MISSOULA — From the University District to the top of Mount Sentinel and beyond, ultramarathoners took part in Missoula’s second annual City to Sky 50K Trail Race on Sunday.
The course took runners on a grueling 33-mile loop with 8,000 feet of elevation gain, starting and ending at the University of Montana’s Dornblaser Field.
Organized by Run Wild Missoula, the race attracted hardcore runners from across the city and state.
The race winners were Adam Peterman in the men’s category with a time of 4:13:57, Caroline Hardin in the women’s category with a time of 5:20:12 and Matthew Sanford in the non-binary race with a time of 5:57:18.
“It's always fun to have a local race in Missoula,” said women’s race silver medalist Leah Handelman. “All of my favorite trails are here. So, yeah, it was the second year of this race and it was nice to be able to do it.”
Family and friends helped runners keep their energy up, cheering them on with noise machines, dancing and lots of loud throwback tunes.
“There were times that were hard,” Handelman laughed. “but mostly it’s all fun. There’s lots of people out there cheering people on. It was a good time for sure.”
Runners celebrated with hot food, cold drinks, race swag and some much needed stretching after crossing the finish line.
