This past weekend October 30 and 31, the 2021 Spartan Trail US Championships were held in Trail Town Fayetteville, Arkansas in the lush the Ozark National Forest. Since its inception in 2018, Spartan Trail, the dedicated trail running branch of the larger Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Spartan corporation, has organized many large, high-energy and well-funded trail running races and championships across the world.
“We created the Spartan Trail Series for anyone looking to get outdoors, challenge themselves, and rejuvenate. The hills will be steeper, the ditches wider, and the views more epic. The goal: To get you off the pavement and into the wilderness.” – Spartan Trail
Michael Wardian. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
This championship in Fayetteville drew many top trail runners from the area and several elite racers from outside of Arkansas. Well-known elites included ultrarunning legend Michael Wardian, Mount Baldy Run-to-the-Top champion Tommy Sullivan, Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K runner-up Emkay Sullivan, Bandera 100K champion Ryan Miller and Lake Sonoma 50 Mile runner-Up Preston Cates.
Over 150 runners participated in the two-day long event consisting of four races: the 10-Kilometer Night Run held on Saturday evening, and the remaining three events held Sunday morning, which were the 50-Kilometer Trail US Championship, Half Marathon Trail US Championship, and the 10-Kilometer Trail US Championship. These races took place immediately after the 9th edition of the US Trail Running Conference, and event sponsored by Spartan Trail and UltraSignup.
Photo: Peter Maksimow.
All four races were held on the Kessler Mountain Regional Park Trails, the highest regional park in the state, with a high point of 1,850 feet. Runners were challenged with rugged Ozark Mountain terrain on a mix of rolling, rocky and technical trails.
Spartan Trail Results
The top five women and men in each race category are listed below. The three Spartan US Championship races split a prize purse of $12,000 equally between women and men.
Photo: Peter Maksimow.
10-Kilometer Night Run
Women
- Ellis Freel, 19, 1:07:38
- Rachel Sedrick, 52, 1:20:21
- Meshila Mullins, 27, 1:20:21
- Colinda Fogg, 29, 1:31:10
- Sarah Kimbrow, 36, 1:31:43
Men
- Miguel Moreno, 43, 52:58
- Neal Kuburich, 33, 53:40
- Mathew Howell, 33, 56:00
- Oscar Donham, 39, 1:07:38
- Thomas Checketts, 35, 1:07:38
50-Kilometer Course Map
50-Kilometer Spartan Trail US Championship
Women
- Emkay Sullivan, 27, 4:17:37
- Patty Pittman, 38, 6:17:17
- Mariel Batchelor, 26, 6:45:01
Men
- Preston Cates, 24, 3:38:45
- Ryan Miller, 29, 3:42:53
- Shane Poland, 37, 4:19:40
- Grant Skelton, 36, 4:29:23
- Michael Wardian, 47, 4:38:41
Photo: Peter Maksimow.
Half Marathon Spartan Trail US Championship
Women
- Courtney Barnes, 26, 1:33:15
- Tilda Helgesson 29, 2:03:50
- Makaya Baker, 25, 2:21: 42
- Cheyenne Braves, 40, 2:34:52
- Haley Cook, 27, 4:10:22
Men
- Tommy Sullivan, 27, 1:27:09
- Scott Lirgg, 24, 1:33:27
- John Fairris, 25, 1:37:32
- Peter Nierengarten, 45, 1:49: 38
- Dale Reicheneder, 55, 1:49:49
Photo: Peter Maksimow.
10-Kilometer Spartan Trail US Championship
Women
- Sarah Lindemulder, 30, 1:01:15
- Valerie Zitting, 29, 1:05:06
- Kimberly Aubuchon, 54, 1:07:47
- Katie Filkowski, 26, 1:10:45
- Megan Wheeler, 24, 1:15:27
Men
- Owen Sanders, 14, 48:38
- Ken Skrien, 41, 49:14
- William Shell, 30, 49:28
- Mike Klaus, 44, 53:26
- Adam Filowski, 23, 53:53
Full Spartan Trail US Championship results can be found at: https://my.raceresult.com/185313/results
More race photos by Peter Maksimow are available on Google Photos.
Photo: Peter Maksimow.
