Quick Hits:
— Flagstaff ultra runner Georgia Porter has done it. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, 16 days 22 hours and 6 minutes after she took off south from the Utah border, Porter reached Mexico and the end of the Arizona Trail.
She was successful in her attempt to set the fastest known time (FKT) on the iconic 817-mile trail from Utah to the border, topping Helen Galerakis’ previous mark of 17 days 11 hours 3 minutes, set in 2019.
Relatively new to ultrarunning, Porter, 36, was an NCAA Division 2 standout at Western Colorado University and ran in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, finishing 28th. More recently, on the trails, Porter finished second in March at the Black Canyon 60K and fifth at the Gorge Waterfalls 100K in Oregon.
At the 100-Mile distance, Porter won the 2023 High Lonesome 100 and placed fourth in the uber-competitive Run Rabbit Run 100.
On her Instagram account Thursday, her crew — featuring a who’s who of Flagstaff trail runners — posted some numbers that Porter amassed on the trek:
“Oct. 28 – 6:02 am Georgia leaves the Utah border
Nov. 14 – 4:07 am Georgia arrived at the border of Mexico
264.1 hours of moving time
794.6 miles covered
108,862 ft of elevation gain
107,945 ft of elevation loss”
On her Go Fund Me page, Porter shared her motivation for the effort: “I’m drawn to the Arizona Trail because of its beauty and rich history. And I hope to showcase this beauty and inspire others to chase big goals and to go play outside. Longer trail races and projects are often male-dominated. I’m seeking to shake up this narrative and promote and inspire female-bodied athletes to go out and do big things.”
— NAU has announced two distance-running signings. One signee, Broen Holman from Northern California, actually committed to NAU during his junior year, but the Lumberjacks have made it official.
The other signee announced Thursday was Derebe Ayele, 22. He has considerable experience racing in Europe as well as his home country, Israel.
Ayele has a quick 5,000-meter personal best of 13:38.69, set last July at the Parc des Sports, Maisons-Laffitte, France. His indoor 3,000 meter best is 7:53.46, set in February, also in France. Perhaps most impressive: As a 20-year-old, he ran 29:42.25 for the 10,000 meters. Last track season, he won two races on the circuit, including the BMC Grand Prix in Birmingham, England, in 13:46.57.
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