Under bright skies and warm weather, 150 runners toured Vashon’s trails on Saturday, June 7 for the annual Vashon Island Ultramarathon & Trail Run.
Family — whether by blood or forged in sweat — was the support that many trail and ultra runners relied on to post outstanding times in the races.
Family runners included the first female finisher in the ten mile race — 15 year-old VHS student/athlete Annabelle Thompson — who was joined in the race by her father, Sam. Annabelle’s time moved her into the top ten times in the 16 years the race has existed.
The first female finisher of the 50k, Vashon’s Rebecca Brookes, was supported by the Davidheiser family as she finished 13 minutes faster than her previous attempt, moving into fourth on the all-time list.
There was a mother-son duo who joined up for the first 10 mile lap around the course: Karen Martin from Olalla and her son, Isaac, from Austin, Texas. After Karen finished her ten, Isaac went on to run his 50k with an enthusiastic and energetic finish.
The “trail family” is an important part of why runners turn out over and over again — not only to run together, but to catch up with their tribe at these events. Van Phan, from Tacoma, and Karen Wiggins, from Belfair, leapfrogged and ran together in their 50k race. Van, with over 430 ultra races under her belt, and Karen, with more than 225 races in her career, caught up with each other and reminisced after the race. Karen was joined by her husband, George, who ran in the 20 mile race.
The events were made possible by island families, including the four Keenans and three Cyras who produced the event, helped by three Escovedos, two Ottos and the Dungan/Ahearn family, with an assist from their dog, Moose.
There was also the “Trail Family:” Casey Lawrence, Dave Wilke and Nick Wiggins marked the course and staffed the “Heavy Metal Aid Station.” The course was pre-ridden by biker Larry Dubois, and swept after the race by VHS cross country coach James Batey and runner Bridget Simmons.
The trail family would not be complete without Bob Norton, born on the island and returning from Huntington Beach, California for his tenth finish (five 50k races and five 10-milers) at age 87.
Race results
In the 50k race, the men’s winner was Corbyn Jahn from Anchorage, Alaska, in 3:45 (three hours, 45 minutes), moving into sixth on the all-time list, just ahead of former islander Bjorn Syse in 3:47, also in the top ten. The woman’s race was won by Rebecca Brookes in 4:14, followed by Seattle’s Kristi Williams in 4:25 and Vashon’s Alice May in 4:26, both moving into the top ten.
The 20 mile race was won by Seattle’s Ben Brown in 2:09 — that race’s fastest time ever — returning six years after winning the 50k in 2019, and by Danielle Lozier in 2:59, moving to third on the list.
In the 10 mile, Vashon took the top three places. Charlie Ralston won with a time of 1:06, followed by Chris Kudla in 1:14 and Nate Robinson a half minute later. Charlie moved to fifth best on the all-time list. In the women’s race, Vashon took the top four places, led by Annabelle Thompson in 1:22, followed by Eleanor Logan in 1:30, Gabriels Hoyos and Kristen Cohen in 1:37.
Nick Keenan and Bruce Cyra are the Vashon Ultra race directors.
