Christian Allen (West Jordan, Utah) and Helen Mino Faukner (Truckee, Calif.) earn victories in 50K distance at the 2023 Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB as UTMB World Series continues in the United States
The 2023 UTMB® World Series continued with the 2023 Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB® on July 21-22. Celebrating its 16th anniversary, the iconic mountain race featured 1,400 registered runners from 48 states and 24 countries, regions, and territories embarking on one of the four distances offered at the Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB. The four demanding courses included 50K, 28K, 21K, and 10K, filled with breathtaking views and beautiful mountain trails of the unique rocky terrain of the Wasatch Mountains.
Living up to its reputation as an opportunity for those seeking a true trail running adventure, the 2023 Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB treated runners of all abilities with picturesque views and endless mountain wildflowers as they traversed the legendary course.
Nestled in the stunning Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird Ski Resort served as both a challenging and welcoming venue for the runners as they made the ascent to the summit of Snowbird and down the Peruvian Gulch while taking in the jaw-dropping beauty that can only be found on this course.
The four distances were split up across two days of racing. The 28K and 10K took place on Friday, July 21, while the 50K and 21K took place on Saturday, July 22. Each race started and finished at the Snowbird Ski Resort Center Plaza area, surrounded by family, friends, and supporters.
Known to be the toughest 50K in the USA – this course offered a total of 11,400 feet of elevation gain. A series of climbs brought runners breathtaking views at the summit of Snowbird, Baldy, and Hidden Peak. An extraordinary effort from West Jordan, Utah’s Christian Allen to take the title this year as he crossed the finish line in 5:23:38 after traversing the mountainous terrain. In the women’s race, Helen Mino-Faukner (Truckee, Calif.) was able to take home the women’s title with an outstanding time of 6:09:17
Rounding out the podium men’s 50K podium was Nick Handel (San Francisco, Calif.) with a time of 5:30:08, and Adrian MacDonald finishing in 5:31:20 were second and third place, respectively. In the female’s 50K, Mali Noyes completed the race in 6:21:29 and came home in second place, while last year’s winner, Addie Bracy, finished in 6:23:49 to finish in third place. These six athletes will also gain direct access to the UTMB World Series OCC event. Additionally, all runners that took on and finished this distance were awarded 2 UTMB Running Stones
“It was fun until it became not so fun, and it just hurt, but it was great. I haven’t raced any ultra stuff; I haven’t even raced a marathon, so it was kind of fun to throw myself out there and see what would happen, and it was good. It was great having this in my own backyard, it was a great atmosphere.”
– Christian Allen, winner of the male Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB 50K
“The course was so pretty; I have never been to Snowbird [Ski Resort] so it was just as steep as everyone said it was. I really liked the snow, and I think sliding down (the snow pack) was my favorite part or the really big climb after mile 20. Speedgoat [Mountain Races by UTMB] has been on my bucket list for a while and was a good warm-up for UTMB.”
– Helen Mino-Faukner the winner of the female Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB 50K
The 28K is held on the exact same trails as the signature 50K route, giving runners the same captivating views at the summit of Snowbird. This challenging race brings 6,300 feet of elevation gain. Andy Wacker (Boulder, Colo.) pulled out the win in the men’s competition with a time of 2:55:06, while the women’s title went to Hannah Rowe (Boston, Mass.) with a time of 3:35:54.
The new 21K course started with a series of five climbs to the summit, then wound through the Snowbird tunnel and descends on a combination of service road and singletrack. The last mile is buttery singletrack to the finish.
In the men’s and women’s 21K, it was Timothy Parr (Leadville, Colo.) with a time of 2:06:33 and Brittany Blitzer (New York, N.Y.) finishing in 2:58:22 besting the competition to take home the titles. In the 10K distance, the shorter yet still challenging event brings runners a taste of the Wasatch Mountains with 1,650 feet of elevation gain, it was Timothy Parr claiming his second victory of the weekend in a time of 46:33 while Karley Rempel (Boulder, Colo.) also was victorious with a time 53:36.
All finishers of the 50K, 28K, and 21K Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB collected Running Stones that can be applied to the Dacia UTMB Mont-Blanc – UTMB World Series Finals draw.
“I’m pretty excited to have two days of racing, the course was great and difficult. The weather was perfect, and it was great seeing everybody.”
– Karl Meltzer, Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB race director and Ultrarunning legend
The 2024 Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB returns on July 19-20, 2024, for the 17th running of the event. Presale registration is now open until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 30, when runners interested can secure the lowest prices of the year. To register, visit https://speedgoat.utmb.world/register.
