Drew Antonisse won the 17th annual Pinhoti 100 on Nov. 2 with a Top 10 finish, besting a field of 154 finishers in the Western States qualifier.
Antonisse, 29, of Telluride, Col., finished in 17:01:04 to win by almost an hour. That is the fifth-best time in event history, putting him behind David Riddle, Jeff Browning, Karl Meltzer and Evan Dare. Julia Soryte, 40, of Portland, won the women’s title in 21:15:11 and was seventh overall. Her time also is fifth-best on the women’s record list.
Michael Basuini, 30, of Chattanooga, was the top finisher in the TVO region, crossing the line in second place at 17:59:45. Ryne Anderson, 34, of Knoxville, was fifth in 20:47:22.
The field attracted runners from more than two dozen states and a couple of Canada provinces. The Pinhoti 100 is a Western States 2025 qualifier. The point-to-point race begins in Heflin and follows the Pinhoti Trail over Mount Cheaha and through the Talladega National Forest before ending in Sylacauga.
Bustos Tops Locals
Andrew Bustos, 34, of Huntsville, was the top local finisher. He completed the race in 23:40:29 and was 23rd.
Kyle Wagner, 38, of Huntsville, was 32nd in 24:19:25. Matthew Pittenger, 28, of Elkmont, was 42nd in 25:20:22.
“It’s very difficult to put 100 miles into words,” Bustos told TVO. “The morning of the race, my wife Nati and and I made our way to Pine Glen campground. When we arrived and I saw all the runners on the gravel road, I was in disbelief of how many people signed up to run 100 miles. Once the race started, I got caught up in the conga line on the trail, a rookie mistake. Anyway, I stayed calm because I knew it was gonna be a long day.
Bustos caught up with Wagner and Jake Baker, also of Huntsville, before the Horseblock aid station. He got a burst after passing them but “just kept telling myself to slow down and get to Cheaha State Park.” Once there, Naty helped with refueling and sent him off again. His prior training, including a win at the Wade Mountain Marathon, was paying off.
“I made it to Aid No. 9, called Area 51, and I was surprised to see Emily Ansick, Taylor Woodfin and Katie Woodfin. It’s always good to see familiar faces out on course. They gave me some mandarin oranges and i was off again. Once the night came, that’s when my race really started. As I was making my way to Pinnacle, which is the last big climb of the course, I remember Jeff Morgan told me during Rebecca Mountain that I will be able to hear the music about two miles out of Aid No. 14 Rocky Roll (Pinnacle).
“I don’t like to listen to music while I run, but hearing the music from the aid station really pumped me up. They call the Aid station Rocky Roll because it’s very rocky driving up the gravel road. I left Pinnacle feeling great, with some pain on my IT band but not too bad.”
The Aid No. 16 at Bulls Gap is manned by the Huntsville Track Club. Bustos found Naty along with HTC members and fellow trail runners Eric Fritz, Tyson Jouglet and Kim Jouglet. After restocking, Bustos was off for the final push to the finish. But the IT band issues were nagging badly.
“All I wanted to do was to break 24 hours, and I was on pace for 23 hours, 30 minutes,” he said. “I really had to grind for the last 15 miles. Once I made it to the last aid station, I was cutting it close. I ran as hard as I could on the 5-mile loop that felt like it was never going to end. I made it to the end in 23:40 and barely made my goal. The first thing I did when I crossed the finish line was to give Naty a big hug.”
See all of the results from the Pinhoti 100 here.
MAIN PHOTO: Naty and Andrew Bustos at the finish line after the Pinhoti 100 in Sylacauga on Nov. 2.
