WARTRACE, Tenn. — Miller Groome of North Carolina won the 46th Strolling Jim 40-mile race Saturday by 90 seconds, his first in the storied history of the event.
Groome, of Asheville, finished in 4:45:08 to best the field of 152 winding their way through the central Tennessee countryside. Groome won the South Mountains Marathon 50K in January and was third at the Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50K in March. He also has top finishes in the Javelina Jundred, Cruel Jewel (win, 2021) and others.
John Kruckenberg of South Carolina was second in 4:46:08, and Joseph Spear of Atlanta took third in 5:07:51.
Times were slower this year than last as the field battled the weather, which included headslaps of humidity and heat. Combined with the rolling hills on the routes, including the marathon and half-marathon, it made for a testy morning. Runners departed downtown Wartrace for the famed race, encountering a train right off the bat to get the day started. Along with the 10K, some 289 runners finished the four races.
Caitlin Jones of Colorado took top honors in the women’s division with her 8th-place finish of 5:31:19. Jones also is no stranger to ultras but this was her first Strolling Jim finish.
Micah Morgan of Vestavia, Ala., was second (10th) in 5:38:46, and Erica Gillespie of Cumming, Ga., was third in 5:57:50.
See all the results here for the Strolling Jim races.
