2020 Report

Report

Sunny skies with a hint of winter chill greeted the runners; Red Eye RD Dave Woll also greeted the runners, and after that pre-race greeting and briefing, just shy of 100 runners (including a few hikers, along with a few bonus Canine Americans), took off promptly at 8:07 for their initial two mile, plus, prologue run on some side trails, before crossing the famous suspension bridge across the South Fork of Quantico Creek and starting the first of the three loops that make up the bulk of the 50k course.

Of the 102 runners and hikers who made their way on to the course, 39 finished the first day of the new year with a shiny new 50k finish to their credit. The shiniest belonged to Michael Wardian, as he not only won the first run of 2020, but he did so with a new event and course record! Michael’s 4:17 broke the previous record of 4:20:24 set in 2016 by Brandon Mathews. The 2020 Red Eye women were paced by Laura Yoder, down from Pennsylvania to ring in the new year with the VHTRC along with her husband Michael. Michael Yoder is Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 gold buckle recipient, having finished MMT 10 times!

Two other runners of note: Mel Rohall completed her first 50k, so congrats, and thanks for choosing the VHTRC’s Red Eye for your initial ultra experience! Poor Karen Knight, a recent arrival to our area from Alabama, had a different experience and a far shorter day than anyone wanted. She was one of a handful of runners who fell victim to a mishap on a slippery bridge in the early morning cold. Her fall, unfortunately, took her out of the run during the initial prologue section of the course. Hopefully Karen recovers quickly, and we look forward to seeing her at many additional trail events in the coming year!

Check the notes below the results table for additional details related to some of the runners and hikers, and check back soon for final results (if edits are needed), links to photos and perhaps an RD’s report. Final note: big thanks to the volunteers who helped Dave put on this event: Laura Bennett and Holly Franz, who helped put up yellow flagging to mark the loop course; and Marty Fox who saw to the removal of the ribbons during his third loop. Marty drafted several runners to help him clean up the course. Marty also successfully ensured that all the runners found the correct prologue course to start the run, so special thanks to Marty for his efforts to make that happen, especially considering some of the speedsters in this year’s field! Also, heartfelt apologies to Marty for questioning whether he directed the runners down the correct trail in the prologue section! Marty, you were right.

Results

Below are the final results for the 2020 Red Eye 50k. This race on the trails of Prince William Forest Park is the VHTRC’s traditional celebration of the start of a new year. If 2020 is anything like the Red Eye, then we are in for a great year!