This Week In Running’s trail and ultra recap for May 23, 2022.

There was a new backyard-style ultramarathon world record, a new Grand Canyon rim-to-rim fastest known time, and the start of the World Mountain Running Association World Cup all this weekend. That’s what’s going on, and that’s what we’re talking about!

The 2022 World Mountain Running Association World Cup (WMRA) has 17 races across 10 countries, and it all started here. The fifth annual race ran through the rugged, windswept Deryveagh Mountains on a point-to-point route that visited the “Seven Sisters” and collected 2,134 meters (7,000 feet) of climbing over 30k. As expected, runners finished with wet and muddy legs, indicative of the course conditions.

Ruairí Long (Ireland) and Paddy O’Leary (Ireland) were within seconds of each other until the final hour, and then Long dumped his chaser on the way to a 3:29 win. O’Leary was second in 3:36, and Shaun Stewart (Ireland), who was with the leaders most of the day, too, was third in 3:37.

Ruairí Long, 2022 Seven Sisters Skyline champion. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Richard Bolt

Olivia Amber (USA) slayed it with a 4:07 winning time that brought her home way in front of everyone else. As with the men’s winner, Long, this too was a new course record. Kathyrn O’Regan (USA) was second in 4:33, and iRunFar’s Sarah Brady (Ireland) was third in 4:47 for the host country.

The event also featured a 55k out-and-back race, which was won by Ricki Wynne and Ellen Vitting in 7:07 and 8:37, respectively.

The next WMRA World Cup race is the June 19 Montemuro Vertical Run in Portugal.

Olivia Amber takes the win at the 2022 Seven Sisters Skyline, the first event in the 2022 World Mountain Running Association World Cup. Photo: World Mountain Running Association/Richard Bolt

The Run Bum racecourse looks especially challenging with 12,000 feet of elevation gain across three major climbs on technical U.S. East Coast trails.

David Hedges moved into the lead around mile 27, just below the highest summit east of the Mississippi River, and finished first in 6:38. This late race pass flipped the order of Hedges’s earlier race against Max King, where Hedges fell to second in the final sequence. Avery Collins, the 2019 race winner, was second in 6:49. Both are expected to race 90k at the Mont Blanc Marathon group of races this summer. Drew Antonisse was third in 7:13.

Sabrina Stanley won the women’s race in 8:29. It was her second straight win here. Jana Fridrichova and Kathryn Zioto were second and third in 8:57 and 10:17, respectively.

Scenery at the 2022 Quest for the Crest 50k. Photo: Run Bum Tours/Sean Blanton

The Race of the Champions – Backyard Masters – Rettert, Germany

Oofdah, holy cow. Merin Geerts (Belgium) ran 603 kilometers over 90 hours. That’s 375 miles, and it’s a new backyard world record. As a reminder, the backyard race format has runners run 4.167-mile loops each hour, and runners drop when unable to complete the next loop in that time allotment.

That meant that Geerts ran one more loop than second-place Keith Russell (Ireland). Russell’s 597 kilometers (371 miles) over 89 hours also bettered the previous world best. Fanny Jean (Belgium) stayed in it the longest of the women with 295 kilometers (183 miles) over 44 hours. Full results.

Trail Menorca Camí de Cavalls – Menorca, Spain

The event includes a number of race distances on the historic trail once used to defend the island’s coastlines. Antoine Guillon (France) won the longest race — 185 kilometers or 115 miles — in 19:53, and Claire Bannwarth (France) gained the women’s crown in 24:49. It was Guillon’s sixth win at this race. Tofol Castanyer (Spain) and Vanessa Moreno (Spain) won the 100k contest in 9:06 and 13:26. Full results.

MDS Desafiosomiedo – Pola de Somiedo, Spain

Racing 50k in northeastern Spain, Raul Perez and Azara Garcia triumphed in 5:12 and 6:03. Full results.

Leonard Mitrica (Romania) and Denisa Dragomir (Romania) led a domestic field with marathon distance wins in 3:21 and 4:08. Full results.

Bishop High Sierra – Bishop, California

Katie Asmuth won and set a new course record at 4:48 in the women’s 55k. Michael Crush won the men’s 55k race. The rest of the results were still unknown at the time of publication. Let us know in the comments if you have any insights! Full results (when available).

Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Fastest Known Time – Grand Canyon, Arizona

Kimber Mattox went one way across the Grand Canyon — north to south — and covered the 21 miles and 6,100 feet of elevation gain in 3:14, and that was faster than anyone has run it before. Mattox’s time is just under Alicia Vargo‘s 3:19 from 2017.

Possum’s Revenge 69 Mile – Grafford, Texas

The Trail Racing Over Texas race traverses the trails around Possum Kingdom Lake. Over 69 miles, Patrick Welsh and Anna Black won in 14:45 and 15:39. The 52-mile wins went to Shawn Salyer and Sanna Allen in 9:54 and 11:56, and 56k champs Ross Hunt and Kristen Youngs finished in 5:04 and 6:50, respectively. Full results.

The start of the 2022 Possum’s Revenge 69 Mile. Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas

Stone House 50/50 – Lore City, Ohio

Fifty miles in Salt Fork State Park plus another 50k on Sunday, those were the ultra-distance races here. Zach Baird and Regina Doty covered the four laps for 50 miles in 9:34 and 11:47. The 50k was won by Jeff Rowthorn and Alexandra Fano in 5:54 and 8:25. Full results.

Keys Ultra – Key West, Florida

Vitor Rodrigues (Portugal) and Caryn Lubetsky won the 100-mile race in 16:42 and 19:43. Dan Saavedra and past winner Katalin Nagy led the 50-mile race in 9:59 and 7:52, and Jeff Welsh and Belen Coronel topped the 50k in 4:49 and 5:38, respectively. Full results.

The famed Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon is the year’s first Golden Trail World Series contest, back after two years of COVID-19 pandemic cancellations, and it’s super deep! I bet there are some other top entrants either not on the start list, or that I missed, but any of this looks like a great race.

[Editor’s Note: There’s also an additional Kenyan delegation, beyond Geoffrey Ndungu including Ben Kimtai Chematot, Matthew Kiptaniu Kibet, Reuben Narry, and Robert Pkemboi Matayngo, all of Iten. While we cannot confirm they’re the same individuals entered in Zegama, a Ben Kitmai has a marathon PR of 2:08:32 from Seville in 2018.]

[Editor’s Note: On the women’s side, Teresiah Kwamboka Omosa of Kiambogo, Kenya is entered. While we again cannot confirm it’s the same person entered in Zegama, a Teresiah Omosa has a marathon PR of 2:30:12 from the S7 Marathon in Austria last year and a 2:32:41 at Vienna earlier this year.]

Justin Mock is the “This Week In Running” columnist of iRunFar.com. He’s been writing about running for 10 years.

Based in Europe, Justin Mock has run as fast as 2:29 for a road marathon and finished as high as fourth in the Pikes Peak Marathon.