Sacramento Running News

Aaron Mulder and Quintin Barney work their way up to the Devil's Thumb aid station. (SRN photo)

With a race as long and challenging as the Western States Endurance Run, it is hard to strip it down to the essential kernel of a story that everyone should know.

Every single runner, finisher and non-finisher alike, has a compelling story to tell–about the race itself or the long journey that brought them to the starting line at Squaw Valley.

An astonishing field was assembled, the weather was perfect for running fast times, and records were destroyed.

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Dakota Jones and Joelle Vaught set new course records on a muddy Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, yesterday.

Dakota Jones, of Durango, Colorado, ran 6:17:27, beating Hal Korner’s course record of 7:08:20 that was set in 2010. In fact, the field was stacked with so many ultra-talented ultrarunners, the top seven men, including the 4th place Hal Korner, were under the old course record.

On the women’s side, Joelle Vaught, of Boise, Idaho, set a new course record of 7:52:44, knocking more than 30 minutes off the 8:26:53 set by Devon Crosby-Helms in 2010. As with the men, the top women in this field were throwing down and six of them went under the old course record!

Tyler Stewart, of Novato, was the second woman with 7:56:30. You might remember that Stewart was the women’s winner in her ultrarunning debut at last month’s Way Too Cool 50K.

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Hundreds of runners, as well as countless support crews and volunteers, are already congregating in Squaw Valley for this weekend’s 38th running of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.

Weather forecasters are predicting cool temperatures and the race is being run on a modified “snow year” course, which replaces some technical (i.e., rocky and slow) parts of the trail with some fast fire roads–including some pavement.

Add to this the stellar field being assembled and you can expect blazing fast times and an exciting race.

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Ellie Greenwood and Kami Semick battle it out at the AR 50. Photo courtesy of Jean Pommier. http://fartherfaster.blogspot.com/

The weather was perfect and there were some races this past weekend!

Just under 700 runners toed the line at the American River 50, this Saturday. There was mud and vomiting. There was triumph and tragedy. You know–the usual ultrarunning scene.

Dave Mackey, of Boulder, was the overall winner in 5:55. Ellie Greenwood, of Banff, Alberta, Canada, AKA the 2010 World 100 km champion, was the women’s winner in 6:25.

Kami Semick, of Bend, Oregon, was the second woman, and Jen Pfiefer, of Folsom, was the 3rd woman. Pfeifer is rumored to be mulling over the entry to the Western States 100 she was awarded.

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