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2007 VHTRC News Archive

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Magnus Gluteus Maximus 50km Results: After days of analysis and review, the MGM results are now ready. They are so last year. Magnus Gluteus Maximus 2007 Results

At the StartBoyer's Furnace 40 Miler: Aaron Schwartzbard won the Boyer's Furnace 40 Miler, finishing in 6:47 -- almost an hour faster than his nearest competitor. Amy Sproston was the first woman. The event, put on by Greg Loomis with financial support from the VHTRC, received rave reviews, though there were the usual comments about the rocks. Results

Magnus Gluteus Maximus 50 km: Well over a hundred runners showed up for the annual VHTRC holiday "fat ass" 50 km at Hemlock Overlook Park. The bad weather held off. The course was not muddy, and the river was still low. At the end there was pizza and refreshments. All for the reasonable entry fee of $0. RD Joe Clapper is supervising the compilation and certification of the results. All prize money, including the all-expense-paid trip to Tahiti for the overall winner, are on hold until the judges have completed their review. In the meantime, you may look at the professional pictures of the event. Pictures on Flickr.

John Guendelsberger Wins Football Contest: John won the 2007 VHTRC football contest by six games. Larry Ryan was second and Jack Evans was third. Last year's champ, Gary Knipling was fourth. Bunny Runyan, who was second last year dropped to 10th this year, but was the leading woman. Congratulations to all contestants. At least most of you did better than Notre Dame! Week 13 Results | Final Season Standings | 2006 Final Standings

Schwartzbard and Bednosky -- Top Hellgate Finishers: Aaron and Annette led a VHTRC sweep of the top positions. Other top finishers included Keith Knipling at third, Mike Schuster, sixth, and Scott Mills, 10th overall and first senior. Sophie Speidel was second in the women's competition. There were 82 finishers out of 105 (crazy) starters. Hellgate Web site | Roanoke Times Multimedia stuff | Sophie Speidel's Report

Cactus Rose 100: Mike Dobies won the Cactus Rose 100 Miler in Bandera, Texas on November 1. Cactus Rose Web site

JFK ImageJFK 50: Though a bit gray, the weather was good for the runners a the 45th JFK 50 Miler in Washington County, Maryland, on November 17. While the Reston and Montgomery County running clubs dominated the event with their numbers, VHTRC members grabbed several top honors. Annette Bednosky and Francesca Conte were the second and third women, behind winner Anne Lundbland. (Anne was also the first master -- male or female.) VHTRC sexagenarians Frank Probst and Lucia Davidson took their age group titles. Bryon Powell and Greg Loomis were on the winning men's team and Margie Hughes was on the second place female team. (They were the winning team until a timing error was noted.) Ed Demoney finished at age 73. Bill Wandel finished his 20th JFK, Anstr Davidson finished his 25th. Finally, Keith Dunn had the honor of finishing fifth from last of 1,079 runners. JFK has become a huge deal but it is still all about the AT, the towpath, and eight miles of road. Congratulations to the many VHTRC finishers! Info: JFK Web page (with results) | Hagerstown Herald-Mail Article | Herald-Mail Photos | Brenda's photos on Flickr.

Stone Cat: Several familiar names, including 4th place Don Padfield and 6th place Byron Powell, are on the finishers list for the Stone Cat 50 miler and Marathon held November 10, in Massachusetts. From the photos, it looks like everyone had a good time and that the GACers had their usual post-race refreshments. Results.

Veterans Day Runners
VHTRC runners at Iwo Jima Memorial

Veterans Day Run: A small group met at the Iwo Jima Memorial on Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11, for a tour of Washington. We took our usual route past the Korean, Vietnam, and WW II war memorials. It was a very nice day. Pictures in Flickr

Mt. Masochists 50 Miler: The overall and age group results are on David's site. The top VHTRC finishers seem to be Brian Schmidt (3rd) and Mike Schuster for the men and Annette Bednosky (2nd) and Justine Morrison for the women.

