Area athletes have had outstanding road and trail performances over the last month that make their way into this week’s big results wrapup.
Endurance events are fun, right (?) like the recent Delano Park 50-mile and 12-hour ultras in Decatur. Both had eye-popping miles amid all ages. The annual Mount Cheaha 50K also was held recently. It’s a stellar and iconic trail event that attracts a solid field.
The calendar of events is getting busier as spring rolls in, too. They’re stacking atop each other, making it tough to choose which fun outing to do. Enjoy them now before summer arrives.
McClellan Madness
ANNISTON — Matthew Mullens of Owens Cross Roads won the fifth annual McClellan Madness trail endurance race with a record day.
Mullens, 45, completed 45.1 miles in the 8-hour event. Runners have a 4.1-mile loop course to complete as many times as possible during the 8- or 4-hour race. Mullens’ effort was fifth-best in the Top 10 records. He also holds the No. 2 spot in the list with 45.4 miles.
Ray Thompson, 35, of Guntersville, was second with 41 miles.
In the 4-hour event, Drew Dixon, 28, of Huntsville, was 10th with 16.417 miles. Colleen Mullens, 45, of Owens Cross Roads, was 21st with 12.36. Amy Patton, 36, of Owens Cross Roads, was 22nd with 12.35.
See all of the results here.
Tokyo Marathon
Daniel Sillivant of Huntsville was among the top 325 finishers in the 19th annual Tokyo Marathon on March 1.
Sillivant, 39, finished 325th in 2:35:53.
The race is one of the World Marathon Major events. It starts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and finishes at Tokyo Station on Gyoko-dori Avenue near the Imperial Palace.
See all of the results here.
War Eagle Runfest
AUBURN — Emma Hardman won the women’s championship and was 13th overall at the War Eagle Runfest half marathon on March 1.
Hardman, 29, of Huntsville, finished in 1:21:46. She was one of only two women in the Top 40 finishers.
Other local runners among the Top 50 were Jackson Danner, 23, of Madison (41st, 1:28:17) and Tyler Parker, 39, of Athens, (43rd, 1:28:25).
In the 5K race, Tyler Morring, 17, of Toney, won the race by 15 seconds. He finished in 16:04.
See all of the half-marathon results here and 5K results here.
Savage Gulf Marathon
COALMONT, Tenn. — Martin Schneekloth of Huntsville finished fifth in the 15th annual Savage Gulf Marathon on March 28.
Schneekloth, 54, finished in 5:46:08. Pierce Lehr, 43, of Huntsville, finished 14th in 6:31:19.
Jeff Morgan, 53, was 18th (7:53) and Lea Billips, 49, was 19th (7:53). Both are from Huntsville.
Alex Graham, 33, of Huntsville, was third in the Ruck 25K event, finishing in 4:06:19. Anya Gluszek, 45, of Huntsville, was 13th in the 25K, finishing in 3:39:03.
See all of the results here.
Dueling Banjos 10K, 5K
Jeffrey Gibisch of Huntsville, Jewly Hight of Nashville and Emily Crispi of Huntsville swept top honors in the Dueling Banjos 10K and 5K trail races on March 1 in McMullen Cove.
Gibisch, 45, smoked the uphill 5K in 29:41, covering almost 1,500 feet of elevation to nab the gold. Hight, 44, was fourth overall and led the women with a 34:24.
At the finish, runners enjoyed the views of Monte Sano to the northwest, Hampton Cove to the south and Keel Mountain looming to the east. At 8:30, the field took off through the woods for the 10K toward the finish at the McMullen Cove clubhouse. The route took them around around Potts Hollow, below the topmost ridgeline, toward Sublett Point and then down through the neighborhood.
Gibisch took top honors again, in 45:12, which is second-best on the 10K record list. It was one of six record times in the men’s list and seven on the women’s list. The net downhill route offers toe-tapping runners a fast course to the finish.
Crispi, 31, was third in 46:16, setting a record for the 10K women by more than a minute and a half.
See all of the results here.
Cooper River Bridge Run 10K
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Deivi Bucio of Huntsville led area finishers in the Cooper Bridge Run 10K on March 28.
Bucio, 27, finished in 52:12. She was among the top Alabama finishers and a handful from the Huntsville area.
Britt Elmore, 37, of Knoxville, smoked a 46:29 as one of the top times by Tennessee runners.
The race is one of the biggest and most popular 10K events in the country. It attracts elite runners and a field of 35,000 to 45,000. Runners have a 2.5-mile crossing over the scenic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. It rises 200 feet over the Cooper River, one of the country’s significant shipping ports.
Several elite runners in the field have competed in the Cotton Row Run 10K in Huntsville, including Sam Chelanga and Shadrack Keter. Victor Kiprop won the 2025 Rocket City Marathon 10K race in December.
See all of the Alabama finishers here and Tennessee finishers here.
River City Run 10K, 5K
DECATUR — Anthony Parameswaran of Gurley and Yate Hirbo of Florence took the gold with a 1-2 finish in the River City Run 10K on March 28 at Point Mallard Park.
Parameswaran, 30, finished in 36:57 for the win. Hirbo, 11, was second in 39:23.
Jacob Crook, 16, of Haleyville, won the 5K race in 17:28. Rachel Joffrion, 29, of Huntsville, won the women’s title in 29:02. She was ninth overall.
The 5K race had 187 finishers and the 10K had 76. The race is presented by Capital Power and benefits The Committee on Church Cooperation.
See all of the results here, including age group breakdowns.
Visit Tuscaloosa Half
TUSCALOOSA — Alexander Bratton of Harvest finished 17th in the Visit Tuscaloosa Half Marathon on March 28.
