Toronto’s Julie Hamulecki was the first finisher overall in the 50-mile race at Sulphur Springs in Hamilton’s Dundas Valley on Sunday, completing the distance in 7:08:00–almost 40 minutes ahead of the first male finisher, Andrew James (7:52:33), and ahead of the previous women’s course record of 7:56:44 set by Wendy Rading in 2023. Hamulecki is the Canadian 100K record holder on the road.
The race was successful in its bid to become the first Western States Endurance Run qualifier in Ontario. It needed either 100 finishers in the 100-mile event or the 100K, and it got well over those numbers in both.
Will Gilmet of Hamilton was the second male finisher in the 50K, in 8:11:43, and James Orr of Collingwood, Ont, was third, in 8:14:22.
Kayla Kaminski of Toronto was the second female finisher in the 50K, in 9:37:15; Anneliese Heinrich was third, in 9:52:48.
Hamulecki, a fashion and beauty producer for CTV’s “The Social,” has represented Canada at numerous world championships in ultrarunning and also won this year’s Mississauga Marathon.
100-mile and 100K course records fall
Elias Kibreab of Vaughan, Ont., broke the 100-mile course record, taking the win in a time of 16:58:22. The previous record was set in 2022 by Ryan Niclasen of Toronto at 17:25:28. Kibreab holds three FKTs (fastest known times) on Ontario’s Bruce Trail (the entire trail and two individual sections). The 46-year-old was the only athlete to go under 17 hours in this year’s race, while Canadian 100-mile record holder Amanda Nelson of Woodstock, Ont., followed up for second overall in a time of 17:18:57, breaking the women’s course record set in 2022 by Viktoria Brown at 19:52:08. Ryan Flint of Guelph was third (second male), in 18:15:24, and Danny Tresise of Omemee, Ont., was third male, in 18:21:30.
Second female was Krista Allen of Collingwood, Ont., in 19:25:20, and Lydia Geng of Kitchener, Ont., was third, in 20:16:19.
In the 100K, winner Paul Vanoostveen of Etobicoke, Ont., also set a new course record (8:26:02); Dylan Pust of Durham, Ont., was second, in 8:29:03, and Ryan Ackerman of Wasaga Beach, Ont., was third, in 9:47:57. Helen Francis of Lively, Ont., won the women’s race in 11:00:17; Meghan Duffy of Miramichi, N.B., was second, in 11:23:39, and Brandi Victor of Sarnia, Ont., was third, in 11:45:00.
Western States qualifier
The event saw runners from across the country gather in Dundas Valley for the 32nd edition of the race, which offers distances ranging from 10K to 160K (100 miles). Conditions were rainy and muddy on the 20-km looped course, which has often seen extreme conditions (mainly heat) in its 32-year history. Last year, the race announced it had the opportunity to become Ontario’s first Western States qualifier, which it achieved with 100 solo finishers in the 100-mile distance; 100K and 100-mile finishers all receive a ballot to Western States’ lottery for their 2025 race.
19-year-old Ontario runner becomes youngest finisher at Sulphur Springs 100 miler
Full results for all Sulphur Springs races can be found here.
