of Rochester, MI. Clement, along with Werner and third place finisher Mark Godale, all qualified for the 2004 national 100K Team. In September of 2003, Clement won the prestigious Olander Park Ultramarathon, which hosted the first 100 Mile National Championship in over 10 years. His time over the 1.1 mile oval was 14:01:01, an 8:25 per mile average for the 100 mile road distance. Anne Riddle, Swannanoa, NC won her fourth national title at the American 100K National Championship on April 4th. With a personal best time of 8:11:02, Riddle bested a top notch American women's field that saw five women under the nine hour mark for the 62.1 mile distance. The win and top three finish means she has made her fourth consecutive national 100K team, that will compete in Winschoten, The Netherlands on September 11th.
Dave Mackey, 34, Boulder, CO has now established himself as the premier American Ultrarunner on the trails, as demonstrated at the Way Too Cool 50K Trail Run in Cool, California. Mackey averaged 6:52 over the difficult 50 kilometer course, finishing with a great time of 3:32. Mackey is the defending USATF 50 Mile Trail Champion, having won the White River 50 Mile Trail Championship last August in Washington State. Beverly Anderson-Abbs, 39, Red Bluff, CA ran a remarkable double on the weekend of March 20/21. On Saturday, Anderson-Abbs won the Rucky Chuck Roundabout Trail 50K in California in 4:49. On Sunday morning she won the Stevens Creek Trail 50K in 5:17. While racing twice on a weekend is not all that uncommon for shorter distance runners, ultramarathoners who undertake such a double (and win both) are rare.
Paul Dewitt, 35, Colorado Springs, CO beat a talented field on February 14th at the Red Hot 50K Trail event in Moab, Utah. Dewitt's time of 3:57 is very noteworthy as the field included ultrarunner talents Ian Torrence, Karl Meltzer. Erik Solof and Hal Koerner. Anthea Schmid, 32, Colorado Springs, CO established herself as the February female ultrarunner of the month with a pair of wins. On February 7th, Schmid won the Pemberton 50K in Fountain Hills, Arizona in time of 4:02. A week later on February 14th, she won the inaugural Moab event, the Red Hot Trail 50K in a time 4:39. In April, Schmid will test herself over the challenging 100K road distance, by running in the American 100K National Championship, with hopes of qualifying for the American 100K team.
John Geesler, 44, St. Johnsville, NY established a new American Record for 48 hours by running 248.55 miles at the Across the Years 48 Hour event in Phoenix, Arizona. Geesler, coming off a remarkable 2003 season, in which he led the American team at the World 24 Hour, then came back to take the silver medal at the San Diego One Day National 24-Hour Championship, has now established himself as the premier American at 24 hours and beyond. Stephanie Ehret, 40, Boulder, CO established herself among the elite American 24 hour women by running a strong 130.49 miles at the Across the Years 24 Hour event in Phoenix, earning a spot on the National Team for the 2004 World 24-Hour event. Back in November, Ehret had won outright the inaugural Javalina Trail 100 in Arizona in an impressive 17:38:51.
Dave Mackey, 34, of Boulder, CO
was the top American finisher and 2nd overall at the Sunmart 50 Mile Trail
Run on December 13th. Mackey, who less then a month earlier broke
the 6 hour mark at the prestigious JFK 50 Miler, accomplished the same
by running the Hunstsville State Park course in 5:58:55. Earlier this year,
he was crowned the USA National Champion at the White River 50 Mile Trail
Run in
Ann Heaslett, 40, of Madison, WI, won the Huff 50K Trail run in Huffington, IN with a time of 4:15:56, beating 2003 Ultrarunner of the Year, Connie Gardner by 20 minutes. Heaslett was the 2002 USATF Ultrarunner of the year, winning the 2002 50 Mile Trail Championship and 24 Hour Road Championship.
