SkyGames Vertical K, Leadville Trail Marathon and Logan Peak Trail Run

A weekend racing recap

Photo by Thomas Humpage

SkyGames Vertical Kilometer
Host nation Spain dominated the opening event of the International SkyRunning Federation’s SkyGames. Three-time world SkyRunning champion Agustí Roc and Raúl García, both of Spain, took the top two spots in the Vertical Kilometer, a 3.5-kilometer course with 1000 meters of vertical gain, in 35:51 and 36:10, respectively. Italy’s Nicola Golinelli took third overall in 36:16. Meanwhile, Spanish runners swept the women’s top three: Oihana Kortizar took first in 43:59, followed by Laura Orgué in 44:29 and Mireia Miró in 44:49.

The SkySpeed race—a 200-meter “sprint” with 100 meters of vertical gain—was also contested. Didier Zago of France and Debora Cardone of Italy won the men’s and women’s races, respectively.

Spain leads the current SkyGames team standings, over Italy (second) and France (third). The SkyGames, an ongoing competition among 19 different nations, involves four more events: SkyBike (a duathlon bicycle/running race) and SkyRelay (a multidisciplinary team contest) in July, and the 21-kilometer SkyRace and the SkyMarathon in August. More information about the SkyGames can be found here.

Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon
Leadville, Colorado, is probably best known in running circles for its 100-mile race in August, but runners had a chance to run through the historic district’s old mining roads and trails for a shorter duration Saturday at the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half Marathon.

J. Marshall Thomson of Crested Butte, Colorado, won the Trail Marathon—which includes topping 13,185-foot Mosquito Pass—in 3:37:19, outpacing Golden, Colorado, native Tim Waggoner by over eight minutes (Waggoner finished in 3:45:32). Timothy DeBoom of Boulder, Colorado, finished third in 4:02:51. In the women’s race, Kerrie Bruxvoort of Broomfield, Colorado, finished first in 4:20:05, good for seventh overall. She was followed by Evergreen, Colorado’s Leila Degrave with a 4:31:40 and 16^th-place overall finish. Molly Behunin of Ogden, Utah, finished third (23^rd overall) in 4:42:08. Complete results from the marathon can be found here.

In the Heavy Half, Jordan Tucker demonstrated that you don’t need to be from the mountains to run fast in them. The Gretna, Nebraska, native won the 15.5-mile race in 2:17:45, over two minutes ahead of runner-up Thomas Lekan of Denver, who crossed the line in 2:20:01. He was two minutes ahead of Joanna Masloski of Littleton, Colorado, who finished first among women and third overall in 2:22:01. McKenna Douglas of Edwards, Colorado, finished second in the women’s race in 2:31:28, good for seventh overall. Complete results of the Heavy Half can be found here.

Logan Peak Trail Run
Seth Wold of Lehi, Utah, claimed a victory and the course record at the Logan Peak Trail Run—a 28-mile race that covers 7261 feet of elevation change and climbs as high as 9710 feet—in Logan, Utah, Saturday. His 4:00:07 put him nearly 10 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, Logan, Utah’s Joe Furse, who finished in 4:09:53. Jonathan Allen of Simpsonville, South Carolina, finished third in 4:11:58.

In the women’s race, Alta, Utah’s Sarah Evans finished first (12^th overall) in 5:03:05, over eight minutes up on runner-up (14^th overall) Jamie Williams of Smithfield, Utah.  Jennifer Clancy, also of Alta, finished third (18^th overall) in 5:26:18.

Complete results of the Logan Peak Trail Run can be found here.