2022 USATF 100K Road Championships Race Preview

Written by USATF Championship liaison Lin Gentling.

Fourteen years is a long time to have hosted the USATF 100K Road Championships, but this is the sustaining record that Mad City Ultras race director, Timo Yanacheck, holds for this event. He knows what he is doing and does it well.

It’s almost go time for the USATF 2022 100K Road Championships to be held in Madison, WI, this Saturday, April 23rd. It is great to be back in Madison after COVID wiped out the race in 2020 and the 2021 national championships were in Sacramento, California. After an unseasonably cold spring, the temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high 70’s, somewhat of a rarity in the Upper Midwest this season. Also predicted are windy conditions. But unlike in years past, very little chance of snow!!!

The winning male and female with be automatically selected to the 2022 U.S. 100K Team competing in the IAU 100K World Championships in Berlin, Germany, on August 27, 2022. This assumes they win with a qualifying time for the team. The men’s time would need to be 7:20 or better and the women’s time, 8:40 or better. All other runners with these times will be part of the selection pool for the 2022 team.

Toeing the start line will be some inspiring runners with impressive performances. The top women include Stefanie Flippen, 32, from Evergreen, CO. She was 1st at Tunnel Hill in both 2020 and 2021, was the USATF 100 Mile Road Champion at Jackpot in 2021 and finished 3rd at the 2022 version last February. Kalie Demerjian, 25, Trabuco Canyon, CA is also entered and has a resume that includes a 2nd place at the 2020 USATF 50 mile Trail Championship at Pioneer Spirit, 3rd place in the 100 mile at Javelina in 2020 , and a national championship at the Brazos Bend trail 100 mile in 2021. Also contending is Lotti Brinks, 26, Austin, TX. She was the 1st woman and 2nd overall at Bandara 50K in 2021, 1st place overall at Rocky Raccoon 100K in 2021, and 4th woman at Javelina 100 mile in 2021.

On the male side, Rajpaul Pannu, 31, Denver, CO, is back for another go at the 100k. He won the 2021 USATF 100k Road Championships in Sacramento and placed 2nd to Jim Walmsley at the Hoka Project Carbon X2 100K in January 2021. Additionally, he most recently placed 2nd at USATF 50K Road Championship and has a 2:17 marathon time. Geoff Burns, 31, Colorado Springs, CO, knows this course well having won the event back in 2016. He brings national team experience from Croatia (2018) and Spain (2016). In both world championship events he placed 5th overall. In 2018, Burns finished in 12th position at the prestigious Comrades Marathon. From Brookline, MA, is Zack Beavin, 27. He has an a 2nd at JFK in 2021, 1st place at Tunnel Hill 50 mile in 2020, and a 2:18 marathon time.

Top masters runners include Meghan Canfield, 61, Corvelis OR, and Sam Skeels, 44, Adrian, MI. Most recently, Canfield took 1st at the Jed Smith 50K in 2021, set a 50K age group world record at the 2019 Desert Solstice, a 9-time consecutive member of the U.S. 100K Team, and Western States top 10 ten times, and 12 finishes in sub 24 hours. Skeels’ recent results include 6th at the USATF 50K Road Championship in 2022, Tunnel Hill 100 mile 6th place in 2020, 4th place at Brazos Bend 100 mile trail national championship in 2019, and 2nd place at the Jackpot 100 mile road national championship in 2019.

For runner tracking, live updates will be posted on Twitter at @usatf_mut. Also follow your run er on the website instructions at https://www.madcityultras.com/runner-tracking.

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