Hornbaker Embraces the Full Speedgoat Experience

Since the inaugural event in 2008, Speedgoat has earned a reputation as being a notoriously difficult 50-kilometer trail race up and down the mountains near the Snowbird Ski Resort in Alta, Utah.

The race’s altitude (all above 7,600 feet), steep, rocky terrain and more than 11,800 feet of vertical gain has humbled world-class ultrarunners as well as middle- and back-of-the-packers.

For Charles Hornbaker of Brighton, Mass., that wasn’t enough of the Speedgoat experience. Two additional events – a Vertical Mile and the downhill-only Quadbanger – were added in 2015, so Hornbaker signed up to race all three this year. That made for a busy weekend with a race each day July 8-10.

Hornbaker started his weekend with the Vertical Kilometer on Friday. The course covered 6.4 miles to attain the 5,400 feet of vertical gain consisting of two major climbs that are broken up by a ride down a ski lift. The race clock stops for the ride down. The 34-year-old Hornbaker finished 12^th out of 35 participants in the Vertical Mile with a time of 1:57:48. Timmy Parr, 34, of Leadville, Colo., won in 1:22:24.

After the Vertical Mile warmup, Hornbaker was back at it Saturday for the 50K race with its grueling climbs and gnarly descents.

Of the 326 runners who started the race, 213 finished—the last of them needing nearly 13 hours to reach the finish line. Hornbaker placed 76^th overall in 8:38:00. Fellow Bay Stater Jared Lynch-Gilbert, 31, of Petersham, Mass., finished 57^th overall in 8:08:48.

Hayden Hawkes, 25, of Ivins, Utah, earned the 50K victory in 5:25:04, a few minutes ahead of runner-up Alex Nichols, 31, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who finished in 5:27:42. Nineteen-year-old Tate Pollman of Sandy, Utah, was a distant third in 5:51:52.

Hornbaker closed out a weekend of hard running with the brutal Speedgoat Quadbanger on Sunday. The all-downhill race covered 10.5 miles, plus four untimed rides back up a ski lift, with 10,400 feet of vertical loss. Hornbaker was 16^th out of 21 finishers in 2:02:40. Zac Marion, 30, of Salt Lake City, Utah, finished first in 1:10:48.

Ryan Among Fastest Ladies at Mt. Hood 50

It was a historically speedy day for the ladies during the 50K race at the Mount Hood 50 on Sunday, July 10, in Clackamas, Wash.

Five of the top seven fastest women’s times ever on the course—and the 10^th-fastest time by a runner, male or female, in course history—were recorded during the 2016 race on the out-and-back course that takes place mostly on the Pacific Crest Trail. No runner stood out more than overall champion Paige Pattillo. The 27-year-old from Bothell, Wash., smashed the women’s course record by 33 minutes and notched the 10^th-fastest time ever by a runner of any gender on the 50K course with her winning time of 3:50:22. She crossed the finish line with a 2:19 cushion over runner-up and men’s champion Michael Marshino, 38, of Seattle, Wash. The second- and third-place women, Teagen Andrews, 30, of Portland, Ore., and Kristen Mohror, 28, of Portland, Ore., also dipped under the previous course record.

A Massachusetts resident added to the strong showing by women. Elizabeth Ryan, 29, of Somerville, Mass., finished 20^th overall out of 137 finishers, and was the seventh female finisher. Her time of 4:46:54 is the 14^th-fastest ever by a woman on the course, and only seven women had recorded faster times on the course than Ryan prior to 2016.

No Bay State residents took part in the 50-mile race on July 9.

Beaverhead Endurance Runs 100K

Three seconds separated two Massachusetts ultrarunners from crossing the finish line side-by-side at the third annual Beaverhead Endurance Runs 100K on Saturday, July 9, in Salmon, Idaho.

Elizabeth Masterjohn, 35, of Hudson, Mass., finished in 18:54:43, and Lorena Duquette, 39, of Shrewsbury, Mass., crossed the line moments later in 18:54:46. They placed 37^th and 38^th, respectively, out of 42 runners who completed the course.

The race included 12,700 feet of vertical gain and more than 15,000 feet of descent during 60.49 miles, most of which took place on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

Brian Frankle, 38, of Bend Ore., was the overall champion, finishing in 11:59:46 and nearly 35 minutes ahead of the second-place runner.

Golden Gate Trail Run 50K

Of the 43 runners in the Golden Gate Trail Run 50K, 41 hailed from California.

One of the outsiders – Dan Kelley of Lynnfield, Mass. – made his presence felt near the front of the pack Saturday, July 9, in Rodeo Beach, Calif.

Kelley, 38, was one of five runners who pulled away from the field and never looked back. He placed fifth overall in 5:10:33, 21 minutes ahead of sixth place.

The top four finishers all completed the course in less than five hours.

Joshua Lerner, 41, of San Francisco, Calif., earned the victory in 4:46:37, holding off runner-up Lucas Baxter, 24, of Chico, Calif., who finished in 4:47:54.

Finger Lakes 50s

No Massachusetts residents competed in the 50-mile race at the 28^th annual Finger Lakes 50s Trail Race on Saturday, July 2, at Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector, N.Y., but one Bay Stater represented in the 50K.

In what was a “heavy” 50K of 32.9 miles, Mark Cole, 43, of Hanscomb Air Force Base in Massachusetts, placed 77^th out of 100 finishers in 8:09:51.

Joe Murphy, 32, of Astoria, N.Y., was the overall champion in 4:22:49, and one of just four runners to finish in less than five hours.

*Editor’s Note: Results are found on a variety of sites, including ultrasignup.com, UltraRunning Magazine, and official race websites. We do the best we can to find as many results as possible to report on and recognize the local ultrarunning community.