Brisk but gorgeous fall weather greeted runners at the Mines of Spain 100 this past weekend! Dry conditions complimented a beautiful course covering a wide range of trail terrain and of course, some big Dubuque hills! 100mi and 100k runners alike really had to buckle down and see what they were made of to reach that finish line but the reward was definitely worth the challenge!

A huge congratulations to each and every runner who stepped up to the line and gave it their all! Special kudos to Tiffany Gunhus for taking 1st place in the 100 miler and Jen Even for finishing 2nd place female in the 100 miler! Donny Montgomery was 3rd place Masters in the 100k and Tara Flesch was 2nd place Masters in the 100 miler! Jen, Tara and Gordon Graham were also 5x 100mi finishers at the Mines and part of the first class in the 500 Mile Club!

On the Club side, the QC-TUR(d)s (904.5 pts) showed up in force and threw down some BIG points adding SEVEN 100mi and 100k finishes to the team total! Just 7 points separate Thorsday (566.1 pts) in 2nd place from the LoKeyz (559.1 pts) in 3rd!

The series finale at the Woodpecker Six on November 12th rapidly approaches! Lots of points for individuals and teams in the 6 hour timed event!

The Swiss Valley Trail Run took place this past weekend near Dubuque on one of the most picture perfect October weekends possible! Race #10 saw runners tackling the 5.2mi loop once, 3x for the 25k or 6x for the 50k!

Congratulations to all of the Swiss Valley runners and special kudos to the TWENTY TWO No Coast runners at the race, many of whom placed on the podium!

In the 50k, Jacob Gallagher took 1st place and Scott Hundertmark was 3rd!
In the 25k, Ross Salinas was 1st place male, Cary Richey was 3rd place male and Jodee Ross rounded out the female podium in 3rd place!

On the Club side, the QC-TUR(d)s (654 pts) maintain their commanding lead ahead of Thorsday TC (536.8 pts) and the LoKeyz (399.1 pts) but the gap between the trophy and 2nd place continues to shrink as Thorsday throws down some commanding performances including Jacob Gallagher’s 2nd 50k victory on back to back weekends!

With there only being two races left, the 3 race minimum rule is beginning to take effect and we’re seeing the point spread becoming much closer in both the individual and club competitions! A big Ultra slugfest rapidly approaches at the Mines of Spain 100 next weekend followed up with the No Coast’s newest member race, the Woodpecker Six on November 12th! The six hour timed format provides something for everyone and will be a great opportunity to score some final series points! Get signed up now before the race sells out!