Potomac Heritage 50km: After a rainy commute to the start, the skies cleared for the Potomac Heritage 50km. The aid stations were great and the trail was not very muddy. There were a couple of challenging stream crossings, however. The aid stations, as usual, were superb. One could get "all kinds" of beverages at each one. And then there was ring toss. Thanks to Kerry and all her many helpers for putting on a great event. Results are now available: 2007 Results. Note: We misplaced the 2006 results. So here they are: 2006 Results

Delaware 100 Miler: Dave Bursler won Carl Camp's Delaware 100 miler on September 29. Carl, himself, and Margie Schlundt also finished. Dave Snipes and John Straub ran the course the next weekend. While the event's field was small, runners came from California, Texas, Ohio, and New York to run it. Congratulations to Carl on putting on a 100 miler for Delaware. Results, report, and photos

Le Grizz 50 Miler: Russ Gill finished the Le Grizz 50 miler in Montana on October 13 and sent this comment: "WOW! This has to be one of the most beautiful courses in the country. The race takes place in the mountains just outside of Glacier National Park in Hungry Horse Montana. You run with the mountain peaks of Glacier as your back drop for the entire race. The race staff is a hoot, this group knows how to fun and do all they can to make the race enjoyable for the runners." Le Grizz Web site. Also, Russ notes that next year's Bel Monte run will include a 50 mile distance.

Keith Knipling Completes All Virginia 100 Milers: We will let others name it, but by whatever name, it is an impressive accomplishment. Keith finished the Wild Oak Trail 100 (TWOT) in February, then MMT and both OD's in May and June, and this weekend, the HOT TWOT. Keith's time, 27:11, is the fastest time on the TWOT course. There were other runners at TWOT, though none finished four loops. We expect results soon. Results | Sophie Speidel's Report, pictures, and video on her blog.

Fun at Big Schloss: Gary Knipling reports that it was a wonderful day at Big Schloss. Great weather and he couldn't stop talking about the aid stations that the "Hashers" put on. Unfortunately, Gary only had fragmentary results. Justine Morrision was top female and Keith Knipling again ran well. Big Schloss Web site

Eric Clifton Wins First Noble Canyon 50k: Scott Mills's new 50k in San Diego County, California saw a old friend as the winner -- Eric Clifton. More Information

Great Eastern 100k: Harland Peelle tied Nathon Echols (from NJ) for the win at the Great Eastern 100k in 11:33. Mike Mason was third and Steve Core fourth. Greg Loomis was 14th. Michele Harmon was the female winner in 13:17 (and seventh overall). Results

Presidential Farewell Address: VHTRC President Joe Clapper has issued his farewell address. We will be sending a copy to the National Archives to sit next to Washington's. This means, by the way, that there will be at least one board seat with no incumbent when elections occur later this year. Speaking of Joe, don't forget his Almost Annual B-Day Ride! Joe Clapper Farewell Address

Schuster Wins Youngstown 50km: Mike Schuster won the Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic 50km in Ohio. Mike set the course record in the process. John DeWalt also finished. This popular event is managed by Bob Combs. Event Web site

Douthat Park 40 Miler: Sophie Speidel was top female and Greg Loomis second male at the 40 mile trail run held in Douthat State Park on September 22. Ed Cacciapaglia was also among the 10 finishers. Event Web site

Angeles Crest: Speaking of California, Dan Brenden finished the Angeles Crest 100 miler on September 16. He had previously finished MMT, OD (old version), and the Slam this year. Unless we are missing something, no other VHTRC member will finish AC. This is too bad. AC is clearly as beautiful and challenging a 100 as any in California. AC Live Data

Ron Ely Wins Haliburton: On September 9, Ron Ely won the Haliburton 100 Miler in Canada. Event Web site | Results [pdf]

Sue's JMT Report: Read Sue Johnston's report of her record-setting run of the John Muir Trail in California's Sierras. It's well-written and interesting. Don't miss her gear list.

Kristin Eddy
Kristin Eddy, WHM winner

Eddy Wins Women's Half Marathon: Just one week after finishing the Shenandoah Mountain 100 Mile Bike Race, Kristin Eddy won the 15th VHTRC Women's Half Marathon Trail Run by almost four minutes. Michele Harmon was second and Deb Kamzol was third. On a warm day, 193 women had a great time in the woods. For a results, a report, and photos go to the 2007 WHM Report Page | Aaron Schwartzbard's Photos.

Wasatch 100: Mike Wedemeyer was fourth and Mike Mason fifth at the Wasatch 100 in Utah on September 8-9. Brennen Wysong, Jeff Holdaway, Kevin Sayers, and Dave Yeakel also finished. Dave completed the "Grand Slam." You can get results here.

