One of Aravaipa Racing’s top competitions took place in the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix on Saturday, and Flagstaff trail runners acquitted themselves well.
In the main event, the 50-Miler, Flagstaff’s Jeff Browning (pictured, file photo) finished second in 7 hours 51 minutes 27 seconds — four minutes behind the winner, Aravaipa’s own Nick Coury. Browning had half-jokingly quipped before the race that he was using Mesquite as “speedwork” for May’s Cocodona 250 Mile suffer-fest.
Even though it amounted to a glorified training run, Browning still made up six minutes on Coury in the final 11 miles. Coury slowed in the final 20 miles, but averaged 7:30 pace for the final two miles to seal the victory.
Flagstaff’s Eric Hamel, a former D2 runner at Western Washington University, won the 30K in 2:20:29, over four minutes ahead of second place finisher Kyle Gallagher. Hamel’s average pace was 7:21, impressive given the technical and hilly nature of the Mesquite course.
In the 50K, Flagstaff’s Nathan Renn battled with Pedro Gomes for second place but ultimately finished in third. Renn’s time: 4:48:58. Flagstaff’s Ryan Guldan was fifth in the 50K in 5:15:52.
And, finally, in the Mesquite Half Marathon, Grace Eversaul of Flagstaff was the runnerup among the women in 1:42:28, a mere 13 seconds behind winner Abbie Tuomi. Flagstaff’s Kevin Rosenkranz was third in 1:41:43.
Meanwhile, in Page at the Antelope Canyon Ultra, Flagstaff’s Ryan Behunin, 44, posted an 50-minute victory in the 50 Mile race ahead of Colorado’s Adam Goss. Flag’s Steven Barnettfinished 13th in the 50 Mile, and Lauren Clement was the top Flagstaff woman in 40th place in the 50 Miler.
At the three-day stage race, Moab Run the Rocks, several Flagstaff runners placed high, most notably Kameron Harder in third in the “Full Pint” section with a combined time of 6:38:52.5. In the “Half Pint,” Flagstaff’s Lindsey McDonald placed second in 4:42:13.6. Other Flagstaff finishers in the “Half Pint”: Emily Snelson, Julie Hammonds, Kelly Hanseth, and Amy Horn.
Leave a Reply