Nikki Kimball, 32, of Elizabethtown, NY was the top American and 8th overall at the IAU 100K World Cup in Tainan County, Taiwan, which took place on November 16th. Running under some of the most difficult conditions ever with very high humidity and temperatures in the 80's, Kimball stayed strong throughout the hilly 62.1 mile course and lead the American women to a strong 4th place team finish. Joe Gaebler, 26, of Boulder, CO won the National 24 Hour Championship in San Diego with a personal best performance of 162.2 miles. This performance ranks 3rd on the all-time best performance list for American men and comes just two months after finishing a close second at the Olander Park National 100 Mile Championship in Sylvania, Ohio.
John Geesler, 43, of St. Johnsville, NY was the top American and 11th overall at the World 24 Hour Challenge, which took place in Uden, The Netherlands on October 11-12. Geesler covered 239.313km (148.7 miles) in the allotted 24 hours, which puts him at the top of the yearly USA rankings for 24 hours. Pam Reed, 42, of Tucson, Arizona
finished 6th woman at the World 24 Hour Challenge with a personal best
performance of 217.04 kilometers (134.86 miles). Reed led the American
women in finishing fourth out of eleven competing countries. Reed was the
July Ultrarunner of the Month for her winning Badwater performance.
Tim Clement, 42 of Solon, Ohio, surprised everyone in taking the USA National 100 mile road titles at Olander Park in Sylvania, Ohio. Run under a relentless bright, baking sun for the first seven hours of the race, which started at 10:00AM, Clement's time of 14:01:01 was very noteworthy under the conditions. Clement won the Masters Champion crown as well. Connie Gardner, 39 of Medina, Ohio
won the women's crown in 16:22:15, which is a USA Championship record.
Gardner, the 2002 USA 100km champion, ran unchallenged wire-to-wire, gradually
extending her winning margin by over seven miles. Gardner has risen
to the top elite of American ultrarunning women and is now setting her
sights on perhaps the biggest test of her career; the 100K World Cup in
Taiwan, to be held November 16th.
Uli Steidl, 30 of Seattle, WA won the White River 50 Mile Trail National Championship in 6:37:02, bettering the old course record by 13 minutes. The German citizen who resides in Seattle crushed a deep and talented American field by displaying remakable speed on this very demanding course. With two major climbs of approximately 3500 feet, the White River course offers spectacular views of the surrounding Mt. Ranier National Park. Nikki Kimball,32 of Elizabethtown,
NY is firmly establising herself as one of the top female ultrarunners
in the country. The multi-talented distance runner, who also excels
at snowshoe, mountain and road running, broke Ann Trason's two year old
mark on the White River course to win the Women's 50 Mile Trail Championship.
Her time of 7:46:33 was 11 minutes faster then Trason's previous record
set in 1991.
Pam Reed, 42 of Tucson, Arizona won the Badwater 135 Mile Run on July 23rd in 28:26:52 to finish first overall for the second straight year. Regarded as one of the toughest endurance contests in the world, the Badwater run takes runners from Death Valley to Mt Whitney. With temperatures hitting 130 in the sun and near freezing at night, runners run from the lowest to the highest point in the continental United States. Roy Pirrung of Sheboygan, Wisconsin celebrated his 55th by setting three new American age-group records at the Sri Chimnoy 48-/24-Hour Self-Transcendence Race, in Köln, Germany on July 13th. His 12-hour split (77.75 mi/125,134 km), 24-hour split (137.69 mi/221.605 km) and 100-mile split (16:10:20) established marks in the 55-59 age group. Pirrung is a perennial national champion
at a wide variety of ultradistances and one of the most prolific medalists
in American Ultrarunning history.
Scott Jurek, 28, Seattle, WA, has simply dominated the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run the last five years. In successive years, Jurek has continually lowered his time to the point that on June 28th, he ran the third fastest time ever on the course (16:01), behind only Mike Morton's course record 15:40 and Tom Johnson's, 15:54. Jurek's fifth consecutive win was against one of the steepest, most talented fields of year. Ann Trason, 42, Kennsington, CA, is even more dominate then Jurek. With 14 sub 20 hour finishes (all wins), Trason's name will forever be associated with the event that is widely regarded as the most prestigious trail 100 miler in the world. Her time of 18:36 was her 7th fastest on the course and close to an hour ahead of the second place women. Another very notable performance at Western
States was achieved by Roger Dellor, age 60, who set the 60-64 age group
record, with a time of 20:28.
