The USA Track & Field (USATF) Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) Council is proud to announce nominees for its annual Runner of the Year (ROY) awards. The following athletes are being recognized for outstanding performances in USATF national championships, competitive national and international races as well as for age group records.
Due to many race cancellations – especially world championships – these past two seasons, the 2021 ROY process will be abbreviated ONLY for this year. These changes are:
- There will be only four awards in the following categories: Open male, Open female, Masters male, Masters female. Past years featured 21 awards in separate Mountain, Sub-Ultra, Ultra and Contributor of the Year categories.
- The list of nominated athletes was compiled by members of the USATF MUT Executive Committee. Years past featured an open nomination process as well as automatic nominations based on wins at USATF championship races.
The USATF MUT Executive Committee will vote for the 2021 Runners of the Year from among the following nominees. Award winners will be announced at the USATF Annual Meeting on December 4th. Below you will find a list of the nominees and just a few of their notable performances during the 2021 season.
Broken Arrow Skyrace VK champions Allie McLaughlin and Darren Thomas. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
Open Women Nominees
Randi Burnett – Dallas, TX
- USATF 50K Road Championships 1st place in 3:32:01. Qualified for the US 50k team.
Rachel (Johnson) Tomajczyk – Lynchburg, VA
- USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships 1st place.
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 2nd place.
Allie McLaughlin – Colorado Springs, CO
- USATF Marathon Trail Championships 1st place
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 6th place
- Pikes Peak Ascent 1st place
- Pikes Peak Marathon 2nd place
- Broken Arrow VK Skyrace (WMRA World Cup) 1st place
- Broken Arrow 52 K Skyrace (WMRA World Cup) 1st place
Kimber Mattox – Bend, OR
- USATF 50K Trail Championships 1st place.
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 10th place.
Stefani Flippin – Evergreen, CO
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 1st place in 14:35, course record, and 6th fastest 100 mile time for American Women.
- Tunnel Hill 100 Mile 1st place in 14:04
Grayson Murphy – Bozeman, MT (World Athletics profile)
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 1st place
- Canfranc-Canfranc (WMRA World Cup) 1st place, course record
- Trofeo Nasego (WMRA World Cup) 1st place
- Vertical Nasego VK (WMRA World Cup) 2nd place
- USATF Olympic Trials 3000m steeplechase 9:25.37 (currently ranked 36th in the world)
- USATF 5K Road Championships 22nd place 15:25
Elizabeth Northern – Fort, TX
- USATF 100K Road Championships 1st place in 7:52. Qualified for the US 100k team.
Camille Herron – Oro Valley, AZ (World Athletics profile)
- Javelina Jundred 1st place in 14:03, shattering Devon Yanko’s course record of 14:52.
- Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run 26th place
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 2nd place
Courtney Dauwalter – Leadville, CO
- UTMB 1st place in 22:30, 1st American male or female, 7th overall, breaking Rory Bosio’s course record.
- Big Dogs Backyard Ultra 1st place (33:48 for 175 miles)
- Barkley Marathons 20 Miler 1st place
- San Juan Solstice 50 Mile 1st place
Daniella Moreno – Mammouth Lakes, CA
- Golden Trail World Series 5th place overall
- Olla de Nuria (Spain) GTWS race 8th place
- GTWS Grand Final (Canary Islands) 5th place
- Canyons Endurance Runs 25K 1st place
- Peterson Ridge Rumble 20 miler 1st place
Joseph Gray winning the Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
Open Men Nominees
Preston Johnson – Kaysville, UT
- USATF 50K Road Championships 1st place in 2:53. Qualified for the US 50k team.
- Pikes Peak Marathon 12th place
- Antelope Island Buffalo Run 25K 1st place
Joseph Gray – Colorado Springs, CO (World Athletics profile)
- USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships 1st place
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 1st place
- Pikes Peak Ascent 1st place
- Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K (WMRA World Cup) 1st place
- Cirque Series Arapahoe Basin 1st place
Adam Peterman – Missoula, MT
- USATF Trail Marathon Championships 1st place
- Speedgoat 50K 1st place
- Pikes Peak Marathon 2nd place
David Sinclair – Truckee, CA
- USATF 50K Trail Championships 1st place
- Pikes Peak Marathon 4th place
- Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K (WMRA World Cup) 4th place
- Broken Arrow Skyrace VK (WMRA World Cup) 2nd place
- Speedgoat 50K 2nd place
Darren Thomas – Colorado Springs, CO
- Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K (WMRA World Cup) 2nd place
- Broken Arrow Skyrace VK (WMRA World Cup) 1st place
- Pikes Peak Marathon 5th place
Zach Bitter – Phoenix, AZ
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 1st place in 12:52, course record
- Tunnel Hill 100 Mile 2nd place in 12:50
Rajpaul Pannu – Denver, CO
- USATF 100K Road Championships 1st place in 6:57:32.