James Moore in Death ValleyJim Says Thanks: James Moore raised almost $7,000 in his Badwater quest. See his thank you on the 1MoRun.com Web site. You can now read his report. Also, see

The Ring: On September 1-2, Mike Schuster led the induction of new members of the Fellowship of the Ring on the Massanutten Trail. Mike, Sean Andrish, and Joe Clapper set a fast pace in the beautiful weather. Mike's time of 15:41 makes him the fastest member of the Fellowship. Joe ended up second. Diana Widdowson was the first woman in 20:45. There were 11 finishers out of 19 starters -- a very high drop out rate considering the outstanding weather. Quatro Hubbard and Mike Bur did a great job organizing it all and many others contributed long hours and lost sleep to assist the runners. Results | Ring Page

Sue and Chris on Whitney
Sue on Top of Whitney
Click for Larger

Sue Johnston Sets John Muir Trail Record: Sue Johnston set the record (not the women's record, the record) for a supported run of the length of the John Muir Trail. The JMT runs for 211 miles through the California Sierras from the top of Mt Whitney to Yosemite Valley. The 211 miles doesn't count the 11 miles and almost seven thousand feet you have to go up to get to the top of Whitney to start. Sue's time was 3 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes. The record was previously held by Kevin Sawchuk, who is a former VHTRC member. Sue actually did the JMT twice this summer -- once slow (relatively) and once fast. There is more information on Sue's blog.

BRR and MMT 2008: What are the planned changes for these two events in 2008? There are some tweaks, including a new qualification standard for MMT. BRR and MMT 2008 Information

Atacama Crossing: Howard Cohen was fifth in the Atacama Crossing, a six day stage run in Chile. Howard kept a blog which he updated during the event. Howard is raising money for charity if you want to donate. Howard has finished MMT and was the C4P co-race director with Chris Scott.

Bill Wandell after CatoctinBelated Best Blood Recognition: Keith Knipling recently sent the picture at left of Bill Wandel at Catoctin. This is certainly a competitor for best blood of the year. It does, however, demonstrate that stuff happens out on the trails. Trail running is not highly dangerous but it is not without risk of some injury. Be careful out there!

Cascade Crest: Keith Knipling was fourth at the Cascade Crest 100 in Washington (the state) held on August 25-26. Jamie Gifford won the event and Darcy Africa was second (and, of course, first woman). Francesca Conte was second woman and 11th overall. Keith reports that it was cold and wet but he enjoyed it. Hans-Dieter Weisshaar also finished. He has clearly not retired. According to Keith, he is doing several 100's in a row. Cascade Crest Web site | Results

Volunteer Party
Click for More Party Pictures on Flickr

VHTRC Volunteers Party: On August 18, Kerry Owens hosted the annual VHTRC party for members and volunteers. A good crowd enjoyed tasty food and wonderful weather. A highlight of the party was the announcement of "Next Year, I'm Not Going to Do Anything Stupid" Award. (More on the Stupid Award, including descriptions of the nominated performances.) In a result that was a shock to no one, Quatro Hubbard and Scott Crabb won in a walk away. We have some pictures of the party. As usual, the negatives will cost you!

Yeakel Finishes Leadville; Continues Slam Quest: Dave Yeakel finished the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado in a time of 28:38:17. This is the third run in the Grand Slam. Now Dave "only" has Wasatch to do. There were a couple of other VHTRC members in the event, but they did not finish. Tales of Hans-Dieter Weisshaar's retirement seem to have been exaggerated. He finished. Results | Event Web site

WHM Practice Run
Click for more pictures on Flickr

WHM Practice Run: On August 18, Margie Schlundt hosted the practice run on the Women's Half Marathon course at Fountainhead Regional Park. The course is in great condition and the weather cooperated. Several women, who have never done the run before were able to see the entire course and others just had a great run. There are a few pictures on the Flickr site.

Various Photos of Summer Adventures: Folks have been taking pictures of some great summer adventures. Steve Pero has pictures of MMD 50k in New Hampshire and of Hardrock. (Warning! The Hardrock photos will make you want to run the race.) Meanwhile, Sophie has great photos of the North Fork Trail weekend in West Virginia. Finally, shots of a Chris Scott-led trip to Mt Whitney that a Davidson group joined.

