Joe Fejes offers up his analysis of the men’s field. His takes are always bold and equal parts educational and entertaining. His predictions have not always panned out, but he one of the most experienced and credible ultra runners, especially when it comes to multi-day and 24 hour running. Enjoy!!
LAST CHANCE 24 HOUR USA TEAM QUALIFIER
ALEXANDER 24 HOUR Taylorsville, NC Saturday, May 1, 2021 (8:00 am EST)
Who will qualify for the USA 24 Hour Team to compete in the IAU 24 hour World Championship scheduled for October 2-3 in Romania?
The current 6 qualifying spots are held by:
- 1. Camille Herron (AUTO), 167.846 Miles (270.116Km)
- 2. Pam Smith, 153.041 Miles (246.289Km)
- 3. Micah Morgan, 148.685 Miles (239.279Km)
- 4. Marisa Lizak, 148.08 Miles (238.305Km)
- 5. Courtney Dauwalter, 142.749 Miles (220.726Km)
- 6. Whitney Richman, 139.69 Miles (224.80Km)
NOTABLE WOMEN:
As a kid, I vividly remember playing the classic game of “Queen of the Mountain” where the object was the first to get on the hill at the start becomes the Queen. To become a Queen, you need to go up the hill and push the Queen off. The most common way the “Queen” can be removed from the hill ordinarily was by pushing with your hands. Punching and kicking typically were not allowed. The Queen of course had a huge tactical advantage over the other participants because it is easier to defend against someone climbing a hill.
Whitney Richman. Age 40
Richman currently holds the final qualifying spot (#6) with 139.69 miles achieved at last year’s Desert Solstice splitting 16:13 for 100 miles. Think of Whitney as the existing Queen of the Mountain. The other contestants face an uphill battle trying to push her off the proverbial mountain. My hunch is Whitney is primed mentally and physically well prepared to defend her spot. As evidence of her fitness, she recently won the Blackbeard’s revenge 100 miler in 17:39, more than 3 hours faster than the next runner. At a minimum, assuming an even split pace from start to finish, any runner that wants to run more than Whitney’s 139.69 miles needs leg speed of at least 17:10 for 100 miles. Realistically I think low 16 speed is needed. I’m not sure that any of the current entrants have the requisite leg speed to mount a serious challenge to Whitney’s qualifying mark.
That is of course, unless a surprise late entrant such as Gina Slaby, Aly Venti, Katy Nagy, Pam Smith, Traci Falbo, et al shows up at the starting line.
Below are a few runners that could surprise with a Hail Mary performance:
(1) Laurie Dymond. Age 55
In 2015, Laurie ran a personal best of 135.5 miles in 24 hours at the US National Championship which qualified her as an alternate for the 2017 US Team that competed in Belfast Ireland.
(2) Loretta Tobolske-Horn. Age 49
Ran 17:21 at the 2019 Tunnel Hill 100 miler. Loretta is also scheduled to run the 24 hours at the Six Days in the Dome in June.
(3) Sally Van Nuland. Age 46
Sally achieved her 123 mile personal best in the 24 hour at the 2019 Stinger. Sally’s specialty is the multiday having run 386 miles for 6 days at the last Six Days in the Dome. She has recently been focusing on shorter ultras and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a personal best at Alexander.
(4) Shannon Johnstone. Age 47
Shannon achieved a personal best of 113.52 miles at the 24 hours at the 2019 Six Days in the Dome indoor event.
NOTABLE FOREIGN ENTRANTS:
(5) Yvonne Naughton. Age 42
Last year, Yvonne was the overall winner the Lhotse 24 hour with an impressive 133.02 miles splitting 17:28 for 100 miles. Yvonne competed for Ireland’s national team at the 2018 World Trail Championship in Spain, the 2017 and 2018 24 hour World Championships in Belfast and France, respectively. She is a 3:28 marathoner and is a current resident of Bend, OR. I am not sure if Yvonne is currently eligible for Team USA.
(6) Viktoria Brown
Hungary native current resident of Canada. 24 hour personal best of 132.86 miles and a 48 hour best of 202.06 miles which is the Canadian record. Viktoria is an accomplished Ironman Triathlete. Vikotria is using the Alexander 24 in preparation for her 6 day debut at the Six Days in the Dome in June. Viktoria’s blog is worth a read: https://holdthecarbs.ca/blogs/viktoria-brown.
Outlaw Runs 