Autumn is finally here although some days feel like summer, but that hasn’t stopped area athletes from enjoying a variety of races that highlight the latest WKND Wrap.
Cooler mornings definitely are welcome for earlybird training and the starting bell. Remember to stay hydrated, even if you’re thinking that temps in the 60s with lower humidity aren’t a bother. Don’t be misled. Stay on top of hydration and fueling to make the most of everything from your 5Ks to marathons or ultras.
On to the roundup:
Berlin Marathon
Charles Farrior of Madison completed the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sept. 27, his eighth overall and fourth in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.
Farrior, 60, finished in 5:18 after battling cramps in the final seven miles. Unseasonable heat that has gripped Europe this summer took its toll on runners. Farrior had an 11:59 pace for the race.
West Line Winder, Sawatch Ascent
BUENA VISTA, Col. — Pete Schreiner of Florence and Oly Orton of Huntsville completed the West Line Winder and Sawatch Ascent 50K trail ultras Sept. 26-27.
The West Line Winder loop course has an elevation gain of about 4,300 feet, with a high point of 9,500 feet and low of 7,900. Average elevation is 8,500 feet.
The 33-mile Sawatch Ascent lollypop course has an elevation gain of about 7,000 feet, with ahigh of 13,100 and low of 8,150. Average elevation is about 9,800 feet.
Orton, 47, completed the West Line Winder in 6:46:13 while Schreiner, 57, crossed in 6:58:50.
Schreiner finished the Sawatch in 8:44 and Orton finished in 9:14.
Twin Cities Marathon
MINNEAPOLIS — Tay Cavett of Huntsville won her age group Sunday morning in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.
Cavett, 28, finished in 2:44:51 and was 51st overall. She carried a 6:19 pace throughout.
Nathan Shikenjanski, 25, of Knoxville, was 36th in 2:42:35.
The marathon field had 8,668 entries. See all of the results here.
F5 Half, 5K
Mitchell Jones of Huntsville won the F5 Half Marathon on Sept. 26 at The Park at Hays Farm in southeast Huntsville.
Jones, 48, finished in 1:22:43 for the win. He hit the turnaround at 40:22. Erick Kigen, 37, of Huntsville, was second in 1:25:41.
Camden Morris, 24, of Birmingham, was third and won the women’s division. She finished in 1:28:16.
In the 5K race, Michael Niederhausen won in 19:08. Veronica Jepkosgei was second, in 19:19.
See all of the half marathon results here and 5K results here.
Rebecca Mountain 50
SYLACAUGA — Zack Tarantini of Huntsville was among the top finishers in the Rebecca Mountain 50-miler on Sept. 12.
Tarantini, 29, was 13th overall with his time of 10:40:34. Caleb West, 29, of Boaz, was 16th in 10:56:48.
Also among the top 25 were Cam Mann, 24, of Muscle Shoals (11:39:13) and Gabriel Ozio, 28, of Huntsville (11:39:30).
Olly Orton, 47, of Huntsville, was the top area finisher in the 50K. He was 11th, in 6:46:15.
Roderick Koch, 61, was 22nd in the 25K, in 4:27:05.
See all of the results here.
Standing Boy 50K
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Jenny Gage of Huntsville led area dirt-stompers in the inaugural Standing Boy 50K on Sept. 18-20.
Gage, 36, finished 19th overall in 6:23:54. Her time put her in seventh place on the women’s top 10. The course is a 10-mile loop, with 50K runners doing three circuits. The event is part of the Standing Boy Trail Festival.
Ryan Sottolano, 39, of Huntsville, was 31st in 6:56:15. Meghan Sottolano, 40, was 37th in 7:10:37. Lori Stephan, 50, of Huntsville, was 44th in 7:45:47.
The event had 78 finishers. See all of the results here.
Frantic Frog Spint Tri
GUNTERSVILLE — Matt Fletcher of Madison won the Frantic Frog Sprint Tri on Sept. 19 at Goosepond Colony.
Fletcher, 28, had a swim of 8:38, ride of 32:31 and run of 21:49, with transitions of 51 and 42 seconds. His overall time was 1:04:30, giving him a win by almost 10 minutes.
See all of the results here.
Conquer the Cave 5K
GRANT — Jose Salas of Vero Beach, Fla., had the best time of runners in three waves at the Conquer the Cave 5K on Sept. 20 at Cathedral Cavern State Park.
Salas, 28, finished in Wave 1 with a zippy time of 22:04, the best of three waves with about 550 finishers.
The race is put on by RunningLane, with runners enjoying a rolling course that takes them into Cathedral Cavern for the final zip to the finish line. It attracts runners from throughout the Southeast thanks to the unique opportunity to run on the lighted, cool path inside the cavern.
If you’re itching to do this, the Cathedral Cavern 5K and 15K trail runs are Nov. 14.
Fiddlers 5K
ATHENS — Lucas Mould won the Fiddler’s 5K on Sept. 26 by about 30 seconds in downtown Athens.
Mould, 33, finished in 20:18 for the win. Alex Aybar, 33, of Athens, was second in 20:48.
Rudi Barnette, 22, of Cullman, was third overall and won the women’s title, finishing in 21:16.
See all of the results here.
MSFC Safety Day 5K
Christopher Kitson of Huntsville won the Marshall Space Flight Center Safety Day 5K on Sept. 26 at Redstone Arsenal.
Kitson, 30, won in 18:38, holding off Kyle Wagner, 40, of Huntsville, who crossed in 18:45.
Erin Villanueva, 37, of Madison, won the women’s title and was sixth overall. She finished in 23:53.
The race is put on by the MSFC Running Club. See all of the results here.
PGB 5K Aloha
Joseah Amai of Huntsville won the PGB 5K Aloha Run at the wire in a close finish on Sept. 26 at Redstone Gateway.
Amai, 36, crossed in 20:01 to get the win, nipping Noah Miller, 22, of Zeeland, Mich., who finished in 20:04.
Sydney Harbath, 20, of New Haven, Mo., won the women’s title and was 12th overall. She finished in 24:41.
The race had 111 finishers. See all of the results here.
BHM 26.2
BIRMINGHAM — Ryli Rueppel of Sheffield led area runners in the BHM 26.2 marathon on Oct. 4 in the Magic City.
Rueppel, 29, finished 28th in 4:06:19. She was fifth in the women’s standings and fourth in her age group.
Alexander Chairez, 20, of Madison, finished 29th in 4:07:51. Also in the top 50 was Skyler Ledwell, 31, of Scottsboro, with a time of 4:33:24.
See all of the results here.
