The Ultra Minute 🏔️ September 24, 2024
Tara Dower sets new record on the Appalachian Trail, domination and controversy at Mammoth, Anton is back, Puppi bests Hayden, Gray takes 5th Pikes Peak win, Michelino's FKT denied, and more
Happy Tuesday, ultrarunners!
We have a lot to catch up on this week, including an earth-shattering fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail, a controversial declined FKT on Grand Teton, lots of super fast sub ultra race action, and more.
Before we jump into it, the Grand to Grand Ultra (a 6 day stage race in Arizona and Utah) kicked off on Sunday. The Grand to Grand doesn’t let athletes have access to phones or outside support for the duration of the event, but they offer a service where you can send an athlete a message. Each evening they print off all the messages and hand deliver them to the athletes in camp - like good ole snail mail.
who I’ve linked to a few times, and who publishes is competing in the event for her fourth time. Read her latest article where she talks about the event and her goals, then if you’re so inclined, why not send her a message (bib 108) so she can read it at camp? Note: the message service runs through Thursday, since the race ends Friday.Now, let’s get to all the ultrarunning news from last week:
Tara Dower, in a performance for the ages, sets new overall fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, often regarded as the ultimate test of endurance on America’s long distance trails, has long been a proving ground for the sport’s legends, including Karel Sabbe, David Horton, Jennifer Pharr Davis, Karl Meltzer, and Scott Jurek.
Yesterday, Tara “Candy Mama” Dower did it faster than all of them.
She completed the 2,197 mile trail in just 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes - 13 and a half hours faster than Karel Sabbe’s record which has stood since 2018. That’s 55 miles per day on average, which is absolutely astonishing.
Having been fortunate enough to thru-hike the A.T. myself, her achievement feels extra impressive to me, as I think back on all the miles and try to imagine covering that distance, and that terrain, in that amount of time. It’s difficult to fathom. In my very humble opinion, this is one of the greatest performances of all time.
She’s also been raising money for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that empowers girls through physical activity. You can donate to her fundraiser here.
More coverage of Tara’s Appalachian Trail record:
Outside published an article that covers much of Tara’s backstory and shares details of the record. Don’t miss this one.
iRunFar highlights her crew’s support, and her mission to inspire girls and women through this record-breaking effort.
- dove into the marketing potential of this achievement, offering up creative ideas for Tara and her sponsors.
Tara’s sponsor, Altra, announced they’re going to match the funds she’s raised for Girls on the Run.
Harvey Lewis shared some photos of the A.T. to give folks who aren’t familiar an idea just how challenging the terrain is.
- of The Singletrack Podcast already sat down with Tara for an hour and a half episode that I personally can’t wait to listen to.
Lastly, don’t miss Tara’s YouTube channel.
Joyce Muthoni Njeru dominates while Elhousine Elazzaoui takes a controversial win at the Mammoth Trailfest 26k
The Mammoth Trailfest 26k, the final race before the Golden Trail World Series finale, drew top athletes to the high-altitude course with over 3,900 feet of climbing. Joyce Muthoni Njeru, the series leader, took charge early in the women’s race and never relinquished her lead, crossing the finish line nearly 3 minutes ahead of Mădălina Florea.
In the men’s race, Kenya’s Philemon Ombogo Kiriago led the field early, but Elhousine Elazzaoui of Morocco and Patrick Kipngeno of Kenya took over by the summit of Mammoth Mountain. The two ran neck and neck for the remainder of the race, with Elazzaoui making a late move. The finish took a bit of a controversial turn when Kipngeno was blocked during the final sprint, allowing Elazzaoui to secure victory by a single second.
More from Mammoth Trailfest:
Trail Talk shared a drone shot of the controversial finish, where we see Elazzaoui get elbows out to keep Kipgnego behind him. What do you think? Fair play or no?
Check out this clip of Elhousine Elazzaoui (the eventual winner) absolutely screaming downhill.
Philemon Kiriago jumps like a gazelle in an attempt to avoid putting weight on his rolled ankle.
Rémi Bonnet won the Dragon’s Ascent (VK) race on Friday before finishing 4th at the 26k on Sunday, with Abby Lock taking the women’s win.
Chad Hall won the 50k after finishing 3rd in the VK, with Slvie Abel first in the women’s race.
Johen Deleon, the standout amateur from A’Basin who headlined last week’s Ultra Minute, finished the 26k in 51st amongst the men in 2:38:14.
Miss the livestream? You can catch the full replay of the 26k here.
Not sure what the Golden Trail World Series is? Ultrasignup has you covered in the latest edition of their demystifying series.
With his 2nd place finish at Grindstone, Anton Krupicka just qualified for UTMB and Hardrock. Anton is back!
