MOORESVILLE — Kyle Wagner and Michelle Morring won the Blue Heron Hundreds 100-mile endurance titles in record times last weekend at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
Wagner, 37, of Huntsville, set a course record with his winning time of 21:58.04. That shaved almost three hours off the record. This was his first 100-mile race. He jumped back into the endurance scene in 2022 at the Heron Hundreds, completing the 100K in 18:22:32. Since then he’s competed in several others including the Mountain Mist 50K, Devil’s Race Track Backyard Ultra, Mount Cheaha 50K and Grand Viduta 3-day stage race.
Morring, 50, won the women’s crown and was fifth overall with her time of 26:38:58. That puts her second on the women’s Heron Hundreds record list. This also was her first 100-mile race, and her time is being checked to confirm an Alabama age-group record. Lauren Villareal was sixth overall and second in the women’s chase, in 28:05:15. Her time is third-best on the women’s list.
Only five women have attempted the 100-mile race. Dianna Cioppi of Hampton Cove won the overall title in 2022.
The Blue Heron Hundreds weekend at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge consists of the 100-mile, 100K and marathon long runs. A 10K and 5K were added this year to benefit the Friends of Wheeler NWR Association. Refuge roads are crushed gravel, with a few fun inclines. Runners started at the Singing River Trail headquarters in Mooresville.
Rain for about two hours Saturday morning created a few muddy spots and watery potholes. By 9 a.m. the rain was gone, with clouds and sun until about noon when things got toasty. Unlike last year, when severe thunderstorms moved in overnight, the 100-mile and 100K runners didn’t encounter any crazy weather. A few saw deer, snakes, a bobcat, birds along with scads of butterflies and gorgeous wildflowers along the route.
The 100-mile runners started at 6 a.m. and did a short out-and-back 3-mile pop before starting the first of five 19.4-mile loops on the refuge. All totaled, that equals 100 miles. Along with passing two manned aid stations, timing chip mats were employed at the outermost turnaround (16 miles for marathoners) and finish line.
Wagner stayed relatively consistent throughout the event. His laps were 3:40:11, 3:41:41, 4:39:31, 5:20:42 and a final speedy loop of 4:36:01. The third and fourth laps were just at sunset into about midnight. With a comfortable lead, Wagner could dial it back a bit overnight before his final lap that was his best time of the five.
Johnny Daniels was second in 24:48:08, and Eugene Stayt was third in 24:54:46. Rico Moore was fourth in 25:26:51.
Morring also posted consistent laps: 5:29:12, 4:49:50, 5:12:43, 5:41:45 and 5:25:29, to finish in 26:38:58.
Villareal, right behind her, finished in 28:05:15.
Heron 100K: Wall, Lee Champs
Michael Wall of Madison completed the Fringe Double this year with his Heron Hundreds 100K win. Brooke Lee of Dalton, Ga., finished third and won the women’s title.
Wall also won the Devil’s Race Track Backyard Ultra put on by Fringe Events in April at Wade Mountain Preserve. He ran 17 “yards” or 4.67-mile loops and was the last runner standing. Last Saturday, he completed the Heron Hundreds 100K in 10:10:07, a fine outing with a 9:49 per-mile pace.
Wall’s time easily puts him atop the course record list at No. 1. The five other 100K male finishers behind him all posted Top 10 times, as well. At least six of the women’s finishers are now among the Top 10 course records, too.
“No, definitely not easy,” Wall said afterward, despite making it look easy. “These aren’t easy, you know? They hurt. They’re tough. But that’s what I like about them. They make you figure out what you’ve got and whether you can do it.”
Lee also made it look easy with her consistent, determined pace on each lap. Her time of 11:56:58 also easily puts her atop the 100K records list. She crushed the record by about two hours. With more women in this year’s 100K the record list pretty much will be new once the standings are finalized and submitted to UltraSignup for posting.
Heron Marathon: Lee, Wade are 1-2
Sarah Lee of Huntington Beach, Calif., cruised to an easy win with a time of 3:51:39 to take the inaugural Heron Hundreds Marathon title.
Lee, 48, won by about eight minutes over Jermaine Wade, 39, of Hazel Green, who finished in 3:59:24. They were the only two in the field of 33 that started the marathon to finish in less than four hours.
Heath Simmons, 51, of Gadsden was third in 4:02:29. Rebecca Bell, 44, of Loxley, was fifth and second female in 4:15:01.
Singing River Trail 10K, 5K
Stuart Lamp of Decatur won the Singing River Trail 10K in 36:32 while Julia Donovan of Huntsville claimed the women’s title in 43:35 on Saturday.
Gene Desanti of Huntsville nabbed the 5K win in 21:05. Vivian Zou of Huntsville was the women’s champ, finishing fourth overall in 21:08.
The 5K field had 56 finishers and the 10K event saw 67 cross the line. The two events were put on by the Singing River Trail, an effort to connect more than 200 miles of partners in the Tennessee River Valley. The group encourages conservation, wise use of the outdoors and more.
The 5K and 10K events are separate from the Heron Hundreds but were held in conjunction with them, on the course routes.
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Cool photos by Sayuri Beltran can be found here for the different events.
Check out the winners’ photos below and prelim results from the Fringe Events Blue Heron Hundreds weekend.