Bratton, 15, finished in 1:24:54. He was third in his age group.
Colin Thompson, 19, of Muscle Shoals, was 20th in 1:25:06.
Mackenzie Parker, 20, of Madison, was 18th in the 5K race. She finished in 22:29.
See all of the results here.
Stump Jump 50K
CHATTANOOGA — William Sickenberger of Chattanooga won the 25th Stump Jump 50K on March 7, finishing in five hours 38 seconds to win by about seven minutes.
Mac Dean of Chattanooga was second in 5:07, and Bryson Harper of Chattanooga third in 5:21. Josh Cornett of Huntsville was ninth in 6:04:31.
Tay Cavett of Huntsville was fourth and won the women’s title in 5:34:11.
See all of the results here.
Albany Marathon
ALBANY, Ga. — Emma Hardman of Huntsville was ninth overall and won the women’s division at the Albany Marathon on March 7.
Hardman, 29, dashed to a 2:51:16 finish to nab the gold. She was the only woman in the Top 15 and one of three in the Top 20.
Hunter Hardman, 30, of Huntsville, was 72nd overall. He finished in 3:37:30. Among the top finishers was David Too of Florida, who has won the Rocket City Marathon and Boston or Bust Marathon in Huntsville.
In the half marathon, Lance Moore, 30, of Harvest, was seventh overall in 1:24:42. Emily Parish, 27, of Madison, was 31st in 1:39:47.
See all of the Alabama finishers here and overall results here, and the half marathon results here.
Greenville Half Marathon
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Three Huntsville runners completed the Greenville Half Marathon on Feb. 27.
Finn Melko, 29, finished in 1:13:28 to pace the group. Kelly Clary, 58, cruised in 1:26:18, and Caleb Finn, 28, wasn’t far behind, in 1:39:33.
The trio was among a good group of Alabama runners in the field, which had 2,708 finishers.
See all of the results here.
Conquer the Rock
PICKENS, S.C. — Owen Eastman of Chattanooga was among the top finishers at the Conquer the Rock Foothills 50K on March 6 at Table Rock State Park.
Eastman, 21, finished 13th overall and finished in 7:22:23.
Casey Corbett, 37, of Florence, was the lone Alabama finisher. Corbett was 33rd and finished in 8:37:05.
See all of the results here.
Coyote Ugly
ELLIJAY, Ga. — Zac Wilson of Signal Mountain, Tenn., won the Coyote Ugly 50K trail ultra on March 7 in the Cohutta Wilderness.
Wilson, 48, finished in 4:57:42 to win by more than 18 minutes. He was the lone runner to finish in less than five hours.
Whitney Dancaster, 37, of Chattanooga, was second overall and won the women’s title with her time of 5:16:11.
See all of the results here.
Gurley Lions Challenge 5K
GURLEY — Gene DeSanti of Huntsville won the Gurley Lions Challenge 5K on March 7.
DeSanti, 42, crossed in 19:31 for the win. Kendall Dock, 42, of New Market, crossed in 20:10 for second and held off William Summers, 29, of Scottsboro, by one second.
Bryana Wilson, 37, of Madison, won the women’s title and was seventh overall. She finished in 21:44.
Race proceeds support local programs of the Gurley Lions Club charities. These include eye exams and glasses, HEALS Clinic, CASA, Gurley Police Department, prescription drug assistance, Gurley Public Library, college scholarships and more.
See all of the results here.
Run Your Guts Out 5K
Brady Hancock of Huntsville won the inaugural Run Your Guts Out 5K on March 7 in Hampton Cove.
Hancock, 26, finished in 20:09 and held off Ryan Tilly, 43, of Madison, down the stretch. Tilly finished in 20:33.
Alex Pugh, 32, of Huntsville, won the women’s division and was fourth overall. She finished in 22:46. Lindsey Lowery, 47, of Owens Cross Roads, was second (5th) in 24:00.
Proceeds from the race were donated to the Russel Hill Cancer Foundation to help support local patients battling colon cancer.
See all of the results here.
Mt. Charleston Half
LAS VEGAS — Charles Farrior of Huntsville finished the Mt Charleston Half in 2:02 on March 28 in Las Vegas, his personal record for the half.
The half and full marathon start atop Mt. Charleston, northeast of the city, at 7,126 feet eleveation. The downhill course loses more than 5,100 feet for the full and 2,100 for the half, and finishes in downtown Vegas.
Runners get a mix of temperatures, with cooler conditions at the start and a quick warmup after the sun pops up.
See all of the results here for the half.
Wilmington Marathon
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Bridget Frank of Huntsville completed the Wilmington Marathon on Feb. 28.
Frank, 27, finished in 3:22:36 and was 241st overall. Hannah Graville, 22, of Huntsville, finished in 4:54:08.
Charles Farrior of Huntsville also completed the Wilmington Half Marathon. Farrior, 63, finished in 2:58:47.
See all of the results here.
Dunn Top RRCA Volunteer
Dennis Dunn of the Anniston Runners Club has been named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by the Road Runners Club of America.
Nominations are taken for a dozen awards given annually by the RRCA.
The 46-year-old Anniston Runners Club puts on or supports several events throughout the year. On Aug. 1 it will again host the Alabama 5K championship when it stages the Publix Woodstock 5K.
Shimano to Pay Massive Fine
Thousands of warranty claims between 2013-22 received by Shimano led to an investigation and recall, with the cycling giant now paying an $11.5 million penalty.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says more than 4,500 crankset products separated during use. Six incidents resulted in injuries “including bone fractures, joint displacement and lacerations.”
Cycling Weekly reported that Shimano “knowingly failed” to report the hazards.
