The Trail Runner Trophy Series, presented by Altra Running, is a points-based race series, with 186 events of all distances, all around the country. The series begins in March and culminates in September. Grand prizes are awarded to the runner who logs the most miles, and the runner who runs the most races. The “Mile Mogul” wins a Run the Alps trail-running tour through the French and Swiss alps, around Chamonix, France, while the “Trail Fiend” wins a coveted spot on the cover of Trail Runner magazine.

The Trophy Series is well under way for the season. Here are some updates and stories from the last few weeks. Dale Reicheneder, the 2016 Trophy Series “Trail Fiend” Champion, is currently in first place for winning the cover shot, while Donna Loparo is the lead for the trail-running tour in the Alps.

McDonald Forest 50K: May 13, Corvallis, Oregon

Perhaps it is the homemade soup and baked goods at the finish, the reggae aid station or the pull of the Pacific Northwest Rainforest, but the McDonald Forest 50K has drawn athletes back year after year.

Pottery awards were given to the returning 50K racers, Steve Loitz, Kathie Lang, Eric Martin, Larry Stephens, Jim Susman and Anita Schultz. Loitz, 60, of Ellensburg, won a 20-year urn, an award given to those who have completed 1,000 kilometers at this event. Kathie Lang of Klamath Falls, Oregon, won a 15-year bowl and Martin 40 of Corvallis, Oregon; Stephens, 60, of Portland, Oregon; Susman, 53, of Portland, and Schultz, 52, of Seattle, Washington, were awarded 10-year plates.

Despite a wet course, course records fell for the 20-29 age group, for both the men and the women—Jeff Mogavero, 23, and Rachel Drake, 25, both of Oregon, hold the new records in 3:58:53 and 4:33:58.

“I had a blast playing in the mud,” says Mogavero. “A good bit of rain […] just made things more exciting!” Mogavero is no stranger to ultrarunning. He has won 7 races ranging from 25K to 60K.

Meanwhile, Drake got some extra motivation from a Golden Retriever puppy she met on the course. “Seeing that little guy certainly put a spring in my step.”

Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon,  Half Marathon and Marathon Relay: June 4, Deadwood, South Dakota

The Deadwood mickelson Trail half marathon also saw its course record broken. Jennifer De Hueck, 27, of South Dakota, ran the race in 1:19:17, a record by 1 minute and 20 seconds. .

De Hueck was among 2,800 other racers who came from far and wide to run from Rochford, South Dakota, to the historical town of Deadwood. Runners came from 46 states, Bolivia, Germany, Switzerland and Canada.  

Worlds End Ultramarathon 50K, 100K: June 3, 2017, Forksville, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Worlds End Ultramarathon was a race of close calls this year. The event began with a bear lingering at the start/finish line (the bear wandered off before the race started) and ended with its youngest-ever 50K finisher, a near-course record in the 50K and a one-second gap between first and second place in the 100K.

Jacob Kascsak, 15, of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, finished the 50K with a time of 6:46:29. Also in the 50K, Michael Daigeaun, 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, missed a course record by a mere 77 seconds, clocking 5:12:47. On the women’s side Lori Kingsley, 51, of Wysox, Pennsylvania, finished her first 50K winning the race in the second fastest female course time, 6:07:21. Speeding through the finish behind Kingsley to take second place was Emily Clay 27, of, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 6:32:40.

In the 100K, David Lantz, 28, of Leola, Pennsylvania, took home the win. Lantz finished in fourth place last year, and beat out second-place finisher Adam Russell, 38, of Rome Pennsylvania, by less than one second. Kristina Folcik, 39, of Tamworth, New Hampshire, was the first woman to cross the line, followed one hour later by Deserae Clarke, 36, of Danville, Pennsylvania, who was racing her first 100K.

Current Trophy Series Standings

Run Most Races
First: Dale Reicheneder, Malibu, CA, 198.5 miles, 18 races
Second: Samantha Weaver, Jersey Shore, PA, 202.7 miles, 16 races
Third: Gerald Bailey, Glencoe, KY, 242.8 miles, 13 races

Run Most Miles
First: Donna Loparo, Winter Springs, FL, 320 miles, 2 races
Second: John Dufour, Carrollton, GA, 286 miles, 2 races
Third: James Barnard, Clinton, TN, 264 miles, 1 race

Ultra Standings

Male
First: James Barnard, Clinton, TN, 1056 points, 1 race
Second: Jeremy Reed, Pikeville, TN, 630 points, 1 race
Third: John Dufour, Carrollton, GA, 472 points, 2 races
Female
First: Donna Loparo, Winter Springs, FL, 1080 points, 2 races
Second: Greta Reed, Pikeville, TN, 576 points, 1 race
Third (TIE):
Jess Mullen, Seattle, WA, 400 points, 1 race
Van Phan, Maple Valley, WA, 400 points, 2 races
Elaine Stypula, St Clair Shores, MI, 400 points, 1 race
Caroline Boller, Solvang, CA, 400 Points, 1 race
Rebeca Wilson, Eagleville, TN, 400 points, 1 race
Stacy Dittmer, Brandon, MB, 400 points, 1 race

Non-Ultra Standings

Male
10-19   Port Habalar, Williamsport, PA, 222.8 points, 4 races
20-29   Matt Lipsey, Kersey, PA, 222.8 points, 4 races
30-39   Azarya Weldemariam, Colorado Springs, CO, 121.5 points, 2 races
40-49   Steve Templin, Muncy, PA, 176.3 points, 4 races
50-59   Dale Reicheneder, Malibu, CA, 684.6 points, 18 races
60+      Gerald Bailey, Glencoe, KY, 340.2 points, 13 races

Female
10-19   Elizabeth Shaffer, Jersey Shore, PA, 251.4 points, 5 races
20-29   Johanna Ohm, State College, PA, 245.8 points, 5 races
30-39   Brianna Bair, State College, PA, 276.1 points, 5 races
40-49   Samantha Weaver, Jersey Shore, PA, 350.2 points, 16 races
50-59   Carole Dudukovich, Port Matilda, PA, 385.2 points, 8 races
60+      Jane Kone, Howard, PA, 294.1 points, 6 races