Report

The 25th Women’s Half Marathon will go down in race history as “the Furbutt one.” A 5-foot-tall stuffed teddy bear (named after the VHTRC’s logo of a running bear) joined the ranks of silly stuff that racers can pick up at an aid station. Furbutt was an instant classic, with many runners vying for the chance to lug a preposterous plush toy through the final miles of the race. Two women worked in tandem to bring him back home from the Wolf Run Shoals aid station, and then Furbutt hung out at the finish line for the rest of the day, taking selfies with finishers. And he looked good. Damn good.

Also, the weather was ah-maze-ing. We had an autumnal chill before the race with temperatures hovering around 70 in the late morning and sunshine all around. It’s the best weather we’ve had in recent memory, maybe ever.

Unfortunately for many runners, 2017 might also be remembered as “the year with the bees.” Several women reported getting stung repeatedly in the Do Loop. No one had ever seen or heard about bees on this course, so they came out just for you, you lucky thing. Other injuries amounted to the usual scrapes and sprains. It’s not a trail race without ‘em. Thanks for being tough out there, ladies.

Mary Hui, who is new to the area, ran away with a first-place finish of 1:41:01. Charlottesville resident Sarah Schubert took second place exactly 60 seconds later, and third-place finisher Erin Williams clocked in at 1:52:05.

Many thanks to our amazing volunteers, who cheered at fully stocked aid stations, marked the sneaky-tough course with flagging ribbon, picked up heavy things (and put them back down somewhere else), smoothed smoothies, hand-delivered pizza at the finish line, pulled shenanigans at Juanita’s Cantina, and much more. Thanks, guys! We couldn’t do it without you.

This year’s race will be tough to beat. Here’s looking at you, 2018!

Happy trails,
Tracy Dahl, race director