- Hoka Carbon X2 100k Challenge 2nd place in 6:28:31. 3rd fastest American Men’s time.
Jim Walmsley – Flagstaff, AZ (World Athletics profile)
- Hoke Carbon X2 100k Challenge New American Record in 6:09:25 breaking Max King’s 6:27:44, and missing the world record by only 11 seconds.
- 1st place at Western States 100 by over 1 hour.
Kasie Enman at the USATF 50K Trail Championships. Photo: Joe Viger Photography.
Masters Women Nominees
Kathy Dormer – age 51 – Williston Park, NY
- USATF 50k Road Championships 1st master in 4:49 (9th overall female)
Diane Hankee – age 43 – Lake Elmo, MN
- USATF Trail Half Marathon Championships 1st master (7th overall female)
Elizabeth Claflin – age 54 – Morrison, CO
- USATF Trail Marathon Championships 1st master (11th overall female)
Kasie Enman – age 42 – Huntington, VT
- USATF 50K Trail Championships 1st master (4th overall female)
Marisa Lizak – age 42 – Marina Del Rey, CA
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 1st master in 15:21 (4th overall female)
Sarah Barber – age 44 – Boise, ID
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 1st master (31st overall).
Liza Howard – age 49 – San Antonio, TX
- Keys 100 Mile – first female, 4th overall 17:49
Pamela Chapman-Markle – age 65 – San Leon, TX
- Icarus UltraFest New American Age Group Record (65-69) for 12 hours with a distance of 97770 meters (60.75 miles)
- Icarus UltraFest New American Age Group Record (65-69) for 24 hours with a distance of 175035 meters (108.76 miles)
- Icarus UltraFest New American Age Group Record (65-69) for 48 hours with a distance of 281241 meters (174.75 miles)
Max King winning his first masters national championship. Photo: Peter Maksimow.
Masters Men Nominees
Jonah Backstrom – age 48 – San Francisco, CA
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 3rd master 19:08:25 (8th overall male)
- USATF 50k Road Championships 1st master 3:30:40 (11th overall male)
Gene Dykes – age 73 – Bala Cynwyd, PA
- USATF 50K Road Championships 24th overall 3:56:43. New age group world record.
Kelly Mortenson – age 50 – St Paul, MN
- USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships 1st master (10th overall male)
Max King – age 41 – Bend, OR
- USATF Marathon Trail Championships 1st master (2nd overall male)
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 1st master (2nd place overall). Qualified for the US Mountain Running Team.
- Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K (WMRA World Cup) 5th place overall (top master by over 15 minutes)
- Canyons Endurance Runs 100K 2nd place overall (WS100 Golden Ticket)
Paulo Amaral – age 40 – Lowell, MA
- USATF 50k Trail Championships 1st master (10th overall male)
Jacob Jackson – age 43 – Loma Linda, CA
- USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 1st master 14:12 (2nd place overall)
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (40-44) for 200k on the track in 18:00:12
Bob Hearn – age 55 – Portola Valley, CA
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (55-59) for 200k on the track in 20:50:09
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (55-59) for 100 miles on the track in 15:28:21
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (55-59) for 24 hours on the track for a distance of 221810 meters (137.8 miles)
Olivier LeBlond – age 48 – Arlington, VA
- Canal Corridor New American Age Group Record (45-49) for 100 Miles on the road in 13:50:09
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (45-49) for 100 Miles on the track in 12:41:57
- Desert Solstice New American Age Group Record (45-49) for 12 hours on the track for a distance of 152112 meters (94.5 miles)
Mark Tatum – age 61 – Colorado Springs, CO
- The Dipsea Race 1st place
- Broken Arrow VK Skyrace (WMRA World Cup) 1st master (20th overall)
- Bobcat Trail Race 10K 1st master (4th overall)
Chris Grauch – age 49 – Nederland, CO
- WMRA/WMA World Masters Mountain Running Championships 6th place
- Broken Arrow SkyRace 23K (WMRA World Cup) 2nd master (18th place overall)
- USATF Mountain Running Championships 2nd master (27th overall)
- Barr Trail Mountain Race 2nd master (4th overall male)
Rich Hanna – age 56 – Sacramento, CA
- Jed Smith 50 Mile New American Age Group Record of 5:50:52, breaking a 39 year old record.
New age group world record holder Gene Dykes at the USATF 50K Road Championships.
History
USATF MUT Runner of the Year winners in recent years past:
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