Jazmine Lowther of Nelson, B.C. upsets the field at Canyons 100K
Lowther wins in course record time to earn a ticket to Western States
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UTMB World Series
It was a weekend to remember in California for Jazmine Lowther of Nelson, B.C., who not only upset the pro field at Canyons 100 as an unsponsored trail runner, but she broke the course record and earned herself a golden ticket to Western States 100 in June. Lowther dominated the women’s race from the get-go, finishing in 10:01:54, shaving just one second off Beth Pascall’s record of 10:01:55 from 2021.
The Canyons 100K starts in Auburn and runs parallel to the Western States trail, in the opposite direction. The race ends with a gruelling climb out of Eldorado Canyon to the finish at the steep China Wall. Runners had fairly favourable conditions on Saturday after a few days of rain and snow.
Lowther got out to a quick start, covering the first 10K in 45 minutes, which gave her a two-minute lead over the rest of the pack. The top three positions remained the same from the first checkpoint until 40 miles, where Lowther extended her lead to 17 minutes ahead of Ladia Albertson-Junkans and Aroa Sio of Spain. When Lowther reached the final aid station at 50 miles (80 km), her lead grew to 23 minutes over the rest of the pack and she was on course record pace. Lowther ended up crossing the finish line in 10:01:54 to win the 100K and the coveted Western States 100 golden ticket.
Five women finished in the top 25 overall. The race favourite going in, Brittany Peterson, was in contention until she dropped out at 70 kilometres.
According to her Strava post, Lowther wasn’t even planning to attend the race, as she was coming off a bad cold a few weeks prior. After a pep talk from a few of her friends, she decided to give it a go. “I guess I’m going to Western States,” she says. “I feel like I’m just getting started with this running thing.”
Congratulations also to Canadians Jenny Quilty (11th woman) and Chelsey Topping (30th).
Women’s 100K results
- Jazmine Lowther (Canada) – 10:01:54 (course record)
- Leah Yingling (U.S.) – 10:24:51
- Aroa Sio (Spain) – 10:27:42
- Ladia Albertson-Junkans (U.S.) – 10:31:36
- Sarah Biehl (U.S.) – 10:31:53
Women’s 50K results
- Katherine Short (Canada) – 05:04:04
- Teresita Gomez (U.S.) – 05:53:42
- Renee Funston (U.S.) – 05:57:42
- Jec Ballou (U.S.) – 06:05:57
- Zoe Garrett (U.S.) – 06:09:43
Women’s 25K results
- Emkay Sullivan (U.S.) – 01:56:47
- Krystal Brownfield (U.S.) – 02:35:40
- Gwyneth Tennant (U.S.) – 02:43:40
- Jackie Clark (U.S.) – 02:48:43
- Molly Melzer (U.S.) – 02:49:15
The men’s race
The weekend for record-shattering continued in the men’s race, with Adam Peterman of the U.S. winning in a course record time of 8:31:58, taking 40 minutes off the previous record of 9:11:40.
The race turned out to be closer than many expected, as the top contenders were all in a pack together through 10K. By 20K, Peterman made his move, followed by Jared Hazen, Tim Freriks and David Sinclair. Peterman was poised as the biggest threat in this lead pack, with three straight wins under his belt, but many were unsure how the step-up in distance would affect him.
Peterman took the lead as he came through the final checkpoint, four minutes ahead of Sinclair. He proved his dominance by collecting a fourth straight win to finish in a course record 8:31:58. Sinclair was second in 8:43:00 and Hazen third in 8:47:33. All three runners came in under the previous course record of 9:11:40.
Dave Stevens of Nelson, B.C. was the top Canadian finisher, placing seventh in 9:28:22. Reid Coolsaet was the second Canadian to finish, crossing the line in 14th (10:12:37) followed by Reid Burrows of Hamilton, Ont., in 10:51:53 for 20th place.
Men’s 100K results
- Adam Peterman (U.S) – 08:31:58 (course record)
- David Sinclair (U.S.) – 08:43:00
- Jared Hazen (U.S.) – 8:47:33
- Rod Farvard (U.S.) – 09:16:22
- Anthony Lee (U.S.) – 09:16:51
Men’s 50K results
- Dakota Jones (U.S.) – 04:12:08
- Mario Mendoza (U.S.) – 04:28:42
- Austin Chirico (U.S.) – 05:05:15
- Cyril Garcia (U.S.) – 05:24:28
- Tibo Kolmel (Canada) – 05:27:48
Men’s 25K results
- Garrett Heath(U.S.) – 01:43:03
- Darren Thomas(U.S.) – 01:43:50
- Ryan Cox (U.S.) – 01:48:22
- Tom Sullivan (U.S.) – 01:51:13
- Jacob Bartholomew (U.S.) – 02:04:24
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