The weekend included course records at the JFK 50 Mile, the end of this year’s World Trail Majors in South Africa, and the USATF 24-Hour National Championships. Doesn’t it feel like almost every weekend brings an exciting advancement in trail running and ultrarunning these days?
You can also check out our race coverage from earlier in the week:
JFK 50 Mile – Boonsboro, Maryland
Reset the record books. Both the women’s and men’s course records fell, and the race’s all-time top-10 charts look way different after this weekend!
It all happened in the race’s 62nd year, on the unique point-to-point course that combines Appalachian Trail, towpath, and road segments. The race had about 1,000 runners.
Women
Rachel Drake rolled the competition and the course record. Drake finished in 5:57. That’s a full eight minutes better than Sarah Biehl’s old course record from 2022 and 14 minutes faster than Ellie Greenwood’s 2012 mark that earlier stood for a decade.
Looking back on 2024, Drake’s year of ultrarunning included wins at the Black Canyon 100k and Tillamook Burn 50 Mile, as well as an eighth-place finish at the Western States 100. This will surely lead to all kinds of votes in the upcoming “UltraRunning Magazine” (North American) Ultrarunner of the Year awards.
Rachel Drake on her way to winning the 2024 JFK 50 Mile women’s race and setting a new course record. Photo: H3 Photography
Mary Denholm, this year’s Silver Rush 50 Mile and Leadville 100 Mile winner, also went under the old course record. She was second in 6:04.
The record redo doesn’t stop there, though.
Third-place Valérie Arsenault (Canada) finished in 6:15, the race’s fifth-fastest run ever. Fourth-place Robyn Lesh ran 6:21, the sixth-fastest run ever.
The women’s top five were:
- Rachel Drake – 5:57:32
- Mary Denholm – 6:04:15
- Valérie Arsenault (Canada) – 6:15:59
- Robyn Lesh – 6:21:55
- Britta Clark – 6:44:25
Men
David Sinclair and Eli Hemming dueled through the race’s first half, but Hemming ran into trouble late and Sinclair was all alone at the end.
Sinclair finished in 5:08. That’s over 10 minutes better than Hayden Hawks’s old course record from 2020. And for greater context on Sinclair’s run against history, Adam Peterman and Jim Walmsley are now third- and fourth-fastest ever at the longtime race.
Though never racing 100 miles, Sinclair has had a standout year also worthy of upcoming “UltraRunning Magazine” (North American) Ultrarunner of the Year votes — and so too has Hemming. Sinclair won the Broken Arrow Skyrace 46k and set a course record at the Speedgoat by UTMB 50k — two events wildly different from the JFK 50 Mile — and was second at the Silver State 50k.
David Sinclair winning the 2024 JFK 50 Mile men’s race and setting a new course record. Photo: H3 Photography
Ryan Sullivan and Matt Seidel were second and third in 5:27 and 5:29. Sullivan’s run ranks the sixth-best ever, and Seidel’s is the eighth-fastest ever.
The men’s top five were:
- David Sinclair – 5:08:26
- Ryan Sullivan – 5:27:40
- Matt Seidel – 5:29:34
- Tracen Knopp – 5:31:15
- Eli Hemming – 5:33:09
Ultra-Trail Cape Town – Cape Town, South Africa
The event, which celebrated its 10th edition, included six races, with 2,800 runners from 66 countries. The race courses took in the trails of Table Mountain National Park. There was a lot of prize money on the line, and the 100-kilometer race was part of the World Trail Majors.
UTCT
The 100-mile race winners, Kerry-Ann Marshall (South Africa) and Aleksei Tolstenko (Russia), ran 25:38 and 21:06, respectively. Each earned R60,000, or about $3,300. It was Tolstenko’s second-straight win at UTCT.
UT100
The 98k race was the year’s last World Trail Majors contest. The 61-mile course crossed sandy beaches and went up steep climbs for 4,972 meters (16,312 feet) of gain. Prize money went three deep, with R40,000 ($2,200) to the race winners.
Jazmine Lowther (Canada) stretched the women’s field out with a runaway win in 12:04. That was 46 minutes better than second-place Antonina Iushina (Russia). Eva Sperger of Germany rounded out the women’s podium in 13:07.
Jazmine Lowther, 2024 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k women’s champion. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town/Sam Clark
Hugo Deck (France) and Miguel Arsénio (Portugal) gapped the men’s field with breakaway 10:31 and 10:45 first- and second-place runs. Michelino Sunseri (U.S.) ran 11:16 for the third podium spot.
