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TVO Roundup: Wagner Crushes Dark Divide 100, Acree Tames Still Hollow Half, Bullock Flattens Missionary Ridge and New Races

Summer is in full swing and the TVO Roundup has a handful of cool events ranging from an awesome 5K to a rugged 100-miler in the Pacific Northwest.

We’re always trying to stay abreast of who’s doing what and where, but sometimes things slip past us. If you know of an event to add to the calendar, have competed in an event, or know someone who has who deserves recognition, be sure to let us know.

On to the TVO Roundup!

Dark Divide 100

Kyle Wagner of Huntsville completed the Dark Divide 100-mile endurance event in Randle, Wash.

The event started Aug. 2 with 18 runners. Five were DNF.

Wagner finished in 27 hours, 51 minutes. He had a total elevation gain of 23,366 feet.

The Dark Divide 100, along with the 50K and 17-mile events, took place in the Dark Divide Roadless Area of the central Washington Cascade Mountains. The Dark Divide is more than 70,000 acres in the center of the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. Runners were treated to views of Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Ranier.

Wagner won the 2023 Blue Heron Hundreds 100-mile race in 21:58:04, a record for the 3-year-old event.

Missionary Ridge Road Race

CHATTANOOGA — Cole Bullock of Chattanooga won the 51st annual Missionary Ridge Road Race on Aug. 3.

Bullock, 23, finished in 23:03 and won by more than a minute over Eli Kaczinski, 28, who crossed in 25:27.

Lauren Mullins, 30, of Chattanooga, won the women’s division in 29:13. She was 10th overall.

Clarissa Hell, 29, of Madison, was third in the women’s division in 32:41.

The Missionary Ridge Road Race is one of the oldest running events in the Southeast. The 4.7-mile route carries runners through the historic Missionary Ridge neighborhood with great views of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain.

For the first time, more women registered for the race than men. The event had 219 finishers.

See all of the results here.

Still Hollow Trail Race

CHATTANOOGA — Christopher Acree and Melissa Murray claimed top honors in the Still Hollow Trail Race half-marathon on Aug. 3 at Enterprise South Nature Park.

Acree, 34, of Nashville, finished in 1:46:50 to win overall honors. He won by more than four minutes.

Murray, 33, of Chattanooga, was fifth overall in 1:58:31. She and Sierra Ballard, 26, of Nashville, were the only women in the Top 10. Ballard was ninth in 2:03:43.

Cole Cutler, 30, of Flintstone, Ga., won the 10K in 47:31. Tyler Arnold, 34, of Pisgah, was eighth in 1:01:52.

See all of the Still Hollow Trail Race results here.

What’s Coming Up

August is brutally hot and not ideal, by most folks’ standards, for being outside. Still, if we waited for perfect conditions to ride, run or do anything it would be a handful of days. So, get outside but be smart when you’re doing anything.

Here are area events coming up in August, from our TVO Calendar.

Aug. 10: Brothers for Life 5K, 5K Ruck and 1-mile, Point Mallard Park track in Decatur. Register here
Aug. 10: Midnight 8K Road Race, Sevierville, Tenn., starts at midnight. Course closes after 80 minutes. Register here

Aug. 17: Super Soaker 5K, Courtland, with 1-mile fun run at 9 a.m., to benefit the Courtland Community Revitalization project. Register here
Aug. 17: Chupacabra Half and 10K trail races, Monte Sano State Park, put on by Running Lane as the finale of the Wild Thangs Summer Series. The Half takes runners down into McKay Hollow out to Trough Spring and back, finishing up Death Trail to the finish line. Registration closes Aug. 13. Register here

Aug. 24: Running of the Bulls 5K, 1-mile, Aldridge Creek Greenway with start/finish at Hampton Cove Middle School. Proceeds benefit the Hampton Cove Middle School PTA. Register here
Aug. 24: JA Race to Achieve, in Cleveland, Tenn., to benefit the Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region. Register here
Aug. 24: The Cam Run 5K, to benefit the Cameron Bean Foundation, Chattanooga. Register here
Aug. 24: Swinging Bridge Half and 10K, at Tims Ford State Park in Tennessee, put on by Running Lane. Good trails, challenging out-back Half course around Tims Ford Lake. Register here

Aug. 25: Rocketman Triathon, at Carrol D Hudson Recreation Area on Redstone Arsenal. Rocketman 2024 is a traditional Olympic distance of 1,500 meter swim (1,640 yards), 40 km bike (25 miles), 10 km run (6.1 miles).  Triathletes will start and finish at Carrol D Hudson Recreation Area Redstone Arsenal. Register here

Aug. 31: Von Braun Center 5K Music Run, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the VBC. Runners will scoot through downtown Huntsville, have music at each mile, and commemorative medals along with other swag. Register here
Aug. 31: Blue Heron Hundreds 100-mile, 100K, 40-mile, marathon at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Mooresville, Ala. Starts at 6 a.m. on Aug. 31, with cutoff for all events at 32 hours. Flat, fast, crushed gravel refuge roads. Register here
Aug. 31: Singing River Trail 10K, 5K, to benefit the Singing River Trail, at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Mooresville, Ala. Flat, fast course on crushed gravel road. Register here
Aug. 31: 4th annual Labor Day Lakeside 10K, at Ten Mile, Tenn. Timed event but also a fun run-walk. Register here

Be sure to check out our TVO Calendar for more events on into autumn. We’ll be updating soon with Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday Turkey-Jingle-TrotJog runs.

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