Tom Nielsen, 43, Annandale, VA, a veteran ultrarunner who only recently located to the Virgina from the west coast, won the technically difficult Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Miler in a time of 21:55:30. Nielsen is a past winner of the Angeles Crest 100 Miler and one of the top finishers from Western States a few years back. Bethany Hunter, 24, Lynchburg, VA,
is a relative newcomer to the ulltrarunning community and at the age of
24, one of the youngest. A protégé of David Horton,
Hunter took the women's crown at Massanutten in a time of 24:40:20, becoming
one of the youngest 100 mile trail winners in the United States.
Nikki Kimball, 31 NY edged hometown favorite Jennifer Pfeifer by a mere two minutes in winning the American River 50 Mile Run in Sacramento, California on April 5th. Her time of 6:32:01 was good for 5th place over all in a field of 433 finishers. Kimball is a versatile distance runner, who excelsat mountain racing and snowshoe events. She was a member of the bronze medal American team at last years 100K World Cup. Nate McDowell, NM and Chad Ricklefs,
CO fought a hard battle to tie for first at this year's Zane Grey Highline
50 Mile Trail Run on April 26th. Competing against an extremely deep and
talented field, the pair turned in a strong performance over the very difficult
Arizona Mountain terrain with a time of 8:11:44. Ricklefs was the
top ultrarunner of the year in 2002, winning the prestigious Ted Corbitt
award. McDowell is a defending National Champion, having won the
2002 White River 50 Mile National Championship at Crystal Mountain, Washington.
Uli Steidl, 31, WA won the Way Too Cool 50Km Trail Run near Cool, California on March 8th. His winning time of 3:18:20 was nothing short of incredible, as he defeated a deep and talented field of ultrarunners and obliterated one of the country's finest course records. Steidl's run is the leading performance of the year. Cathy Tibbetts, 48, NM is a veteran
ultramarathoner, with substantial credentials behind her. Better
known for her Marathon des Sables runs, as well as other adventurous runs,
she has in recent years tested her speed at the shorter ultradistances.
On March 23rd, Tibbetts won the Grasslands 50 Mile Trail Run in Texas in
a course record time of 7:31:20, establishing her as one of the top masters
ultra women in the country.
Ian Torrence, 30, UT won the Pemberton Trail 50K trail race in the McDowell Mountain Park are of Fountain Hills, Arizona. Torrence's time of 3:21:57 was a course record and 14 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. In 2002, Torrence established a new combined record performance for the Grand Slam of ultrarunning, running four hundred milers, Western States, Vermont, Leadville and the Wasatch 100 Mile Trail Runs. Jen Devine-Pfeiffer, 32, CA won
the Jed Smith 50K at Sacramento's Gibson Ranch. Her time of 3:43
is short of her course record of 3:35, but establishes her at the top of
the 50K ranking list for 2003. A two-time member of the USA National
100K Team, Pfiefer is attemping to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Trials
in the marathon.
Joe Gaebler, 25 won the Across the Years 24 Hour Run with a total of 145.5 miles on New Year's day. Gaebler's total is one of the best American performances in the last few years and a remarkable debut for a young ultrarunner. Anne Riddle, 36 won the Frosty 50K
in North Carolina in 3:42:06. Riddle has been a dominating presence
at the 50K distance having won the 2002 GNC National Road 50K Championship
and the 2001 Huff National 50K Trail Championship.
John Geesler
Sue Ellen Trapp
Alex Tilson
Connie Gardner
Gardner's time is very impressive, given
the cold and head wind that the runners faced on the 26 mile C&O Towpath
section of the course.
Chad Ricklefs
Connie Gardner
A relative newcomer to the ultradistances, Gardner placed fourth at the National 50K Championships in March and then followed that up with a strong win (17:21:38) at the Umstead 100 Miler in North Carolina. Both Gardner and Ricklefs earned automatic
spots on the 2003 National 100K Team that will compete in Taiwan in November.
