The Ultra Minute: Anita Ortiz’s Timeless Performance at RUFA Moab
Ortiz takes overall win at RUFA Moab, Arizona Monster wraps up, FKTs fall from Joshua Tree to New Zealand, Des getting in the mix at Western, and more highlights from the week in trail & ultrarunning
Issue 36
Anita Ortiz Inspires at RUFA Moab
Under clear skies on Moab’s iconic slickrock trails, the second annual Running Up For Air (RUFA) Moab nearly doubled in size, drawing 80 participants eager to test themselves on a punishing loop and raise money for Clean Air Utah and the Youth Garden Project. Athletes tackled a rocky singletrack trail climbing 890 feet in less than a mile before descending an adjacent slickrock route back to the start—a loop repeated for as many laps as possible in 3-, 6-, or 12-hour categories.
The standout of the day was unquestionably Anita Ortiz, who, at age 60, claimed the overall 12-hour victory, completing 21 laps (approximately 41 miles and 19,000 feet of vertical gain). Ortiz edged out elite ultrarunner Sarah Ostaszewski, who also completed 21 laps, and squeezed out her last lap in 29 minutes with only 4 minutes remaining on the clock.
Ortiz, a veteran ultrarunner and 2009 Western States champion, had extra motivation on the trails—her daughter Mandy Ortiz raced the 3-hour event, finishing third overall. “I had to work hard not to get lapped by her!” Anita joked afterward in her correspondence with us. She proudly noted that Mandy, the 2013 Junior World Mountain Running Champion, is currently completing her final year of medical residency.
Reflecting on her longevity in the sport, Ortiz shared, “You just need to love what you do. Some days are good, some not so much. But if you love it, you're ahead of the game.” She added, “I was really just going for 12 hours of struggle. I needed to remember how to suffer for my big summer plans.” Those summer plans include High Lonesome 100 and the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Italy, along with Summits Trail Runs and Devil on the Divide, two races close to her heart.
Runner-up Sarah Ostaszewski expressed admiration for Ortiz, noting, “Right off the bat I could tell she was a strong runner and someone to admire in the sport. She's amazing—I hope I'm as tough as her one day!” Ostaszewski also praised the event, emphasizing the camaraderie and mission-driven aspects: “Something that stood out for me at RUFA Moab was the kindness of the organizers and camaraderie amongst the competitors,” adding “It's refreshing to participate in a joyfully challenging event where the ultimate goal is to appreciate and improve local environments.”
Lizzie Jones, returning from a severe base-jumping accident that resulted in an open fracture of her tibia and fibula, secured third place with 19 laps. Reflecting on the journey back, Jones shared, “I spent most of last year desperately dreaming of walking again,” adding that returning to racing has deepened her appreciation for every mile. Jones found extra strength from her friends and local community, many of whom joined her for laps. “A lot of my community saw first-hand how deeply I was affected by my time away from running, and I think we all celebrated my return together at RUFA,” Jones said. She also praised Ortiz and Ostaszewski, noting, “I am a die-hard nerd for all things running so I was incredibly excited to share the podium with people who have performances and attitudes that I look up to.”
In the 6-hour event, Sam Collins and Mike McMonagle both completed 14 laps (around 26 miles and 12,460 feet of climbing). McMonagle, recovering from an ankle injury, described the day as more camaraderie than competition: “Sam and I were just out for a really solid long run together for about 10 laps. Then I started to fade, and he finished really strong.”
, who completed 9 laps in the 6-hour event, described Ortiz as "in a class of her own" and praised RUFA’s grassroots charm. Smith recently published a Q&A titled “Much More Than a Runner” with event director —an ultrarunning legend and co-founder of fastestknowntime.com—highlighting his vision for RUFA Moab on her Substack, . I really enjoyed this Q&A with Burrell, and it’s one of the reasons I was interested in writing about the event this week. If you’d like to learn more about RUFA Moab or Burrell, it’s a must-read:
In chatting with Sarah while writing this piece, I learned RUFA’s origins trace back to ultrarunner Jared Campbell, a remarkable 4-time Barkley Marathons finisher, who, while training for Barkley, turned big vertical training days on Utah’s Grandeur Peak into community-focused events supporting air quality initiatives. Campbell shared the inspiration behind RUFA in a 2020 UltraRunning Magazine article also authored by Sarah Lavender Smith: “I thought, how can I turn a big training day into something constructive?” This sparked what has now become a regional series united by vertical challenge and environmental impact.
