Katalin Nagy at the 2015 IAU 24 Hour World Championships (© organisers)
Madison will host the inaugural IAU 100K Americas Championship on Saturday (8), hosting runners from USA, Canada and Brazil.
The race also doubles as the US 100km Championships, so the host nation’s field is naturally strong.
Runners to watch include USA’s Katalin Nagy who won the 2014 IAU 24H World Championship. Nagy, who will also compete at the 2017 IAU 24H World Championships in Ireland in July, will be contesting her first national 100km event.
Caroline Boller comes to the start line with an impressive resume: 50 mile trail national best (5:48), 2016 50k national 50km road champion and masters American record-holder, Montrail Ultra Cup champion, and a member of the 2016 US 50km national team.
On the men’s side, Mike Bialick returns for his third Mad City 100km, having earned the distinction of national 100km champion in 2015 with a time of 7:02.
Jesse Davis, who has a 2:18 marathon to his credit, is a newcomer to the 100km event.
Chad Ricklefs, a previous member of multiple US 100K teams, and Jean Pommier, who recently placed seventh overall at the US 50K Trail Championship and placed ninth overall at the 2016 US 50K Road Race, will bring great competition to the masters race.
Weather forecasts predict a clear day with temperatures of about 16C. April can often bring unpredictable weather in the upper Midwest, but this is one of the best forecasts the race has ever received.
“We are very happy with the first 100km IAU Continental Championships in the Americas,” said IAU Vice President Nadeem Khan. “This event will be a great launching platform for further development and promotion of the sport in the region.”
“Madison, Wisconsin, has the perfect setting for a championship 100-kilometre road race,” adds race director Timo Yanacheck. “10 circuits of a 10km course; it can be a fast course. Whether you fancy yourself a hill runner or a road racer, there are parts of this course you’ll love and other parts you’ll find challenging. And in that sense, I would call it a fair course – it treats every runner to an amorous embrace and with a measure of disdain.”
Organisers for the IAAF
