Badger Mountain Challenge: Spokane runner posts top time in 100-miler
Spokane’s Brandon Benefield posted the top overall time in the signature 100-mile race at last weekend’s Badger Mountain Challenge.
The 35-year-old crossed the finish line just after midnight Saturday, clocking in at 17 hours, 32 minutes, 46 seconds to post the third-fastest winning time in the seven years of the race.
Evgeny Sotnikov of Victoria, British Columbia, was second in 18:15:53, with another Victoria runner, Jerry Hughes, finishing third in 18:37:42.
Jess Mullen of Seattle won the women’s race in 22:32:29, the eighth best time overall. Van Phan of Maple Valley was 24 minutes behind; it was another 5 1/2 hours before third-place finisher crossed the line.
Full results are available at http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=28196.
In the 50-mile event, Mark Hammond of Salt Lake City took home top prize with a time of 7:34:50, 31 seconds ahead of Nathan Stroh of Klamath Falls, Ore. Bothell’s Genia Kacey-McKnight topped the women’s field in 8:55:56, good for eighth overall. Stephanie Gundel of Seattle was 7 minute back in second place.
Pasco’s Taylor Farnsworth won the 50-kilometer race — the longest of Saturday’s events — in 4:37:33. Seattle’s Stuart Baker finished second, but more than 1 hour, 22 minutes behind. Anja Goetzinger of Spokane finished fifth overall but won the women’s race in 5:08:19, more than an hour ahead of Valerie Nussbaumer of Hood River, Ore. Dana Cadwell of Pasco was third in 7:09:00.
Matt Rock of Billings, Mont., won the 15K in 56:51, while Kennewick’s Kyle Paulson just missed a sub-hour mark by seven seconds. Clinton Purdy-Cordova of Richland was third (1:04:40).
Richland’s Briana Butler won the women’s 15K in 1:09:47, eighth overall. Connie Morgan of Ellensburg was second in 1:10:26.
The “stick to it” award goes to 55-year-old Daro Ferrar of Richland, who was on the 100-mile course for more than 31 1/2 hours — an entire day plus nearly all of an eight-hour shift at work.
The “age is just a number” award is destined for Gunhild Swanson, a 72-year-old woman from Spokane who finished the 50-mile race in 11:20:47, seventh overall among the 17 women runners and 31st among all 50-mile competitors.
Top finishers
100 MILE
MEN’S OVERALL: Brandon Benefield, Spokane, 17:32:46; Evgeny Sotnikov, Victoria, 18:15:53; Jerry Hughes, Victoria, 18:37:42.
20-29: Sotnikov; Brendan Thompson, Moses Lake, 19:28:51; Andrew Heath, Gig Harbor, 22:40:59. 30-39: Benefield; Hughes; Gabe Wishnie, Redmond, 18:58:56. 40-49: George Orozco, Seattle, 21:18:58; Wes Ritner, Colorado Springs, 21:49:34; Christphe Fiessinger, Bellevue, 23:22:54. 50-59: Bruce Kellogg, Shoreline, 25:18:45; Ray Siegrist, Poulsbo, 29:24:58; Joel Hopkins, Kennewick, 30:00:01. 60-69: Greg Spike, Echo, 29:39:41.
WOMEN’S OVERALL: Jess Mullen, Seattle, 22:32:29; Van Phan, Maple Valley, 22:56:11; Anne Crispino-Taylor, Portland, 28:21:59.
30-39: Jennifer Schwegler, Snohomish, 29:03:22. 40-49: Mullen; Phan; Hideko Opperman, Redmond, 28:36:44. 50-59: Crispino-Taylor; Deby Kumasaka, Edmonds, 29:31:38; Trena Chellino, Marietta, Ga., 30:23:59.
50 MILE
MEN’S OVERALL: Mark Hammond, Salt Lake City, 7:34:50; Nathan Stroh, Klamath Falls, Ore., 7:35:21; Michael McNeil, Omak, 7:50:11.
U-20: Barrak Blakeley, Terrebonne, Ore., 9:48:25. 20-29: Justin Mejia, Reno, Nev., 8:30:06; Tyson Stuart, Battle Ground, 9:37:21; Brandon Roberts, Aloha, Ore., 12:14:39. 30-39: Hammond; McNeill; Christpher Mahoney, Seattle, 7:57:06. 40-49: Stroh; Kevin Gustafson, Prosser, 8:17:54; Stephen Mazurkiewicz, West Richland, 9:03:45. 50-59: Daniel Hansen, Richland, 10:19:15; Berton Keith, Austin, Texas, 11:31:12; Rob Smith, Victoria, B.C., 14:27:08. 60-69: Mark Chamley, Hood River, Ore., 11:55:20; Lee Plourde, Wenatchee, 12:26:20; Karl Jansen, North Vancouver, B.C., 13:10:40.