This ethos resonated strongly in Moab. As Buzz Burrell summed it up afterward, "We had fun, did serious vert, raised money for good organizations, and enjoyed seeing friends."
Or as Anita Ortiz simply advised us, "Run a RUFA. Or volunteer at one. You'll be happy you did."
Inspired? Three more RUFA events remain this year: Tiger Mountain in Washington on April 26, Chuckanut Chinscraper (also Washington) on May 10, and KYHV Peak (Utah) on May 30-31. More info on the RUFA website.
Additional Results
The inaugural Arizona Monster 300—a 308-mile point-to-point epic through the Sonoran Desert—is wrapping up as I write this. Peter Mortimer took the win in 86:33:18, followed by Taylor Spike and Joshua Locke. Ryan Snickles also logged one of the fastest overall times (3rd fastest), but started with the community wave, making him ineligible for the official podium. Notably, Joe Corcione, who ran in podium position through mile 150, was forced to drop due to a painfully swollen knee—marking his first-ever DNF. On the women’s side, Anne Tisdell won in 105:14:44, with Jessi Morton-Langehaug and Jodine Coe rounding out the podium.
Sierra DeGroff won the Dam Good Run 40K on Sunday, then immediately drove south to pace Peter Mortimer for 60 miles en route to his win at the Arizona Monster 300. Casual.
Damian Hall set a new course record at the Northern Traverse, covering the 300km coast-to-coast route across England in 42:56:50.
Paulina Zäck set a new women’s overall FKT on New Zealand’s Te Araroa Trail, covering the 1,898-mile route in 54 days, 9 hours, 48 minutes—and doing it self-supported. The carefree, “here goes nothin,” attitude in her pre-attempt Instagram post shows both how impressive her FKT is, as well as perhaps how much opportunity there still is for others to optimize the attempt. For more, see iRunFar’s writeup.
Katie Asmuth set the self-supported FKT on the Joshua Tree Traverse, clocking the third-fastest women’s time ever—just 8 minutes off Jade Belzberg’s overall (supported) record. A huge effort, especially as she continues her comeback from injury. For more context, catch this recent episode of The Trail Network Podcast, recorded just before the attempt, where she talks about her plans.
Race Recaps
Joaquin Lopez wrote about opening his season with a strong 4th place at Tenerife Bluetrail 70K, using the race as a prep block ahead of his next big goal. While the course didn’t play to his strengths, Lopez stayed in the mix all day and came away hungry for more: “Happy with the result, but not satisfied.”
Rachel Drake and Tyler Green launched a new YouTube channel called Ultra Family Hustle, and their latest video is well worth a watch (they’ve already posted three!). It follows Tyler’s 12-hour duel with Zach Garner at RUFA Grandeur and offers a glimpse into the chaos of balancing parenting, training, and racing (a dynamic I’m always interested to witness).
Robrunsround usually shows up in The Ultra Minute for his pro field previews and Fantasy Freetrail picks, but this time he’s the one racing, and his Big Alta recap is a full-on love letter to the sport.
From shakeout runs with Paddy O’Leary to post-race banter, The Hemmings capture the spirit of Big Alta and why trail running is about so much more than racing in We Don’t Deserve You.
Jeff Colt recaps his 46K at Chianti by UTMB with a sharp mix of race storytelling and self-reflection. Mid-race, he lands on a personal mantra—“There is no butter side up”—a rebuttal to the idea that good things just fall in his lap.
Host of the Singletrack Podcast, Finn Melanson, shared a raw and thoughtful recap of his Transgrancanaria DNF.
