Standout finishes by area runners on the roads and trails highlight the latest TVO Roundup, with events stretching from Germany to Montana and points between.
Summer has been busy with a slew of Big Hard Goals and area athletes crushed ’em like an aluminum can. From marathons to 100-mile trail runs, it’s been a cool year for big events and we’re still going strong.
On to the TVO Roundup:
7 Bridges Marathon
CHATTANOOGA — Josh Whitehead of Madison was second in the 7 Bridges Marathon on Oct. 18 in downtown Chattanooga and along the Tennessee River.
Whitehead, 47, finished in 2:55. Eddie Smith of Smyrna, Tenn., won the marathon. Lucy Priest of Reno, Nev., won the women’s division and was sixth overall.
David Moghani of Scottsboro was fifth in the half-marathon.
Sewanee Slammer
SEWANEE, Tenn. — Dylan Glass of Gurley finished third with a record time Saturday in the Sewanee Slammer 20-mile trail run.
Glass ran a 2:40:55 for the bronze on a speedy day. That’s good enough for fifth-place in the event Top 10 records. He was fourth last year. Tony White of Nashville (2:31) and Michael Matson of Sewanee (2:39) were 1-2.
Allen Smith of Huntsville was 16th in 3:48 and Melissa Moore of Florence was 21st in 4:00.
BMW Berlin Marathon
A handful of area runners completed the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sept. 21 in Germany.
Eduardo Bello, 30, finished in 4:13:54. Griffin Gunter, 35, finished in 4:13:55, and Cassidy VanOostrom, 21, finished in 5:43:38.
Derek Pirtle finished in 3:44:26 and Olivia Pirtle crossed in 5:35:14. Both are 35 and from Athens.
A Race for the Ages
MANCHESTER, Tenn. — Gail Sikes of Owens Cross Roads knocked out 100 miles at A Race for the Ages endurance event on Labor Day weekend.
Sikes, 63, was one of more than a dozen who notched 100 miles. Randy Ellis, 73, of Sapulpa, Okla., took top honors with 225 miles.
The event is held at Deadman Park with a certified 1-mile course. All runners age 41-over will be allotted a number of hours equal to their age in which to accumulate as many miles as possible. All the kids, 40-under, will compete over the final 40 hours of the race. The winner will be the runner with the most miles accumulated by the finish.
See all of the results here.
BHM 26.2 Marathon
BIRMINGHAM — Sergio Zavala of Albertville finished 15th in the BHM 26.2 Marathon on Oct. 5 with a time of 3:45:53.
Ty Dorsett of Guntersville was 32nd in 3:57:59 and Jon Elmore of Decatur was 37th in 3:59:50.
See all of the marathon results here and half-marathon results here.
Lake Yahou 50K
ANNISTON — Sam Kuhn of Auburn won the Lake Yahou 50K on Oct. 4 by almost 30 minutes with a time of 4:41:01.
Kuhn’s time tops the men’s record list. Kristina Tudor’s 5:09 runner-up time also tops the women’s list.
Scott Wynne of Boaz was 11th in 6:53, and Elizabeth Whitaker of Scottsboro was 33rd in 8:48:24. Caleb Bonner of Owens Cross Roads was 36th in 8:48:53.
See all of the results here.
Rebecca Mountain
SYLACAUGA — Will Ansley of Huntsville was fourth in the 9th annual Rebecca Mountain 50-mile ultra on Sept. 6.
Ansley, 34, finished in 8:43:49. Lea Billups, 49, of Huntsville was 15th in 9:40:38.
Paul Loper, 26, of New Orleans won the inaugural Rebecca Mountain 50K by 27 minutes on Sept. 5 with a record time of 4:48.
Brian Smith, 46, of Madison completed the 50K in 7:30:48. He was 32nd.
See all of the 50-mile results here and 50K results here.
Georgia Jewel
DALTON, Ga. — Blake Hughes of Summerville, Ga., won the Georgia Jewel 100-mile race on Sept. 20 with a time of 22:27:57.
Jacob Flaugher of Huntsville was 27th in the 50-mile event, crossing in 12:30:01. Kamren McGovern of Huntsville was 28th in 12:30:03.