Gavin Prior emerged victorious at this year’s Grindstone 100 by UTMB, crossing the line in 21:23 after taking control of the race in the final 10 miles. But perhaps the bigger story of the day was Anton Krupicka’s second-place finish in 21:52, qualifying him for both UTMB and Hardrock 100. Despite a tough second half (strava) of the race marked by severe GI issues and an Achilles flare-up that forced him into a slow shuffle, Krupicka’s grit (and clutch pacing from Hailey Moore) landed him his first 100-mile finish in three years.
On the women’s side, Katti Jackson outpaced Jill Dennes. Jackson took the win in 23:31, with Dennes following close behind in 23:54.
More from Grindstone:
Once again,
of The Singletrack Podcast is on it, as he sat down with Anton after his race and gets Anton talking about how he’s been inspired by athletes like Ludovic Pommeret and Jason Schlarb who are still competitive at the top-levels of the sport well into their 40s.
Francesco Puppi pulls away for the win, while the women’s race comes down to the wire at the Julian Alps Trail Run
Fresh off his second-place finish at the OCC, Francesco Puppi took command in the Sky Trail, claiming victory in 4:31, while Hayden Hawks followed in 4:52. The women’s race was a nail-biter, with Eliska Sieglova securing the win in 6:23, just three minutes ahead of Anne Barber and Federica Zuccollo, who finished a mere three seconds apart.
Joseph Gray and Allie McLaughlin win the Ascent, while Jonathan Aziz and Sarah Guhl take top honors in a shortened Pikes Peak Marathon
The Pikes Peak Ascent brought another dominant performance from Joseph Gray, who claimed his fifth victory in the 13.3-mile uphill race with a time of 2:11. Seth Demoor finished second in 2:14 after passing Meikael Beaudoin-Rousseau late in the race. On the women’s side, Allie McLaughlin secured her third Ascent win in 2:45, holding off a hard-charging Hali Hafeman by just 34 seconds.
The Pikes Peak Marathon, shortened to 15 miles due to snow on the peak, saw Jonathan Aziz take his third consecutive win in 1:46, with a tight pack of finishers behind him. Sarah Guhl claimed the women’s title in 2:10, moving up from her second-place finish last year.
Michelino Sunseri’s Grand Teton FKT is denied after a controversial route deviation
Michelino Sunseri’s record-setting ascent and descent of the Grand Teton, clocking in at 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds, was set to be the new fastest known time (FKT) for the iconic peak. However, FastestKnownTime.com rejected Sunseri’s attempt due to a switchback cut near Delta Lake, a move that shaved about half a mile off the route. This decision sparked significant debate, especially as similar deviations had been accepted in the past, such as Kilian Jornet’s 2012 FKT, which remains listed (but flagged).
Sunseri’s denied FKT highlights how much the landscape of FKTs has changed since Kilian Jornet’s 2012 run, when far fewer people were chasing records and parks saw fewer visitors. With today’s boom in FKT attempts and more people on the trails, national parks like Grand Teton are enforcing rules more strictly—especially when it comes to cutting switchbacks, which is illegal in the U.S. but often acceptable in Europe, where Jornet is from. I don’t envy FKT’s position here, but I understand their decision given the NPS’ stance on cutting switchbacks. If they didn’t decline Sunseri’s FKT, they’d be essentially supporting athletes in going against the NPS regulations.
Outside Online has a good write-up covering the situation, providing backstory, and even getting Sunseri’s take.
Other news and links
I missed this last week, but Altra Running recently dropped a film about Jeff Browning called The Lifer.
- of Community Trail Running interviewed about her Divide 200 win.
Allie Ostrander posted a video detailing her experience at this year’s Headlands 30k
Aravaipa Running is hiring a race director for their Insomniac Night Runs Series and Fixed-Time Events.
David Roche is still talking about carbs, this time citing a study that shows the importance of slurping carbs before, during, and after training.
of Semi-Rad shared a video from his experience at this year’s Rut 50k.
Sallie McRae completed a personal project, “The Mammoth,” a 200 mile trek in the Eastern Sierra dreamed up by Tim Tollefson. She’s posting several videos to YouTube of the project, and has already dropped episode 1 and episode 2.
Zach Miller reflects on balancing the old and new in trail running after a visit to a remote Montana homestead.
Sabrina Little weighs in on how supershoes may be distorting the spirit of running and makes the case they should be banned.
Races to follow this week
The Grand to Grand Ultra, a stage race in Arizona and Utah, kicked off Sunday and runs through Friday. The race publishes updates and photos at the end of every stage, and you can email a competitor and they’ll receive a print-out of your email at the end of that day’s stage.
Ultra Trail Whistler by UTMB is this weekend, with the 50k and 100k on Saturday, and the 25k Sunday.
That’s it for this week. If you enjoyed it, please forward this email to a friend (or a few 😉) and encourage them to subscribe at this link so it lands in their inbox next week.
See y’all on the trail,
Ken
I love to see Anton back at it. He was one of the first runners my husband and I started following when we started trail running. Man has the sport blown up since! I can’t wait to hear more about Tara’s FKT! Sounds like I need to check out her YouTube channel.
Thanks so much for featuring the awesome Allison Powell!