Ontario’s Molly Hurford wins Sulphur Springs 100-miler

In just her second-ever 100-mile race, Molly Hurford of Collingwood, Ont., stormed to a first-place finish at the Sulphur Springs Trail Race 100-miler, clocking an impressive 17:22:46. Hurford set the tone early, taking the lead from the start and never looking back. Her relentless pace didn’t just earn her the women’s win—it also landed her third place overall.

Hurford is an accomplished athlete in both the cycling and running world (she calls herself an “occasional ultrarunner”) and is also an author and the founder of Strong Girl Publishing. She won outright her first 100-mile race, the 2022 Outlaw 100 Oklahoma, held in Robbers Cave State Park near Wilburton, Oklahoma.

“Sulphur Springs was honestly a blast from start to finish—so many friends on course and at the start/finish, it felt like I spent half the race grinning and high-fiving people,” Hurford told Canadian Running. “That said, it’s a really challenging course in that it’s all runnable but with a shocking amount of elevation gain on every lap, so you’re almost always powering up or pounding down a hill!”

“And to have five women in the top 10 overall is just awesome—it’s not that there wasn’t a lot of competition in the men’s field, it’s that the women are just so damn strong and quick,” Hurford added. In the women’s race, Hurford was followed by Krista Bolyea of Collingwood, Ont., who finished in 18:45:46 and was sixth overall, and Kalei Hering of Hornell, Ont., who crossed the line in 18:59:43 and was seventh overall.

Hurford’s approach to training is refreshingly balanced. She keeps her weekly mileage in the 90–100 km range, with steady weekday runs and longer trail adventures on the weekend. A former competitive cyclist, she still sneaks in bike rides for cross-training and starts every morning with a quick yoga and bodyweight routine. “What worked at 23 doesn’t work at 37,” she says, emphasizing the importance of mobility and strength work to keep her running smoothly and injury-free.

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Paul Vanoostveen of Etobicoke, Ont., led the men’s race in 14:38:21. Allanburg, Ontario’s Ryan Niclasen was second in 16:47:38, and John Cole of Hampton, Ont. rounded out the podium in 17:37:01.

Sulphur Springs Trail Race also includes 50K, 50-mile, 100K and 100-mile relay races, and the 100K and 100-mile races are both Western States 100 qualifiers.

For full results of the 2025 Sulphur Springs Trail Races, head here.