Greg Crowther, Devon Crosby-Helms Winners of the JFK 50

A supporter in the JFK 50 Mile (By Kevin G. Gilbert/Herald-Mail)

The America’s oldest ultra draw again a very competitive field of runners to toe the start line of its 47th edition. Elite runners like Hal Koerner , Scott Jurek, Annette Bednosky or Devon Crosby-Helms all competed last Saturday for the top places and for slots to Western States. But from all of them,  Greg Crowther, of Seattle and Devon Crosby-Helms, of Sausalito, would be the first man and woman to cross the finish line in one of the fastest editions of this historic event.

Held under cloudy skies and unusual temps in the 50s, Crosby-Helms set a new women’s course record of 6:29:21 (for a final 1oth overall), with her  US 100K teammate Megan Arbogast of Corvallis, Oregon took second in 6:56:05.

The man’s race was also one of the fastest, setting new second and third fastest times of the JFK 50, and also the closest finish ever seen. Crowther would edge Michael Arnstein of New York City by 45 seconds passing him with only 2 miles to go. 5:50:13 and 5:50:58 would be time for the first two of a more than 1,000 runners who finished within the 14-hour time limit.

The Herald-Mail articles with photos and videos here, here and here. They also did a great pre-coverage of the event, with interviews, photos and videos:

• Couple plans to finish 3rd JFK together
• For Kitchen, the JFK 50 is grueling and special
• Midshipman to compete in her first JFK 50 Mile
• Greencastle man hopes to complete fifth JFK 50
• Rhoderick takes challenges in stride during JFK 50
• JFK 50 Mile a family affair for Louderbacks

Men
1. Greg Crowther, 36, Seattle, WA, 5:50:13
2. Michael Arnstein, 32, New York, NY, 5:50:58
3. Matt Woods, 30, Falls Church, VA, 5:54:10
4. Hal Koerner, 33, Ashland, OR, 6:05:02
5. Chad Ricklefs, 42, Boulder, CO, 6:06:51

Women
1. Devon Crosby-Helms, 27, Sausalito, CA, 6:29:21
2. Meghan Arbogast, 48, Corvallis, OR, 6:56:05
3. Annette Bednosky, 42, Jefferson, NC, 7:02:52
4. Monica Ochs, 40, Anacortes, WA, 7:28:09
5. Larissa Abramiuk, 40, Wayland, MA, 7:29:25

Complete results here. Check out also pictures at Tom Sperduto’s blog.