Lake Sonoma Race Series Expands to Multiple Weekends with New Distances in 2022 and Looks for Even More in 2023

June 15, 2022

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – 2022 was a huge year for the iconic Lake Sonoma Race Series (LSRS), which has grown from its roots as a small-town charity race founded by John Medinger fifteen years ago into a four-race series with distances from the marathon up to 100K.  The relentlessly hilly, winding courses hosted over seven hundred runners over the four events this year, more than double the participants of any prior year, and raising over fifteen-thousand dollars for charity.

Growth is never easy and simply wouldn’t be possible without partnerships.  For 2022 and beyond, LSRS joined forces with The North Face and Altra Running as the title sponsors over the two weekends in April and May. Gina Lucrezi, the founder of Trail Sisters and race director for the Lake Sonoma 50 Miler and Marathon, commented: “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with The North Face for the coming years along with other leading essential brands in trail running.”

2022 marked the inaugural year for the Lake Sonoma Marathon and 55K with the addition of the Women’s Only Half Marathon coming next year.  The addition of new events has allowed for more diverse fields, which represent the future of ultrarunning.  Lake Sonoma Race Series in 2022 saw double of the amount of women runners.

Despite all the growth, Skip Brand, the Series director and owner of the host Healdsburg Running Company believes “…wine country charm continues to help these races have a small-town vibe while growing into a full-blown trail festival weekend, with stunning vistas, relentless single track and in 2023 hopefully camping for participants.”

Wine country certainly knows how to host an event, with over five hundred bottles of wine given to finishers or shared at the post-race parties, making this one of the most festive ultras anywhere.

Keira Henninger, KH Races founder and director of the 100K and 55K commented: “As the Lake Sonoma Race Series grows, we hope to see more athletes of all abilities challenge themselves on these relentless courses, whether it’s competing for their first finish, an age group award, or the overall podium. Lake Sonoma is a beautiful place to run, enjoy nature and maybe snag that Western States qualifier while visiting wine country.”