Jurek, Kimball Named UltraRunning Magazines Runners of the Year January 17, 2008 by: Ultrarunning Magazine
Scott Jurek of Seattle and Nikki Kimball of Bozeman, Montana have been voted the 2007 UltraRunning Magazine North American runners of the year.
Jurek won Colorados Hardrock 100 Mile in July, generally considered
the toughest of the 39 100-mile races in North America, and set a new
course record of 26:08:34 in the process. In September he raced
against Europes finest in the 246-km Spartathlon in from Athens to
Sparta, Greece, winning the race in 23:12:14. It is the fourth time in
the past five years that Jurek has won the award.
Kimball won the prestigious Western States 100 Mile in June in
18:12:37, the second fastest womens time in the races 34-year
history. She also won the 101.2-mile Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc,
Europes largest ultramarathon, in a course record 25:43:45 and two of
the most competitive 50-mile races in the country, White River in
Washington State and Mountain Masochist in Virginia. Kimball easily
out-polled her nearest rivals, Californias Beverly Anderson-Abbs, Anne
Lundblad of North Carolina, and Oregons Krissy Moehl, who finished in
a virtual tie for second.
Jureks Hardrock win and Krissy Moehls womens course record in the same event were honored as top Performances of the Year.
In age group awards, 53-year-old Kevin Setnes impressive 7:39:21 100
km at the IAU Championships in Winschoten, Netherlands was honored as
the top male performance. Gunhild Swanson, who finished South Dakotas
Lean Horse 100 Mile in 23:13:00 at age 63, was voted the top female
performance.
A board of 21 voters from all regions of North America submitted
ballots this year. Complete voting results will appear in the March
2008 issue of UltraRunning and on the UltraRunning website at www.ultrarunning.com<http://www.ultrarunning.com> . UltraRunning,
with offices in Healdsburg, California and Denver, Colorado, covers
running events that are longer than a 26.2-mile marathon.
2007 UltraRunning Magazines Runners of the Year (first place votes in parentheses) Men
1. Scott Jurek, 34, Seattle, WA (9) 199
2. Karl Meltzer, 40, Sandy, UT (5) 153
3. Kyle Skaggs, 22, Ashland, OR (3) 137
4. Hal Koerner, 31, Ashland, OR 131
5. Anton Krupicka, 23, Bozeman, MT (1) 105
6. Greg Crowther, 34, Seattle, WA (2) 96
7. Akos Konya, 33, Oceanside, CA (1) 84
8. Andy Jones-Wilkins, 39, Ketchum, ID 52
9. Philip McCarthy, 39, New York, NY 42
10. Jasper Halekas, 31, Oakland, CA 32 Performance of the Year
1. Scott Jureks Hardrock 100 Mile, 26:08:34 (7) 80
2. Scott Jureks Spartathlon 246 km, 23:12:14 (9) 77
3. Lon Freemans Miwok 100 km, 8:09:52 (2) 37
4. Howard Nipperts IAU 100 km, 6:49:31 33
5. Kyle Skaggs Wasatch 100 Mile, 19:35:14 (1) 26 Women
