12 Hour Adventure Trail Run

The 12 Hour Adventure Trail Run was held in Prince William Forest Park on Saturday September 19. Continuing an intriguing recent trend, the overall winner of the race was a woman, Lindsey Welsh, who was the only runner among the 87 starters to finish 10 of the 6.5-mile loops within the 12 hours allotted to the runners. In fact, no other runner was able to finish 9 loops. This is the third race in succession with a woman taking the overall prize, as Kathleen Cusick won the Pine Creek Challenge 100 miler the previous weekend, and Robin Watkins was also not only the first woman but also the overall winner of the VHTRC’s Women’s Half Marathon, held on the same day as the 12 Hour ATR. Though perhaps the fact that a woman won the WHM is not terribly surprising, since it has been happening fairly consistently for a couple of decades now.

Congratulations are in order for the top VHTRC finishers at the 12 Hour ATR. Scott Brannam was second male and third overall, finishing 8 loops in 10:51. Stephanie Chivis was the second female finisher, and she completed her 8th and final loop 8 minutes behind Scott. Well done to both Scott and Stephanie, and to a slew of additional VHTRC members who got in multiple loops, and enjoyed a gorgeous late summer day on the PWFP trails.

One additional finisher is worth noting in particular here: Sarah Smith. Sarah finisher third among the women, completing 8 loops in 11:23, good for eighth place overall. But as most club members know, Sarah has been battling back from a serious case of frostbite that she experience in the toes of one foot last winter. For quite some time after her injury, it was unclear if her toes could be saved, and she still is dealing with constant issues that are a direct result of the frostbite. Sarah returned to running trails mid-summer, coming out for the Browntown loop on the Fourth of July, and she had most recently completed the very challenging Martha Moats Baker 50 km in August. So considering everything she has had to overcome in the last year, finishing eighth at the 12 Hour ATR is an amazing accomplishment. Congratulations, Sarah!

12 Hour ATR Overall Results (PDF) | 12 Hour ATR Runner Splits (PDF)