Watkins and Watkins lead VHTRC finishers at HAT Run 50K

With an inch of fresh and slushy snow on the course courtesy of a late-season snowfall the evening prior, this year’s HAT Run 50K will go into the books as one of the muddiest on record. The slush turned to mud long before the front of the pack had even cleared the first loop, and the course soon became a slippery and sloppy sea of pudding-consistency mud.

As usual, the race featured a big turnout from the VHTRC – our signature blue, white and gray Happy Trails shirts were a common sight throughout the starting field.

The leaders among our Happy Trails runners were Robin and Adam Watkins, who turned in their usual impressive showings. In particular, Robin’s finish time of 5:19:49 was good enough for 4th place among women, 1st in her age group, and 29th overall in the field. Adam ran a 5:01:54, placing 20th.

The sloppy course conditions proved tough for some, but the front-runners still turned in impressive times on the rolling course near the Susquehanna River; Christopher Beck claimed the win with a 4:13:11 finish, and Jacqueline Palmer set a new women’s course record with her 4:37:57 finish that was good enough for 6th overall in the field.

Full results can be found here.