More Than 1,000 Registered Runners Journeyed into The Shenandoah Valley for the 2024 Grindstone Trail Running Festival By UTMB

September 22, 2024

- Gavin Prior (USA) and Katti Jackson (USA) earn victories in the 100-mile race; Sean Bowman (USA) and Holly Benner (USA) top the field in the 100km event - Dan Curts (USA) and Sarah Bergeron-Larouche (CAN) earn wins in 50km race; Peter Giblin (USA) and Faith Stephan (USA) were victorious in the 21km competition

SHENANDOAH VALLEY, Va. (Sept. 22, 2024) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB® featured one of the most challenging trail running courses on the East Coast as runners trekked through acres of stunning national forest. Passionate runners from around the United States and the globe entered the Shenandoah Valley in Augusta County, Virginia, on Friday, September 20 through Sunday, September 22, to take on four demanding courses of 100M, 100km, 50km, and 21km filled with stunning fall foliage, mountain views, and demanding terrain.

On Friday, the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB® kicked off the racing as runners took to the 100-mile course, beginning at Natural Chimneys Park. With a time of 21:23:46, Gavin Prior (USA) took the victory, who sped past the competition. Trail running icon Anton Krupicka (USA) finished in second place with a time of 21:52:04, while Alex Proctor (USA) placed third with a time of 22:17:30. In the women’s race, Katti Jackson (USA) and Jill Dennes (USA) paced the field, finishing with times of 23:31:16 and 23:54:09, respectively. Tatiana Rypinski (USA) came in third, completing the course in 24:51:28.

The three other competitions took place on Saturday, where runners tackled the 100km, 50km, and 21 km courses. The 100km competition was the first race to send its racers off. On the men’s side, Sean Bowman (USA) cruised to a comfortable victory at a time of 10:36:26. Second-place finisher Reagan McCoy (USA) crossed the finish line in 10:55:09, followed quickly by Dalton Randall (USA), who came in third place.

The women’s 100km race was a resounding win for Holly Benner (USA), who outpaced the next closest competitors by more than 80 minutes. Benner completed the course in 11:22:44, while Dania Belisle (CAN) and Nikolette Cochran (USA) tied for second place with an identical time of 12:42:55.

In the second race of the day, Dan Curts (USA) took the top spot in the men’s 50km race in a time of 3:57:10. Sarah Bergeron-Larouche (CAN) was the female 50km winner with a time of 4:31:03. Alex Forte (USA) and Brian Atkinson (USA) rounded the podium in the men’s competition. Ashley Brasovan (USA) and Karin Strickland (USA) claim second and third, respectively, in the women’s 50km race.

“It was awesome; it was so beautiful,” Karin Strickland said after placing third in the women’s category. Hailing from Brevard, North Carolina, Strickland struggled with the mountain decline while dealing with some cramping but managed to finish fast enough for a podium spot, “I had an awesome day! I had so much fun!”

The 21km events rounded out the amazing Saturday race day–providing some fantastic times. Peter Giblin (USA) and Faith Stephan (USA) reigned victorious, with Giblin beating the rest of the field by more than 14 minutes. Giblin’s winning time of 1:43:07 beat podium placers John Weisbrod (USA) and Jonathon Campbell (USA) times of 1:57:09 and 1:58:29. Stephan’s 2:43:01 finish time was good for first in the women’s division and fourth overall, powering past second place Fiona Greig (USA), who finished in 2:04:52, and third place Candace Craig (USA), who crossed the finish line with a time of 2:13:24.

“The race was awesome,” said 21km race winner Peter Giblin at the Natural Chimneys finish line. When asked what he enjoyed most about the course, the Washington D.C. native said, “The view from the top [of the mountain] was really cool! Getting to the top was super hard, but the trail back down was super fast. Great race!”

All finishers of races at the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB^® collected Running Stones that can be applied to the UTMB Mont-Blanc draw.

Pre-sales for the 2025 Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB®, which takes place on September 19-20, 2025, are currently open through September 15 and can be accessed by visiting https://grindstone.utmb.world/register.

Next Up for the UTMB^® World Series:

The 2024 UTMB^® World Series is scheduled to continue in 2024 when the series heads over to British Columbia, CA for the Ultra Trail Whistler by UTMB ^® on September 28-29. To see the full schedule of UTMB^® World Series events, visit https://utmb.world/.

For more information about the Grindstone Trail Running Festival by UTMB^® visit s https://grindstone.utmb.world/. For more information about the 2024 UTMB^® World Series visit www.utmb.world.

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UTMB^® World Series

UTMB^® World Series is the world’s ultimate trail-running circuit that unites the sport’s biggest stars and passionate runners through the best, leading international events in the most stunning locations. Built on a passion for the mountains with sustainability at its heart, UTMB^® World Series gives all trail runners the chance to experience the UTMB^® adventure across the world, with events taking place across Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is the only place where runners can begin their quest to Dacia UTMB^® Mont-Blanc, France, where the prestigious UTMB^® World Series Finals will be held. Launched in May 2021 through the collaboration between the UTMB Group and The IRONMAN Group, the UTMB World Series circuit brings together many of the best international trail-running events on the planet. For more information, visit www.utmb.world.

About UTMB Group

Since the creation of HOKA UTMB^® Mont-Blanc in 2003 by a group of passionate friends, UTMB Group has been the driving force behind the development of trail running. The HOKA UTMB^® Mont-Blanc is the sports pinnacle event, and every year, 10,000 runners earn their place on the start line. UTMB Group also pioneered the LiveTrail^® technology, an innovative digital service that supports the management of endurance races. Revered by hundreds of thousands of athletes, UTMB^® has become a global, premium, and leading brand. In May 2021, UTMB Group partnered with The IRONMAN Group to launch the UTMB® World Series, which brings together many of the best international events on the planet to provide exclusive access to the sport’s pinnacle event, HOKA UTMB^® Mont-Blanc. The UTMB® World Series is built on the founding principles of HOKA UTMB^® Mont-Blanc: surpassing oneself; fair-play; respect for people and the environment; and solidarity. Find out more at https://utmb.world.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series trail-running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra-Trail™ by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world, providing participants the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business, and Orkila Capital, a growth equity firm focused on building great brands. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 14,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.