Ray Piva
Enroute, he also set the new American Record for 12 Hours in the 75-79 age group, with a split of 86,033 meters. This is the second time Piva has garnered Ultrarunner of the Month honors. In April, at the Ruth Anderson 100Km in California, his split for 50 kilometers was 4:50:34, a new American and World Record for the 75-79 age group. His 50 mile time was 8:34:28 and final 100Km time,10:59:51, both World and American age group marks. Ann Heaslett
The win allowed Heaselett to gain All-American
Gold Status, as she was second at the National 50K Championships and first
at the National 50 Mile Trail Championship.
Chad Ricklefs
Mary Fagan
Nate McDowell
This year's championship was held in conjunction with the White River 50 Trail Run and is run on the rugged terrain of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 75 miles east of Seattle, Washington. The up-and-down course varied in elevation from 2,000 feet to nearly 6,000 feet. "Nate ran a great race against a very strong field," said race director Scott McCoubrey. Pam Reed
With temperatures often exceeding 120 degrees,
Badwater is one of the harshest tests in ultramarathoning. Her win
at Badwater comes just a 10 days after winning the Elkhorn Trail 100 km
in Montana.
Howard Nippert
His 13th place is a world class performance, especially under the festive, often circus-like atmosphere that the host Night of Flanders race was this year. A night race, with a starting time of 8:02 PM, this race presents some unique and difficult challenges for the 100Km runner. Nippert never lost his focus and ran a brilliant race in a time 7:01:02. USA Women
Congratulations to these outstanding ultrarunners for the month for June. Honorable mention must go out to Scott
Jurek and Ann Trason, as they continue to dominate the Western States 100
Mile Trail Run. Their individual performances will surely rank high for
the year and in most months, would have merited this Ultrarunner of the
Month recognition.
At 41, Ann Trason of Kensington, California shows little sign of slowing down. Arguebly the greatest female ultrarunner of all time, Trason has excelled on the trails, as well as roads for well over a decade. She has often contended with some of the leading male trailrunners in the western part of the United States and has on occasion won an event overall. This past month, Trason once again accomplished
the feat by winning the Quicksilver 50 Mile Trail event in an exceptional
time of 6:45:56 to place first overall. It may not be the last time
we see her at the top of the
Scott Jurek, 28, of Seattle, Washington
is preparing for a four-peat at Western States later this month.
If the past month or two is any indication of his chances, it would be
hard to bet against him. Jurek won the Miwok 100Km event on May 3rd,
despite running the highly competitive Promise Land 50Km trail event a
week earlier. In that event he placed a close second to Clark Zealand,
a Virginia local. Jurek's time at the Miwok event was a 8:44.
RAY PIVA of San Francisco, California has been one of the top senior master runners for many years and holds numerous American age-group records. In April, at the age of 75, he established three more World and American records, running the Ruth Anderson 100Km in California. His split for 50 kilometers was 4:50:34, a new American and World Record for the 75-79 age group. His 50 mile time was 8:34:28 and final 100Km time, 10:59:5, both World and American age group marks. JENNIFER DEVINE-PFEIFER, 30, of Sacramento,
California ran the American River 50 miler on April 6th. Her time of 6:45:12
earned her first place in one of the biggest and most competitive American
ultramarathons. Devine-Pfeifer is one of the top ultrarunners in the country,
has been named to her second consecutive USA National Ultra Team, and is
currently setting her sights on the World 100Km Cup in Torhout, Belgium
on June 21st.
39 year old Dan Verrington, of Bradford, Massachusetts won the National 50 km Road Championship in Pittsburgh on March 23rd. Leading from the start, he went after the American Record of 3:00 and was on target for half the race when he succumbed to the high winds of the day. His winning time of 3:09:15 was his debut at the ultramarathon distances. At the same 50 km Road Championships, Janice Kreuz of Cincinnati, Ohio, set a Women's 50-54 age group record in a time of 4:16:32. She also holds the Women's 40-44 50 km road record. She was the 1990 USA OPEN women's 50 km champion (Muncie, IN). Her time of 4:16:32 was good for 5th overall and first place master.
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