Both David Roche and the Hemmings dropped Big Alta 50K recap videos last week. I haven’t had a chance to watch the video from the Hemmings yet, but this was my favorite video in Roche’s Road to Western States 100 series so far. I especially loved the in-race footage, and came away thinking it was one of the better trail racing videos I’ve seen in a while:
Sponsorship News
Salomon unveiled their 2025 international trail team in a flashy, cycling-style event, with athletes in matching kits. The event highlighted their new Athlete Performance Program led by former Ineos cycling performance chief Aitor Viribay. Salomon’s Chief Brand Officer Scott Mellin said the initiative aims to “reinvent” trail running by bringing pro-cycling-style tactics and science to the sport. Notable among the new signings is Joyline Chepngeno, the 2024 Sierre-Zinal champion from Kenya.
Precision Fuel & Hydration welcomed 12 new athletes, including trail & ultra runners Julia Davis, Jack Chamberlain, Devon Yanko, and Paddy O'Leary.
Skratch Labs recently announced its official athlete team: Skratch Labs Racing. The trail/ultra lineup includes Adam Peterman, Tara Fraga, Reid Burrows, and Tara Warren. Full team details here.
Kat Anderson shared on Instagram that she’s signed with Topo Athletic. Last year’s Sedona Canyons 125 winner, this year she’s stepping up to the big dance, toeing the line at Cocodona 250 next month.
Competitive Edge PT announced on Instagram that Sylvie Abel is their first officially sponsored athlete. I’m not sure if this has been done before, but a PT sponsoring athletes seems kind of obvious now that I’ve seen it.
Other News & Links
Freetrail and Journeyfilm just announced they’re making an official Unbreakable 2, teaming up to tell the story of this year’s Western States—15 years after the iconic original. I’ve often hoped for a sequel, but never really thought it would happen, so this was a very pleasant surprise. Trailer and updates at unbreakable2.com.
In our last issue we noted that Des Linden, who has teased a move into trail ultras, is registered for Tunnel Hill and the USATF 50 Mile Championship later this year. Now we've learned she’ll also crew and pace fellow Brooks athlete Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy at Western States in June!
Lazarus Lake is back on his walk across America, picking up where he left off in Oklahoma last year. Follow the journey via #lazcon and updates from Jared Beasley on X or BlueSky.
Coree Woltering announced his plans to go for the overall Appalachian Trail FKT (supported) this summer, heading southbound with a July 23rd start. He’s not the only one making an A.T. FKT attempt announcement, though. More on that in our Podcast Highlights section below.
Mary Denholm, shared on Instagram that she’s dealing with a low-grade hamstring tear and won’t be racing Canyons 100k.
In Issue 34, we mentioned JP Giblin was teasing a “long walk” following injury and a needed surgery—and now we know what he meant. He officially started his northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike on April 8.
Wes Siler reports that Congressional Republicans are considering selling off public lands to help fund a proposed $5 trillion tax cut for billionaires. The idea, supported by lawmakers like Senator Dan Sullivan (R–Alaska) and Representative Bruce Westerman (R–Arkansas), faces significant criticism for ignoring long-term economic and environmental impacts. Read more in Siler’s full piece here.
Podcast & YouTube Highlights
Two weeks ago we mentioned Tempo Talks Podcast by Ryan Miller and Aaron Davis was back, and this week they dropped their first interview since the reboot. It’s with Aimee Jacobs, who’s quietly been stacking top results in Texas and who is one to watch at Leadville and Javelina later this year. She talks about her start in trail running, racing through a recent cancer diagnosis, and what’s ahead. Big fan after this one.
Ultra Uncovered has been doing a Cocodona 250 mini-series where they’re interviewing folks about Cocodona. So far, they’ve interviewed Jeff Garmire, Arlen Glick, Shelby Farrell, and Jamil Coury.
Speaking of Cocodona, Aravaipa and the Distance to Empty Podcast have teamed up for Flagstaff Bound, a new interview series spotlighting runners ahead of Cocodona 250. Each ~20-minute episode offers a quick, candid look into an athlete’s prep. Guests so far include Kyla Maher, Dan Green, Callie Vinson, and Ryan Sandes. Watch on Aravaipa’s YouTube or listen via Distance to Empty in your Podcast player of choice.
