Riddle Run 2017

Female Champion: Sarka

2017 Riddle Run Finishers (photo credits: Tom Rice)

I was again the caretaker for the 2017 Riddle Run 28-mile fun run event. This is your standard "no fee, no aid, no awards, no wimps" type of ultra event. Usually "no whining" too, but I allowed it this year. Jeff Riddle started this particular fun run back in 2000 (this was the 18th annual run), but these days he prefers to have less commitments. I'm happy to keep the tradition going. I'm sure he'll be back to

Male Champion: Nic

direct a future Riddle Run. Right?

This year we saw pretty reasonable temperatures (28-32F), overcast skies, with a steady west wind. Trails were in great shape. Just frozen enough so mud was not an issue. It was time for some course records! Or not.

We had 60 participants (7 doing satellite runs out of state) with 7 finishers (including one running in Colorado). We also had a participant from New Zealand who ran 28km--not quite a full 28 mile Riddle Run, but maybe it counts as an international-style metric finish. The fastest full 28-mile finish time was Sarka Petrickova (4:40). This is the first time in Riddle Run history that the OVERALL winner was a female. Congrats to Sarka! Nic Carter was male champion in a time of 5:30. Sarka was awarded the mini-stuffed buffalo and Nic got the roll of toilet paper (both are travelling trophies with winner names etched on them). The shortest distance DNF was 1.5 miles for Steve Butler (last year's champion). Maybe we should have an award for this feat too? He guarded the real winner awards and helped with the fire so all is good.

Full 2017 Riddle Run #18 results available here.

Eighteen years of past champions can be viewed here.

Here is a short YouTube video from our one out-of-state finisher (Melissa in Colorado):


For me, I completed 12 miles (the "beginner fun run") and hung around to drink, eat, and socialize as the finishers kept running the 4-mile trail loops. Except for the wind, it was a great day to be on the trails chatting with fellow runners. A big thank you to Jeff for starting this whole deal. And many small thank yous to all the runners that came out to share the trails on a Saturday morning in late January. My current total Riddle Run miles are now at 427. Tom Rice and I are the only ones to have participated in all 18 events. Tom, we should do this again: January 2018 will be Riddle Run #19. I think it's time for the race director to win this damn event. You've been warned.