Knipling and Harmon Win Hot Catoctin: Keith Knipling, proving that his wins at the ODs were not flukes, pulled ahead of second place Serge Arbona to win the Catoctin 50k on August 4 near Frederick, Maryland. Michele Harmon held off Bethany Patterson to win the female race. Michele is definitely back! Amy Sproston was the third woman. Race Director Kevin Sayers and his great volunteers put on a wonderful event. Many runners suffered in the heat, but most endured. The trail was in great shape and sporting many new markings and blazes. Catoctin Web site

North Face: Justine Morrison was the first woman at the North Face 50 miler held in Great Falls on August 4. Her time was 8:32. In the process, she won $1,000 and a trip to San Francisco in December. Leigh Schmidt was the overall winner in 6:59. Ed Demoney was the first in his age group at the 50km. (That age group was 60+. Ed is over 73.) There were 26 finishers in the 50 miler. Dean Karnazes got third -- over an hour behind Leigh and only 10 minutes ahead of Justine. There were a few other Californians in the race. Were they out here to pick up an easy $1,000 from the wimpy right coasters? Looks like they enjoyed the heat and humidity! Results | Event Web site | Ed Demoney Report

Vermont 100: Todd Walker and Kerry Owens were the leading male and female VHTRC finishers at the Vermont 100 miler held on July 21-22. Todd was fourth overall and Kerry was second female master. Several other club members are on the finishing list. The Vermont 100 was first held in 1989 and has prospered ever since. Vermont Web site

Party at Catherine'sCatherine's: Jeff, Quatro, and Mike put on a wonderful run and party for the Catherines Furnace Fat Ass 50k. The happy participants loved the weather that race management arranged for. Even though we believe we talked to the "winner," he wouldn't fess up to it so we don't know or even care who won. All agreed that the Purple Trail is much easier in 70 degree weather than it is in 90 degree! Some Photos | CFA Web site

Carr Takes Masters Title at Tahoe: Derrick Carr was sixth overall in a time of 21:41 and first master at the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 miler held on July 21. Dave Quivey finished the 50 miler and wife Jill finished the 50km. The runs are held in the mountains on the east (Nevada) side of Lake Tahoe. (Report via Bob Phillips.) Event Web site

VHTRC Finishers at Hardrock 100: Fifty-six year old Scott Mills finished Hardrock in 32:43. Other VHTRC finishers were Mike Dobies, Jeff Wilbur, John Prohira, and John DeWalt. This is 71 year old DeWalt's 12th Hardrock finish. He did it with a broken finger. Other notable finishers were Kris Kern (Stuart's brother), Dianna Widdowson, and Hans-Dieter Weissharr, who finished his 100th (and last?) hundred miler. Scott Jurek and Krissy Moehl were the overall winners. Each set a new course record. Hardrock Web page | Live Updates

Annette and Sean a finish
Annette Bednosky and Sean Andrish after their Rattlesnake wins. Click for larger.

Rattlesnake 50km: Steve Core reports: "Just two weeks after running Western States, Sean Andrish and Annette Bednosky each logged wins for the VHTRC at the Rattlesnake 50K just outside of Charleston, West Virginia [held on July 7]. Sean was the overall winner with a 4:01:16. Brian Schmidt was 4th in 4:21:45, and Annette was 7th over all winning the women's race with a time of 4:44:24. Hats off to Dennis Hamrick Jr, and his wife for putting on a terrific race." Results [pdf] | Photos: Sean Finishing - Annette Finishing | Event Web site

Browntown Participants -- click for larger
Browntown Loop Participants. Photo: John Nelson. Click for larger

Traditional Fourth for the VHTRC! There were two groups that did the Browntown loop for the Fourth of July. The weather was cool for the Fourth and evenone had a good time. The store in Browntown was well-stocked, and Kerry had very well-recieved supplemental aid for us on the way back. At the end, we celebrated our nation's independence.

Mason-Dixon Longest Day Challenge: The Trail Dawgs put on the Mason-Dixon Longest Day Challenge on June 23. Kerry Owens and Jaret Seiberg were the first to finish the 100k course that goes from Maryland into Pennsylvania. There were a couple of other finishers and several who did parts of the event. Jaret has submitted his Mason-Dixon Longest Day Challenge report. See also the event Web Site.

