Tay Cavett and Lindsey Shady won top honors at two challenging trail ultras recently in Tennessee and central Alabama.
Cavett, 28, of Huntsville, smoked the Stump Jump 50K course in 5:34:11 to finish fourth and win the women’s division. She was one of only two women in the Top 20, the other being Madison Eubanks, 31, of Georgia. Eubanks was second in the women’s division.
Cavett was one of only eight runners to crack six hours in the 25-year-old race near Chattanooga on March 7. It was her third-fastest 50K time. Long a trail icon, this year’s 121 finishers were from 14 states including Washington, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas, along with Peru.
Shady, 45, of Huntsville, captured the inaugural Thunder Kiss 100K title at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham on March 14.
Shady finished in 16 hours for the win. She’s knocked off the Recover from the Holiday 50K, Mountain Mist 50K, Eagle Ridge 50K (8th overall) and Cheaha 50K since late December.
The Thunder Kiss 20-mile course offered five fun loops for 100-milers, three for the 100K and one for 20-mile participants. The 100K had a roughly 7,500-foot gain/loss with challenging single-track trails. The state park is home to numerous trail events throughout the year. This one was put on by Zombie Trail Races.
