It was a busy weekend in the Tennessee Valley Outsider region with some stout events and solid finishes. Here’s the TVO Roundup:
Christopher Reeves of Huntsville easily won the Savage Gulf Ruck 25K on Saturday in Coalmont, Tenn., in a time of 4:18:54.
Reeves, 43, won by more than an hour. The 25K was part of a three-race event at the rugged Savage Gulf State Natural Area. It’s more than 14,350 acres on the Cumberland Plateau, with stunning views, hardwood forests and challenging trails. Among the noted portions are the Great Stone Door and numerous waterfalls.
Marathon competitors were required to have completed at least one marathon to be able to participate. The 25K was new this year and open to all. Nine competitors toed the line in the Ruck 25K, which required 20 pounds (dry) for anyone weighing more than 150 pounds and 10 pounds (dry) for anyone less than 150 pounds.
Jack Martin of White Bluff, Tenn., tamed Savage Gulf Marathon in a time of 4:45, winning by almost 12 minutes.
The 18-year-old topped Charlie Haney, 29, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., who was second in 4:57. Coree Woltering, 33, of Chattanooga, was third in 5:00:17.
Kari Larimore, 42, of Signal Mountain, was the women’s champ in 5:25. She finished sixth overall. Amy MacIntire, 35, of Clarksville was second (9th), in 5:42, and Jamie Holt, 39, of Huntsville, was third (26th) in 7:01.
Forty-five runners finished the event. A handful of runners from Huntsville and Decatur were among the finishers.
See all the results here from the Savage Gulf Marathon and Ruck 25K.
Georgia Death Race
Jeff Morgan, 54, of Huntsville, finished 42nd at the annual 74-mile Georgia Death Race in a time of 19:43:57.
Jeff Hogeland, 46, of Oneonta, was 45th in 19:55. Kevin Stegen, 32, of Huntsville, was 66th in 20:57.
Chris Crowley, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., won the event in 15:12, the seventh-best time in GDR history. Jana Fridrichova, 44, of Hagerstown, Md., was second in 15:37, second-best in event history. The race takes place in north Georgia.
See all of the GDR results here.
Prairie Spirit Trail 100
Martin Schneekloth of Huntsville finished fourth male overall in the Prairie Spirit Trail 100-mile event March 25 in Ottawa, Kansas.
Schneekloth finished in 22 hours 13 minutes on what he described as “the flattest 100 miler I have ever attempted.” He added that he was able “to test out a run/walk strategy for the first time ever. When a race course is this flat and runnable, you better plan for forced walk breaks. My feet took a beating (toe blister and a couple of heel blisters from the walking), but I’m very happy with the outcome. Now to recover quickly to continue Tor des Geants training.”
The Prairie Spirit Trail is a rails-to-trails course that runs through numerous quaint little towns. Runners do an out-and-back, beginning in Ottawa going south to Iola (100 milers), Welda (100Kers), Garnett (50 milers) or Richmond (50K), then, back north to the finish. The course is primarily on a crushed limestone trail, with asphalt paths through each town. Race officials say it’s a great event for first timers, as it’s a flat and relatively easy course. It’s also the perfect course for experienced runners wanting to set a PR.
Tuscaloosa Half-Marathon
Korey Shively, 23, of Madison, finished 17th in the Tuscaloosa Half-Marathon on Saturday in 1:29:31.
Shively was among a handful of runners who competed in the popular half that winds through towntown Tuscaloosa. Other area finishers in the top 100 included:
— Jermaine Wade, 39, Hazel Green, 23rd, 1:34
— Eric Rabadan, 22, Hartselle, 36th, 1:37
— John Woodruff, 41, Eva, 44th, 1:38
— Will Nevin, 54, Huntsville, 59th, 1:42
— Tommy Morris, 51, Huntsville, 60th, 1:42
— Austin Peppers, 25, Madison, 79th, 1:45
The event had 663 finishers. See all the results here.
In the Publix 5K, Cory Waltz, 45, of Huntsville, finished third in 19:23.
PHOTO: Coree Woltering of Chattanooga scampers down the Great Stone Door trail at the Savage Gulf Marathon on Saturday in Coalmont, Tenn. Photo by Pete Schreiner, Schreiner Trail Photography