Click to see what WS spells upside down -- it's eirie!Western States: Thankfully, they don't have betting on Western States. If they did, some of us would have lost money on Sim Jae Duk who did not run WS the way he ran MMT last year. The top VHTRC finisher was Annette Bednosky who finished in 28th place overall, but was only the 6th woman. The women's field was very strong with five women in the top 25 finishers! Other VHTRC finishers included Sean Andrish, Jim Campiformio, Dave Yeakel, Dave Bursler, and the Finkles, Jay and Anita. (Sorry, we missed Bursler earlier.) The results are available by selecting the Auburn checkpoint on the webcast. Also, see the Western $tates Web site

San Juan Solstice 50: The Peros, Deb and Steve, finished the San Juan Solstice 50 miler in Lake City, Colorado. Steve took pictures. Event Web site.

Mohican 100: Steve Core reports: "Harland Peelle won a hot, dry, Mohican 100 yesterday with a time of 18:03. This was Harland's 1st race longer then a 50 miler." What Steve failed to report is that he also finished his first 100 in 21:48, 14th overall. There were other VHTRC members in the event. Mohican Web site

VHTRC Women Sweep Highlands Sky 40 Miler: Alan Gowen reports that "...VHTRC women swept Highlands Sky. Justine Morrison was first, Sophie Speidel was second, and Amy Leigh Brown was third." Barb Isom won the women's grand master championship. Highlands Sky is a very popular run in West Virginia and many club members were there. Sophie's Pictures | Results | Highlands Sky Web site

VHTRC Members at Bighorn
VHTRC Members at Bighorn. Click for larger. Photo: Keith Knipling

Blue Train in Wyoming: There are many stories from Bighorn. Aaron Schwartzbard led VHTRC finishers in the 100. Other 100 finishers included Amy Sproston, Farouk Elkassed, Quatro Hubbard, Mike Price, Bill Losey, Bob Combs, and Ed Cacciapaglia. There were some very good performances by other Furbutts as well as a few DNFs. Bighorn is not easy. Sharon Lapkoff won her age group in the 50k and Ed Demoney also ran a very good time in that event. Tom Corris ran a great time in the 50k. Overall, Karl Meltzer and Darcy Africa won the 100, each setting course records by wide margins. Hans-Dieter Weissharr finished his 99th 100. Results are now available, and there are many photos and a commentary: Photos and Text from Sue Norwood | Tom Corris's Photos | Keith Knipling's Photos | Bighorn Web page | Sheridan Web Cams: Mountains | Downtown

Laurel Highlands: Bryon Powell got second at the Laurel Highlands 70 Miler held in western Pennaslyvania on June 9. Francesca Conte was the female winner. There were several other VHTRC finishers including Alex Papadopoulos who finished under the old 18 hour cutoff. Laurel Highlands is a pure trail run. All but the first half mile is trail and of that trail, 69 miles are single track with one mile of jeep road. It's hard because you have to go long distances between aid just when the day is getting long and hot. LHT Results

Keith Knipling
Keith Knipling with OD winner's belt buckle

Old Dominion: It may be a bit crazy that there are two 100 milers one week after another, both named Old Dominion. But they do have distinctive courses and, with MMT, make three very different ways to tour the Massanuttens. You can have all road (OD-new), all trail (MMT), or a little of both (OD-old). Keith Knipling won both Old Dominions after a strong third at MMT. It was quite an amazing performance. Also completing the triple was David Snipes. Results are now available on the OD Web sites. OD (new) | OD (old).

Karl Meltzer
Karl Meltzer at Edinburg Gap.

Meltzer Wins MMT; Marti Kovener Claims Women's Title: Friday's rain cleared for the 144 starters at the 13th Massanutten Mt Trails 100. Times were generally slower this year but several runners put in impressive performances. Karl Meltzer finally got his MMT win while Marti Kovener won the first 100 miler she entered. Legions of volunteers supported the runners over the weekend. The results are now available as are all of Aaron Schwartzbard's many photographs. The Visitors List has been updated. 2007 Report Page

Capon Valley 50km: Aaron Schwartzbard won the Capon Valley 50km on May 12, in West Virginia, in a time of 3:52. Brian Schmidt was second in 3:54. Amy Sproston was the second woman. Results are now available. Results | Event Web site.

