James Ebert and Laura Komp cruised to comfortable wins in the 20th Dizzy 50 ultra on a glorious Saturday morning at Monte Sano State Park.
More than five dozen runners started the 7 a.m. event, which consisted of three loops of a little more than 10 miles each. Setup was at the John Scoble Pavilion at the biker’s parking lot. Coolers with carby and tasty snacks, food, gels, bevs and more were arrayed like a feed lot on a big farm.
The course routed about six miles on the south side of the starting line behind the pavilion. Those included Firetower, South Plateau, Mist, Warpath (yay, a climb!) and others. After that toodle, runners could pop back in for aid before doing the final four-ish miles past the cabins to Closed Bankhead, down to Sinks, Logan Point, Keith and up the Sinks switchbacks (yay, another climb!).
Trail conditions at the park Saturday were good, albeit leafy as expected in mid-November. Mild rain overnight tamped down the dust and leaves. Temps were in the high 50s at the start, with clouds and a northwest breeze that changed about midday.
After crossing the timing line each loop, they could get more aid, use the bathroom, change gear or whatever else. Or, as Ebert did, they could top off and keep blasting the trails.
Firsts for Ebert, Kopp
Ebert, 36, of Huntsville, finished in 4:21:10 for his first Dizzy 50 title. He was second in 2022 to Tyson Jouglet by less than two minutes, as Jouglet began the march to his second straight Huntsville Slam crown.
Ebert’s loops were incredibly consistent, within 1:20 to 1:30 per loop. He finished his second loop after passing the last runner completing his first loop. That was on the Sinks climb, to the finish-setup area. Ebert never let up en route to a 31-minute cushion of victory.
Gerritt van Ommering, 35, of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., was second in 4:52. Jouglet, 36, of Huntsville, was third in 5:08.
Komp, 33, of Tallinn, Estonia, claimed the women’s title with a run and time of 6:00:37. Komp finished 14th overall. It was her first ultra. Amelia Harrison, 24, of New Market, finished second (18th) in 6:18:21. Harrison won the 2022-23 Huntsville Slam women’s title. Lea Billups, 47, of Huntsville, was third in 6:22:56.
Dizzy 50 Notes
A few key and cool notes from the Dizzy 50 ultra:
— This was the 20th year for the event, with the inaugural race having 77 finishers you can see here.
— Eighty-two registered for Saturday’s race, 76 started it and 61 finished. Some runners did one or two loops and dropped, for different reasons.
— Sponsors for swag (more than $1,000 worth including a Coros watch) and other goodies included First National Bank of Pulaski and Fleet Feet. Darren Ezzo with Marco’s Pizza arrived about 11 a.m. with a truckload of hot pies.
— Runners from five states and one foreign country were among the finishers. Komp, from Estonia, traveled the farthest (4,800+ miles). Other long-distance finishers were Thane Outhith of Pearl City, Hawaii (4,350 miles) and Ashley Melo of Hanford, Calif. Melo is traveling around doing a 50K or marathon in each state and chose Dizzy 50 for her Alabama visit.
— No Top 10 finishes were recorded Saturday. Ebert’s winning time was more than 20 minutes off the tenth-place spot. Komp’s was more than an hour off the women’s tenth-place spot.
— Dizzy 50 is the first of the four Huntsville Slam events. Those who sign up for the Slam must complete Dizzy 50, the Rocket City Marathon, Recover From the Holidays 50K and Mountain Mist 50K.
— Photos from Pete Schreiner, taken from several points on the trails, can be seen here.
See all of the results of the Dizzy 50 ultra here.
MAIN PHOTO: Dizzy 50 ultra winner James Ebert of Huntsville comes up the final bit of Sinks Trail to win the race in 4:21 on Satuday at Monte Sano State Park. (Photo by Alan Clemons/TVO)
