Desert RATS Results

Here are the results of the first UTMB event of the year in the USA, the Desert RATS by UTMB in Fruita, Colorado on April 12-14, 2024. (For full results visit the UTMB website):

100K (100KM – 3 STONES)

Women:

1. Elena Ormon – USA – 11:33:02
2. Carrie Koso – USA – 13:30:02
3. Oana Mihalcea – Romania – 13:59:52

Men:

1. Rajpaul Pannu – USA – 09:19:35
2. Zach Hauer – USA – 09:28:06
3. Julien Chorier – France – 09:45:10

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50K (50KM – 2 STONES)

Women:

1. Helen Mino Faukner – USA – 04:14:42
2. Allison Baca – USA – 04:26:07
3. Karis Scroggs – USA – 04:56:02

Men:

1. Justin Grunewald – USA – 03:40:55
2. Matthew Vira – USA – 03:42:11
3. Jacob Banta – USA – 03:57:59

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20K (20KM – 1 STONE)

Women:

1. Jaycie Thomsen – USA – 01:39:47
2. Tabor Hemming – USA – 01:40:53
3. Gabriella Brinkley – USA – 01:42:33

Men:

1. Eli Hemming – USA – 01:22:44
2. Brian Whitfield – USA – 01:23:08
3. Jeshurun Small – USA – 01:23:19

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10K (10KM – NO STONES)

Women:

1. Leah Ibarra – USA – 00:47:54
2. Aria Paxton – USA – 00:50:49
3. Gabriella Lawson – USA – 00:53:55

Men:

1. Watkins Fulk-gray – USA – 00:39:38
2. Shane Massey – USA – 00:44:25
3. Joseph Benson – USA – 00:45:51

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With the podiums almost swept by US runners Desert RATS doesn’t give odf the vibe of an international race, but rather a regional one. Being so close in location and timing to Canyons it’s a bit puzzling what UTMB’s strategy with this event is. Is it just meant as an overflow event to the sold-out Canyons? Of the 123 finishers of the 100K (the event folks are willing to travel the furthest for) 93 were from the US. Here’s how the numbers of this somewhat small event from a UTMB perspective breaks down by gender:

• 100K Starters: 153 – DNF 30 – Finishers 123. Women: 25 (20%) – Men: 98 (80%)
• 50K Starters: 419 – DNF: 36 – Finishers: 36. Women: 122 (32%) – Men: 261 (68%)
• 20K Starters: 561 – DNF: 2 – Finishers: 559. Women: 294 (53%) – Men: 265 (47%)
• 10K Starters: 179 – DNF: 2 – Finishers: 177. Women: 129 (73%) – Men: 48 (27%)

In total the event saw 1,312 starters, with 70 DNFs and 1,241 finishers. 570 (46%). women and 656 (53%) men reached the finish line and earned themselves stones and an UTMB index (or directly punched their ticket to the Finals in Chamonix for 2025). 

Next up on the UTMB World Series Calendar, the first event in Asia: The sold out Mount Yun on April 19 – 21, in Xiangning County, China.