Photo of Two Snakes
The Snakes -- Click for Larger

Work Party Report: The annual VHTRC work party on May 5 accomplished quite a bit. While there are still some trees to step over and one or two rocks to deal with, MMT runners will, collectively, save enough energy to combat global warming. Since Gary was involved, there were also snakes. These two are, according to Gary, mating. Work Party Report

Promise Land 50km: David Horton's Promise Land 50km was held on April 28. Aaron Schwartzbard led all VHTRC finishers. Annette Bednosky was the first female. Derrick Carr won the masters age group and Bob Anderson the 60 and over. Results | Sophie's Pictures on Flickr

Click for LargerZane Gray 50 Miler: Sue Johnston was the second woman and first master at the Zane Gray 50 miler in Payson, Arizona (wherever that is) on April 28. The event bills itself as the "toughest 50 miler." It might be. The winner didn't break eight hours and Sue was over 12 hours. Results | Event Web site

2006 VHTRC Award Winners
Category Winner
Women
Runner of Year Kerry Owens
Perf of Year Kerry Owens
Most Improved Margie Hughes
Men
Runner of Year Gary Knipling
Perf of Year John DeWalt
Most Improved Dave Snipes
Coed
Rookie of Year Amy Sproston
Horton Award Jeff Reed

VHTRC Awards Party: Joe and Juliana hosted a wonderful party on April 21 to honor the recipients of the VHTRC awards for 2006. This award cycle was a special case to make the transition into calendar year awards. Probably the happiest winner was Jeff Reed who won the coveted Horton Award that recognizes past greatness. VHTRC.org had reporters and photographers at the party. That means, we have the "negatives." Some of you are in a heap of trouble. Anyway, pictures of the frivolity, or some of it anyway, are on the Flickr site. The award results are at the right. All the nominees are here.

Amy Sproston
Amy Sproston at BRR Upstream Turnaround

Schmitt and Sproston Win Bull Run Run: Leigh Schmitt won his third BRR in a row while rookie Amy Sproston won the women's division. Each runner had the second fastest time in BRR history for his or her sex. The course conditions for the 15th Bull Run Run were good and the weather held off for a great day. A report, results, and many photos are now available. More photos will be available soon. Thank you to RD Bob Phillips and all the volunteers who put on a great event. Report, Results, and Photos

American River 50: There was another popular 50 miler on April 14, American River in California. Both Annette Bednosky and Russ Gill finished the event which goes from Sacramento to Auburn on a bike path and then trails. Russ reports that it was rainy, windy, and in the 50s. Sounds like BRR had better weather! AR 50 Web site | Results.

The Double: At least four VHTRC members ran the BRR - Boston "double." John Dodds - 3:53:31, Gary Knipling - 4:17:32, Tim Stanley - 4:01:18, and Farouk Elkassed - 4:06:24, all finished the Boston Marathon after finishing Bull Run Run on Saturday. Two people volunteered at BRR and ran Boston -- Sydney Shepherd - 4:05:53 and Aaron Schwartzbard - 2:39:57. Did anyone else do the double? Boston Marathon Web site.

Chocolate BunnyThe Chocolate Bunny 50km: Tom Corris reports that in spite of the cold and because of the wine, all 33 runners and eight volunteers made it safely through another Chocolate Bunny run. Results are now available.

Mike Dobies at BarkleyBarkley: Mike Bur reports on Barkley: "As always, alot of suffering and shattered expectations at the Barkley. A number of VHTRC'ers participated. Most notable, Mike Dobies finished the 'Fun Run' in about 34 and a half hours. He went out on a fourth loop but didn't finish. Flyin' Brian Robinson, CA, started a 5th and final loop but did not finish." According to reports we have seen, Mike Bur finished one loop as did David Horton, Bill Losey, and Sue Thompson. Washington Post article

Ed DemoneyEd Demoney Finishes Umstead 100 at Age 73: Ed ran 29:15 at the Umstead 100 in North Carolina continuing an amazing running career. Ed ran the first Old Dominion in 1979. Since that time he has run many 100 milers all over the country. Several other VHTRC members finished Umstead. Results | Umstead Web site

Dave Quivey Wins March Madness Contest: Dave led all competitors in the VHTRC March Madness contest. John Guendelsberger was second and Scott Mills third. Congratulations to all the contestants. Note to the Buckeyes: Try not to play Florida again any time soon. Final Results.