Jenny Gage of Huntsville completed the 35-miler in 8:52:03. She wasd 23rd overall. Adam Cox of Huntsville was 42nd in 10:20:11. Elizabeth Whittaker of Scottsboro was 69th in 11:13:52. Brandon Howell of Owens Cross Roads was 75th in 11:40:50.
Anthony Brinkley finished the 18-miler in 3:05:10 and was fifth overall.
See all of the results here for each event.
Hurricane 100K
HURRICANE, W. Va. — Olly Orton of Huntsville knocked off the Hurricane 100K on Sept. 6.
Orton, 46, finished the course in 14:47:05 and was 25th overall. He was third in his age group.
See all of the results here.
Pine to Palm 100
WILLIAMS, Ore. — Martin Schneekloth completed the Pine to Palm 100-miler, which shuttered after 16 years.
Schneekloth, 54, battled some issues on the trail and missed his goal time of sub-30 hours. He finished in 30:33:21. But he was excited to earn a buckle since the race is ending.
“Considering my challenges, new and old, I was extremely happy to receive my finisher buckle during Sunday’s awards presentation,” he posted on Facebook. “It’s a special buckle powder coated in black to signify the final running of this race. This was my first ultra in Oregon and I gotta say, the Ashland running community was awesome.”
See all of the results here.
Grand Traverse
DULUTH, Minn. — Christy Scott of Owens Cross Roads finished fourth in the womens’ division of the Grand Traverse 27-mile trail event on Oct. 4.
Scott, 51, finished in 7:24:29. The event offers four distances with scenic views, shuttle services, aid stations and more.
See all of the results here.
Montana Meltdown
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Kyle Wagner of Huntsville was second in the Montana Meltdown 24-12-4 endurance event Sept. 27.
Wagner, 39, completed 100.5 miles in the 24-hour event and was second. That ranks second in the Meltdown records list. Wyatt Stevens of Bozeman completed 114 miles for top honors.
Catherine Toriello, 44, of Huntsville, completed 22.5 miles in the 4-hour event and was third overall.
The Montana Meltdown Fixed Time event is held at Gallatin Valley Regional Park in Bozeman, Montana. Runners compete on a 1.5-mile loop course for 4, 12 and 24 hours.
See all of the results here.
Miami 100
MIAMI — Ran Crump of Madison completed the 8th annual Miami 100 on Sept. 27.
Crump, 29, finished in 31:08. The field had 19 finishers.
The event is self-described as an “urban style 100-miler … through some of Miami’s hottest neighborhoods: Wynwood, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Calle Ocho, Coconut Grove, Brickell and more. The course will wind through some of Miami’s most historical and scenic areas. You will run through farmlands, historical neighborhoods, down Ocean Drive, the lively Calle Ocho and more.” The Miami 100 is a preferred qualifier for the Badwater 135.
Barkley Marathon
FROZEN HEAD STATE PARK, Tenn. — Mathieu Blanchard of Quebec won the Barkley Marathon 50K trail ultra on Sept. 20 in 10:20:44.
Kyle Kalbus of Chattanooga was the top TVO-area finisher, in ninth at 12:06:23.
In the marathon event, Jonathan Phieffer of Guntersville was 59th in 10:34:46.
Indiana 100
ALBION, Ind. — Martin Schnkeecloth of Huntsville completed the Indiana 100 on Oct. 12 and Cherie Hildreth of Madison knocked off the 50-miler.
Schneekloth finished 43rd in 25:19:29.
Hildreth finished the 50-mile event in 12:24:55.
The 100-mile field had 108 finishers, mostly from the Midwest. Ryan Witko of Brooklyn won in 15:57.
Arkansas Traveler 100-Mile
PERRYVILLE, Ark. — Lisa Gates of Huntsville paced a handful of area runners who completed the iconic Arkansas Traveler 100-mile race on Oct. 5.
Gates finished 46th in a time of 24:46:11. Other veterans finishing the 100-miler included Lindsey Shady, Eric Fritz and Dana Overton, all of Huntsville, and Phil Tranqui of Athens.
The course consists of a 17-mile loop followed by an 83-mile out-and-back through the Ouachita Mountains on forest roads, two-track trails, and an eight-mile section of the Ouachita Trail. It has 12,000 cumulative feet of climb. The race is a Western States qualifier within the 30-hour time limit.
See all of the results here.
