1/22/2003:
Ultrarunning Magazine
Heaslett, Ricklefs Named UltraRunning Magazine's North American Runners of the YearAnn Heaslett from Madison, Wisconsin, and Chad Ricklefs from Boulder, Colorado have been selected as the 2002 women's and men's North American ultrarunners of the year by UltraRunning Magazine. Both are first-time recipients of the award, now in its 22nd year.
Both runners excelled at a variety of distances and venues and captured national championships. Ricklefs' year was highlighted by a course record at the Leadville, Colorado 100 Mile. Clocking 17 hours and 23 minutes in the high altitude race, he bettered the old course mark, which had stood since 1994. In addition, Ricklefs won the U.S. 100-km championship in Duluth, Minnesota, winning decisively in seven hours and nine minutes.
Like Ricklefs, Heaslett won a 100-mile race, the Rocky Raccoon in Huntsville, Texas. Her time of 15 hours and 57 minutes was the fastest women 's 100-mile time of the year in North America. The Wisconsinite also won two U.S. championships and barley missed out on a third. Her time of eight hours and 13 minutes at the White River 50 Mile in Crystal Mountain, Washington netted Heaslett her first U.S. title, and she followed that up with a win at the Olander Park 24 Hour in Sylvania, Ohio, totaling 128 miles. Heaslett was also second in the U.S. 50-km in Pittsburgh, and finished third for the U.S. women's team at the World 100 Km Challenge in the Belgium.
In the performance of the year category, Alex Tilson from Burlingame, California topped the men's list by virtue of his American record 50-km performance of 2:51:48. On the women's side, Pam Reed from Tucson, Arizona was the women's winner. Reed set a women's course record of 27 hours and 56 minutes at the Badwater 135 Mile in Death Valley, California, winning the race outright by nearly five hours over her closest competition. Ray Piva, age 75, from San Francisco, topped the age-group performance of the year list by virtue of his 105-mile total at the Olander Park 24 Hour.
A board of 15 voters from all regions of North America submitted ballots this year. Complete voting results will appear in the March, 2003 issue of UltraRunning and on the UltraRunning web page, www.ultrarunning.com. For further information, please contact publisher Don Allison at
publisher@ultrarunning.com or call 781-340-0616.2002 UltraRunning North American Runner of the Year Voting (voting totals, with first place votes in parentheses)
Men
1. Chad Ricklefs, Boulder, CO (5) 141
2. Scott Jurek, Seattle, WA (1) 116
3. Nate McDowell, Salt Lake City, UT (3) 105
4. John Geesler, St. Johnsville, NY (2) 61
5. Mark Godale, Aurora, OH (1) 56
6. Ian Torrence, Moab, UT (2) 50
7. Hans Put, New York, NY 45
8. Victor Hickey, Gagetown, NB 42
9. Howard Nippert, Pembroke, VA 37
10.Alex Tilson, Burlingame, CA (1) 28Men's Performance of the Year
1. Alex Tilson's Palo Alto 50 Km, 2:51:48 (8) 57
2. Chad Ricklefs' Leadville 100 Mile, 17:23:18 (2) 37
3. Howard Nippert's World 100 Km, 7:01:02 (2) 25Women
1. Ann Heaslett, Madison, WI (11) 170
2. Ann Trason, Kensington, CA (4) 134
3. Connie Gardner, Medina, OH 113
4. Anne Riddle, Asheville, NC 63
5. Tania Pacev, Littleton, CO 52
6. Anthea Schmid, Crested Butte, CO 51
7. Pam Reed, Tucson, AZ 40
8. Ellen McCurtin, Danbury, CT 35
8. Monica Scholz, Jerseyville, ON 35
10. Sue Johnston, Waterford, VT 26Women's Performance of the Year
1. Pam Reed's Badwater 135 Mile, 27:56:47 (9) 56
2. Anne Heaslett's Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile, 15:57:20 34
3. Ann Trason's Western States 100 Mile, 18:16:26 (1) 30Age Group Performance of the Year
1. Ray Piva's Olander Park 24 Hour, 105 miles (age 75) 41
2. Sue Ellen Trapp's Ultracentric 24 Hour, 133 miles (age 56) 35
3. Nancy March's Western States 100 Mile, 23:15:20 (age 55) 21UR Runners of the Year, 1981-2002
1981 Marcy Schwam, Bernd Heinrich
1982 Marcy Schwam, Stu Mittleman
1983 Janis Klecker, Bernd Heinrich
1984 Donna Hudson, Bernd Heinrich
1985 Sandra Kiddy, Stu Mittleman
1986 Sandra Kiddy, Chuck Jones
1987 Mary Hanudel, Charlie Trayer
1988 Ann Trason, Stefan Fekner
1989 Ann Trason, Sean Crom
1990 Ann Trason, Andy Jones
1991 Ann Trason, Andy Jones
1992 Ann Trason, Eric Clifton
1993 Ann Trason, Kevin Setnes
1994 Ann Trason, Tom Johnson
1995 Ann Trason, Tom Johnson
1996 Ann Trason, Tom Johnson
1997 Ann Trason, Tom Johnson
1998 Ann Trason, Kevin Setnes
1999 Daniele Cherniak, Mark Godale
2000 Deb Bollig, Dan Held
2001 Ann Trason, Rich Hanna
2002 Ann Heaslett, Chad Ricklefs
AUA © 2003 All Rights Reserved.