Dos Lunas Start Dos Lunas 100 Miler: What's next from the sick mind of Chris Scott? It's the Dos Lunas 100 miler. Chris held a "scrub run" over the weekend of March 31-April 1 in preparation for the real thing next year. The run includes just under 25k feet of elevation gain. It is held in the beautiful mountains behind Ojai, California. The start is staggered so that everyone will finish more or less at the same time. Only one person, Don Lundell, finished. Sue Johnston and Bruce Grant did 90 miles. Knowing Chris, this will be the next big thing in California. Howard Cohen's Pictures | Bruce Grant's Pictures

A Muddy HAT Run: The 19th HAT Run saw a muddy course but otherwise good weather. Mike Schuster was third overall, while Goat Powell was fifth. Sophie Speidel was first master woman. Several other VHTRC members participated in this traditional rite of Spring. There were a couple of last-minute revisions to the course required because of the muddy conditions. Results are on the HAT Web site. There are photos from HAT in Flickr by Larry Ryan and Sophie Speidel. Also, there are photos on the HAT Web site.

Several Top Honors for VHTRC at Bel Monte 50km: Sean Andrish won the Bel Monte 50km on March 24, setting the course record . Aaron Schwartzbard was third. There were several age group victories including Kerry Owens, Derrick Carr, Sharon Lapkoff, and Mike Price. (Photo of Sean Andrish, left, courtesy of Steve Core.) Results | Bel Monte Web site

Sue Johnston Second at Days of Syllamo: Sue Johnston was the second woman at the Days of Syllamo, a three-day stage race in Ozark National Forest, Arkansas, October 16-18. Dianna Widdowson was third woman. The format of the event sounds C4P-like. More information and results are available on the event Web site.

Crown King Scramble 50 km: Steve Core led a small group of VHTRC members at the Crown King Scramble 50km in Arizona. Steve reports that the temperature was in the high 90's. Jack Andrish has sent in his take on the event. Results

Buzzards Marathon: Several VHTRC members ventured to the north to run the Buzzards Marathon in Pennsylvania. The weather was beautiful, but the trail was a bit icy. Going was slow until the ice melted a bit. Then it was still slow as it got slushy. Snow, ice, rocks, mud. Yes, this was Buzzards. A big thank you to Harry Smith and the Buzzards for putting on this fun but tough event.

Probst Fourth in Age Group Performance of the Year Rankings: Ultrarunning Magazine's annual Runner of the Year rankings named Frank Probst's sub-20 hour finish at the 2006 Rocky Raccoon 100 miler as the fourth best age group performance of the year. A few other VHTRC members were listed elsewhere in the ratings. Overall runners of the year were Karl Meltzer and Anne Lundbland. Dean Karnazes was tragically only tied for 18th place. Bull Run Run was the third largest 50 miler and sixth largest race last year. MMT was seventh largest 100 miler. ...Ultrarunning Magazine Online

Northern Fairfax CCT Fatass 50K: John Coogan's run on the Cross County trail was held on March 4 in wet, cold conditions. Report and Photos.

Greenway Trail Marathon and 50K: Amy Sprotson and Marti Kovenor were first and second females in the Greenway Trail 50k held on March 3. Many other VHTRC members participated in the event put on by Ed Schultze and the Montgomery County Road Runners. Amy was only one minute behind the marathon winner. Thanks to Bryon Powell for the report and the photo and congrats to his sister, Gretchen, who finished her first marathon. Results

Reverse Ring: Mike Bur reports that Mike Dobies, followed by Bill Losey and then Bob Combs finished the Reverse Ring on February 24-25. Eight runners started the 71 mile run of the Massanutten Trail in the counter-clockwise direction. Mike promises results and a report soon. In the meantime, there are pictures and videos available now. Also, see Michele Harmon's pictures.

California DreaminCoyote Fourplay: The "Last Howl" of the Coyote Fourplay took place in Ventura County, California February 22 - 26. This was the tenth and last version of the event. C4P was the child of the twisted brain of Chris Scott and put on by the hard work of the JABOYs (Just A Bunch Of Yahoos). The first of what will likely be a flood of pictures are now available on Flickr.