Hugo Deck, the 2024 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k men’s champion. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town/Sam Clark
PT55
Prize money was awarded here, too, with R20,000, which is about $1,100, going to the winners.
Anna Tarasova (Spain) was victorious in the women’s race at 6:02, and Louise Serban (France) and Landie Greyling (South Africa) were second and third in 6:14 and 6:27, respectively.
Race veterans Robbie Simpson (U.K.) and Jeshurun Small (U.S.) were again at the front, and Simpson won for the third year in a row. Simpson clocked 5:18 to Small’s 5:23. Ryan Sandes (South Africa) took third in 5:41.
Additional Races and Runs
Grampians Peaks Trail 100 Mile – Gariwerd, Australia
The new race went north to south through the Grampian Mountains, but most of the field was stopped near mile 80 for heat and safety concerns. Lucy Bartholomew (Australia) and Sange Sherpa (Nepal, lives in France) were leading at the time of the stoppage. Full results.
Duncan Ridge Trail 50k/30k – Blairsville, Georgia
In the 50k, Wendy Mader took the women’s win in 9:28, while Callan Hasling won for the men in 6:57. In the 30k, it was Aden St Charles for the women in 3:53 and Zac Wilson for the men in 3:31. Full results (when available).
Wendy Mader, 2024 Duncan Ridge Trail 50k women’s champion. Photo: Duncan Ridge Trail 50k/Brandon Young
Callan Hasling, 2024 Duncan Ridge Trail 50k men’s champion. Photo: Duncan Ridge Trail 50k/Brandon Young
Golden Gate Spartan Trail – San Francisco, California
The event hosted three race distances, a 50k, 25k, and 15k. Sara Bagnell and Marc Bernades (Spain) won the 50k race in 4:55 and 3:56. Over 25k, Olivia Amber and Kyle Fox took the wins in 1:54 and 1:38, respectively. Full results.
The 2024 Golden Gate Spartan Trail 50k women’s podium (l-to-r): 3 Fem Woodruff, 1. Sara Bagnell, and 2. Carly Bandt. Photo: Golden Gate Spartan Trail
The 2024 Golden Gate Spartan Trail 50k men’s podium (l-to-r): 3. TJ David, 1. Marc Bernades, and 3. Jamie Woodbury. Photo: Golden Gate Spartan Trail
Fat Ox – Buckeye, Arizona
Lots of different races took place at this event! The 24-hour race was again the USATF 24-Hour National Championships. Janelle Stark and Philip Sebastiani won with 139- and 142-mile totals, respectively. Full results.
2025 Skyrunner World Series
Next year’s Skyrunner World Series will include 24 races in 16 countries and across four countries.
- March 22 – Acantilados Del Norte (Spain)
- March 29 – Mexico Sky Challenge (Mexico)
- April 5 – Calamorro Skyrace (Spain)
- April 12 – Andes Mountain Skyrace (Chile)
- April 20 – Skyrace Des Matheysins (France)
- April 26 – Penang Skyrace (Malaysia)
- May 4 – Ueda Skyrace (Japan)
- May 10 – Corendon Tahtali Run To Sky (Turkey)
- May 18 – Monte Zerbion Skyrace (Italy)
- May 31 – Hochkönigman Skyrace (Austria)
- June 7 – Skyraces Des Gorges Du Tarn (France)
- June 21 – Minotaur Skyrace (Canada)
- June 29 – Ibarra Skyrace (Ecuador)
- July 6 – Cordillera Blanca Skyrace (Peru)
- July 27 – Tatra SkyMarathon (Poland)
- August 22 – Matterhorn Ultraks Extreme (Switzerland)
- September 6 – Saint-Jeoire Skyrace (France)
- September 20 – Grigne SkyMarathon (Italy)
- September 27 – Gorbeia Suzien (Spain)
- October 11 – Mourne Skyline (Ireland)
- October 19 – Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon (Malaysia)
- October 25 – 2 Peaks Skyrace (South Korea)
- October 25 – Sobrescobio Skyrace (Spain)
- November 8 – SkyMasters Marató Dels Dements (Spain)
The 2025 Skyrunner World Series will travel worldwide. Photo: Skyrunner World Series
Call for Comments
The previous JFK 50 Mile women’s course record stood for two years, and the men’s for four years. How long will Rachel Drake and David Sinclair’s records last?