WOMEN’S OVERALL: Genia Kacey-McKnight, Bothell, 8:55:56; Stephanie Gundel, Seattle, 9:02:52; Suzanne Johnson, North Vancouver, B.C., 9:16:13.
20-29: Siloam Chong, Vancouver, Wash., 11:16:17; Rebekah Lee, Marysville, 12:07:25. 30-39: Gundel; Johnson; Jennifer Worth, Portland, 9:24:25. 40-49: Kacey-McKnight; Christine Strom, Cary, N.C., 11:31:11; Lisa Wood, Bellevue, 12:52:07. 50-59: Susan Glesne, Mt. Vernon, 14:22.08; Kuniko Minehara-Votaw, Psaco, 15:01.46. 70-plus: Gunhild Swanson, Spokane Valley, 11:20.47.
50K
MEN’S OVERALL: Taylor Farnsworth, Pasco, 4:37:33; Phil Rock, Enumclaw, 4:46:49; Andrew O’Connor, Seattle, 4:52:41.
20-29: Farnsworth; Stuart Baker, Seattle, 5:59:38; Sebastian Dirringer, Portland, 6:05.58. 30-39: O’Connor; Peter Hawkins, Richland, 5:17:36; Roger Sandberg, Pullman, 5:21:24. 40-49: Dave VanMiller, Tacoma, 4:59.47; Malachi Schram, West Richland, 5:16.27; Dallen Ashby, Clarkston, 5:21:15. 50-59: Rober tWilson, Port Orchard, 6:04.47; James Guerrero, Lakewood, 6:35:11; Paul Cornish, Seattle, 7:06:27. 60-69: David Painter, Richland, 6:30:10; David Elsbernd, Salem, ore., 7:13:12.
WOMEN’S OVERALL: Anja Goetzinger, Spokane, 5:08:19; Valerie Nussbaumer, Hood River, Ore., 6:10:35; Dana Cadwell, Pasco, 7:09:00.
20-29: Goetzinger; Cadwell; Tanya Gallagher, Vancouver, B.C., 7:39:37. 30-39: Nussbaumer; Colleen Rice, Bellingham, 7:27:33; Nichole Burmester, Marysville, 7:51:29. 40-49: Dawn Winters, Mercer Island, 7:19:08; Tracey Robinson, Port Orchard, 7:22:59. 50-59: Christina Gomez, Pasco, 9:18:04. 60-69: Judy Loy, Vancouver, Wash., 8:55:28.
15K
MEN’S OVERALL: Matt Rock, Billings, 56:51; Kyle Paulson, Kennewick, 1:00:07; Clinton Purdy-Cordova, Richland, 1:04:40.
U-20: Everett Welling, West Richland, 1:50:44; Daniel Welling, West Richland, 1:51:42; Micah Borders, Spokane, 2:42:27. 20-29: Paulson; Purdy-Cordova; Michael Tupper, Richland, 1:07:35. 30-39: Rock; Samuel Morris, Richland, 1:10:50; Spencer Shelman, Spokane, 1:11:39. 40-49: Eric Smith, West Richland, 1:07:04; Nathan Hansen, Richland, 1:08:25; Greg Romaniuk, West Richland, 1:10:56. 50-59: Scott Lea, Richland, 1:11:09; Ken Walters, Spokane, 1:26:51; Tony Sako, West Richland, 1:29:34. 60-69: Dale Fuller, Pasco, 1:38:12; Chris Newbill, Richland, 1:40:03; Al Abramson, Richland, 1:41:40. 70-plus: Gary Vanarsdale, West Richland, 1:37:06; Dick Dowd, Pasco, 1:59:15; Ray Warner, Benton City, 2:05:19.
WOMEN’S OVERALL: Briana Butler, Richland, 1:09:47; Connie Morgan, Ellensburg, 1:10:26; Sara Schiriac, Bend, Ore., 1:14:52.
U-20: Bethan Tufford, Burbank, 1:20:44; Riley Hake, Moses Lake, 1:51:46; Isabella Cohen, Richland, 1:56:03. 20-29: Morgan; Schiriac; Rachel Fowers, Kennewick, 1:16:33. 30-39: Butler; Rosa Holt, Stanfield, 1:16:03; Nicole Lee, Vancouver, Wash., 1:16:70. 40-49: Laura James, Walla Walla, 1:17:57; Lori Porter, West Richland, 1:19:02; Samantha Reed, West Richland, 1:22:17. 50-59: Sonia Tonnemaker, Royal City, 1:19:04; Nancy Hess, Richland, 1:20:31; Robin Walters, Spokane, 1:27:38. 60-69: Natalie Sandberg, Moses Lake, 1:41:31; Joan Anderson, Kennewick, 1:44:37; Dorothy Hammons, Kennewick, 1:59:32. 70-plus: Linda McGlothern, Kennewick, 2:53:48; Evelyn Painter, Richland, 2:57:18; Carol Gurwell, Richland, 3:00:54.