Mike's GranddaughterRocky Raccoon 100: Mike Campbell has submitted his report of his Rocky Raccoon run. (Warning! Cute kid pictures!) Jeff Holdaway and Mike Campbell led VHTRC finishers at Rocky Raccoon in Texas. Virginian Jenn Shelton won the women's title in 14:57. Rocky Raccoon 100 Results | Mike Campbell Report

Keith Knipling coming off Hankey Mountain -- Click for largerKeith Knipling Finishes Wild Oak 100: Becoming only the sixth person to finish The Wild Oak Trail (TWOT) 100 miler, Keith Knipling braved the cold to post a time of 32:23. This is faster than anyone else has done the 100. About 30 people started the run. Four or five did two loops, while the rest were satisfied with one. The temperature was 4 degrees in the morning at the start/finish and likely below zero on the ridges. Results will be available soon. Pictures in Flickr. Also, John Nelson took some pictures on the top of the mountain. New: Results

Holiday Lake 50km: Bryon Powell and Bethany Patterson were the leading VHTRC finishers at David Horton's Holiday Lake 50km on February 10. Bryon was fourth overall and Bethany was first woman. Results

Andrish Wins Uwharrie 40 Miler; Knipling and Morrison Second: Sophie Speidel reports that Sean Andrish won Uwharrie with Keith Knipling second. Justine Morrison just missed first woman. Annette Bednosky was third woman. Sophie was the first master woman. Team VHTRC was second. In fact, of the top eight male finishers, seven are VHTRC members or, in one case, a former member. On the women's side, four of the top six finishers were VHTRC members. Sophie's Photos on Flickr | Uwharrie Web site

Photo of Moonlight Run ParticipantsMoonlight Run: Twelve hearty souls participated in the latest addition of the traditional Moonlight Run. The rain stopped and the skies cleared for the run. There was plenty of light from the full moon and the inch of new snow improved the otherwise rocky trail. Even the streams were down so that one could hope to keep his feet dry. While hopes were dashed on the cruel rocks of reality, at least one did not have to wade five times in the mile down Mud Hole Gap.

Brutal Conditions in Minnesota: Kerry Owens participated in the Arrowhead 135 Mile run/bike/ski in northern Minnesota. It was -28F at the start on Monday morning and -32F that night. Latest word on the Arrowhead 135 blog is that Kerry is among the half of the field that has stopped.

Image of EagleEagle Run Sunday: We had a wet, but fun Eagle Run. Gary again put on a great event. Eagle Run Report | Anstr's Photos on Flickr | John Nelson's Photos on Flickr |

VHTRC Does Well at Swinging Bridge Runs: VHTRC members took several top honors at the Swinging Bridge 50km and 35km runs in Cumberland, Virginia. Bethany Patterson and Sophie Speidel were the female winners of the 50 and 35 races. You will find several other VHTRC members in the Swinging Bridge Results.

Running in the Ocean: Over the weekend of January 13-14, action moved to the west. Several VHTRC members participated in the H.U.R.T. 100 in Hawaii. While the results are unclear at this point, Mike Mason reports that he was third in the 100km. H.U.R.T. Web site. Meanwhile, also on an island in the Pacific, Sue Johnston was second woman at the Avalon 50 Miler on Catalina Island, according to reports from our correspondent Chris Scott . Avalon 50 Web site. VHTRC.org has sent a reporter to the region. He is sending updates from Beatty, Nevada.

MLK Weekend Runs: Many people were planning to participate in one or both of these runs in the Massanutten Mountains. Reports on the runs will be delayed here because VHTRC.org is having a management retreat in Las Vegas this week.

Kevin Bligan Wins Bowl Contest: Kevin Bligan won the VHTRC College Bowl contest. Greg Power was second and Mark Prescott and John Guendelsberger tied for third. Special recognition goes to the three who picked the Ohio State collapse -- Quatro Hubbard, Jaret Seiberg, and Chris Scott. Two of those folks probably used skill. Chris, on the other hand... The Scores.

Photo on the runRedeye 50km: Redeye race central has tabulated the finishing times, splits, and excuses, checked the many cameras on the course, and come up with results, or a list of people with some times. Additionally, our on-scene reporter filed his report, which will likely win a Pulitzer Prize. You can check it all out on the Redeye 2007 Report page