The Steep Stuff Podcast has been on a roll, dropping a flurry of new episodes. Just in the last week, guests include Remi Leroux, Dan Curts, Johen Deleon, Bailey Kowalczyk, and Josh Eberly.
On the latest Free Outside Podcast, Jeff Garmire sits down with Cocodona’s voice and livestream legend Chris Worden. I’m about halfway through as I write this, but it’s been a fun listen. Chris shares how he got into trail race commentary and offers some great behind-the-scenes perspective.
YouTuber SigMax71FPV posted an incredible FPV drone video from last weekend’s Chianti by UTMB, capturing the race from a perspective we rarely get to see.
John Kelly announced on the Singletrack Podcast that he’s going after the supported Appalachian Trail FKT later this year—northbound. That’s the opposite of Tara Dower’s 2024 record-setting route, meaning he’ll face the toughest terrain at the end. He also recaps his experience at this year’s Barkley, where he was the only runner to complete a fun run. I especially enjoyed his insights into the kind of woods knowledge that helps with Barkley navigation—like how, in the Southern Appalachians, Beech trees tend to hang onto their leaves through winter.
Reads of the Week
In I’m Not Interested in Anything You’re Selling, lays out a thoughtful case for a new model of athlete sponsorship—one that starts with valuing the person before the product. Inspired by “soul surfer” Rob Machado, Joey argues that athletes shouldn’t just be walking ads; they’re the story, the engine, and the brand.
In Do it for the 'gram, shares some honest reflections on the weird space social media occupies in our sport—how it can feel both essential and completely hollow at the same time. It’s a thoughtful read if you’ve ever questioned why you post, who it’s for, or what it’s actually giving back. I appreciated Devon’s transparency here, and the way she writes through the uncertainty rather than trying to tie it up with a bow.
In The Act of Letting Go, processes a deeply personal turning point the only way he knows how—by running through it. He also recently shared a quiet, reflective gem in which there’s a moose encounter, a summit (a recurring theme), and a soulful stranger interaction.
In The Underdog, shares how years of battling Ulcerative Colitis—a chronic inflammatory bowel disease—left her feeling like she’d never get back to who she was. She writes honestly about rebuilding from rock bottom, and the quiet, stubborn grind that’s taken her from last place to the top of the sport.
took a little trip up to Michigan Bluff to get some training runs in on the Western States course and shared some reflections about how the course has started to grow on him.
makes it official: she’s now sponsored by Altra, her dream brand and longtime go-to (as evidenced by copious photos dating back to 2016). In My New Sponsor, she reflects on the gear that’s carried her through nearly a decade of races—and what it means to have Altra’s support.
gets honest about showing up when things aren’t perfect—in writing, in training, in life. The Boulder and the Blank Page is a reflection on resistance, creative paralysis, and why the struggle is often the whole point. A quiet win of a post. Plus, as a newsletter nerd, I enjoyed the format she’s experimenting with.
shares one of his worst race performances—but best stories—in Del Mar a la Cima. There’s a wrong turn into a raging river, sugar water aid stations (that make you pay for empanadas), and a trio of stray dog pacers. I laughed out loud when the runner he watched fall off a log bridge into whitewater passed him on the beach in the final miles.
That’s it for this week. I had a lot of fun putting this one together, especially the feature piece about RUFA Moab. A very big thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to respond to my questions!
If not already on your radar, both Lake Sonoma and Gorge Waterfalls are this weekend, and both will offer up quality content for us to enjoy. Lake Sonoma has partnered with Mountain Outpost, so I’ll see y’all Saturday morning on their livestream (click through to tap the bell and get a reminder). Meanwhile, Freetrail will be providing their usual “trailgating” style coverage with pre and post-race coverage, which you can find here.
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Until next week,
Ken
MadCity 50k and 100k is this weekend as well! (100k is the USATF 100k national championship)🤘
Thanks for linking to my newsletter, and also, good for you for doing the extra work to contact and quote Anita! Great roundup.