Canandaigua 50 Mile Ultra How the 2006 Race was Won

Canandaigua 50 Mile Ultra
How the 2006 Race was Won

Click here to see an Excel spreadsheet with times for each runner at each aid station.

Fast 10 to Onanda Park (10.04 miles) - Andy Rice, Joe Jaffe, Ryan O'Dell and Jim Lampman set a fast 7:30 pace over the easy opening 10 miles to Onanda Park. Becky Harman led the strong women's field, running more conservatively at just over 8:00 minutes per mile arriving at Onanda Park about 6 minutes down on the lead men. Katie Stettler and Stephen Page (first Veteran) came in about 2 minutes behind Harman. Andrei Aroneanu, second Veteran, was about another minute behind Page.

Over the Big Hills (16.91 miles) - These two legs took the runners over the two big hills on the West side of the lake. Ryan O'Dell ran Bopple Hill and opened up a 3 minute lead over Andy Rice. Joe Jaffe walked the hills and got to Bristol Springs 2 minutes after Rice. Jim Lampman slowed, losing 13 minutes to O'Dell over this section and dropped out of contention for the race win. Becky Harman continued her steady run in 5th place, arriving at Bristol Springs 15 minutes behind O'Dell... even with running Bopple Hill. Second woman Katie Stettler arrived 7 minutes after Harman. Andrei Aroneanu took the Veterans lead over the two big hills and opened up a 3 minute lead over Stephen Page.

The High Road (22.66 miles) - The lead had switched at the Rte. 21 trail head. Andy Rice ran well and went from 3 minutes back to 2 minutes up on Ryan O'Dell. Joe Jaffe settled into 3rd place at 6 minutes behind Rice. Becky Harman moved up into 4th place, running steadily and losing only an additional minute putting her 16 minutes out of the lead. Katie Stettler ran well on the High Road, maintaining her position 7 minutes behind Harman. Andrei Aroneanu maintained his 3 minute gap over Stephen Page for the Veterans lead.

Halfway at Sunnyside (26.66 miles) - Andy Rice continued to lead. Ryan O'Dell recovered some and maintained in 2nd place at 2 minutes back. Joe Jaffe fell back another 4 minutes to hold 3rd place at 10 minutes behind Rice. Becky Harman ran the leg at the same pace as Andy Rice, holding at 16 minutes back in 4th place. Katie Stettler had another outstanding leg, also covering the leg at the same pace as Rice and holding at only 6 minutes behind Harman. Veteran Andrei Aroneanu added another minute to his lead over Stephen Page.

Middlesex (31.36 miles) - Positions began to change on the flat 4.7 miles up the West River Valley. Rice continued to lead but O'Dell closed the gap to only 1 minute. Joe Jaffe ran 3 minutes faster over the leg cutting the gap on 1st place to 7 minutes. Becky Harman was fastest of all, covering the distance 5 minutes quicker than Rice, putting her 11 minutes out of 1st and only 4 minutes behind Jaffe. Stettler fell a bit off Harman's pace as she hit 50K 8 minutes behind Harman. Aroneanu continued to gradually extend his lead over Page, opening the gap to 5 minutes.

Vine Valley (35.65 miles) - The race for the overall win traditionally begins in Vine Valley. But first the runners had to get over the long climb out of Middlesex and the rollercoaster drop back to the lake. The wheels came off for Andy Rice as he lost 9 minutes and dropped to 4th on the road. O'Dell resumed the lead. Jaffe continued to close, now in 2nd place only 3 minutes behind. Harman again was the fastest runner on this hilly leg and moved into 3rd place. The 16 minute gap that Rice and O'Dell opened on Harman in the first 26 miles has been cut to 6 minutes in only 9 miles. Stettler (2nd woman) and Aroneanu continued to run well compared, moving into 6th and 7th place overall respectively.

Town Line (38.81 miles) - The short leg to Town Line Road takes the runners to the top of the last major climb with only 11.2 miles to go. Jaffe took the lead on this leg and opened a gap of 2 minutes on O'Dell. Most significantly, Harman continued to be the fastest runner for the leg and arrived at the aid station at the same 2 minute deficit to Jaffe. Rice gamely continued on, losing another 3 minutes to put him 12 minutes back in 4th place. Stettler ends the leg only 6 minutes behind a fading Rice. Aroneanu, in 8th place, has solidified his Veterans lead with Page 18 minutes back.

Arnold Road (42.51 miles) - On this short and fast leg, Harman arrived at the aid station in the same minute as Jaffe. O'Dell is maintaining in 3rd place at 11 minutes down. Rice is in 4th place at 18 minutes. Stettler is only 4 minutes behind with 7.5 miles left to run, having caught William Burns who has been running a quietly effective race in 5th place behind all the lead changes. Aroneanu has a secure lead in category and is beginning to solidify his hold on 7th place.

Middle Road to Finish (50 miles) - Harman caught and passed Jaffe at about 43 miles. When she came by, there was little that Jaffe could do. Harman was consistently the fastest runner on the road, closing the maximum 10 minute lead Jaffe had in the 16 miles from Sunnyside to Arnold Road. While Jaffe tired to keep from slowing, Harman maintained her faster pace and opened up a 7+ minute gap over the last 7 miles. Jaffe's position as first man was safe as O'Dell struggled home to finish 19 minutes behind Jaffe. Stettler finished strongly, getting clear of Burns and passing Rice, to finish 4th overall, only 3 minutes behind O'Dell. Aroneanu cruised home in 7th overall.

Special Notes

	Becky Harman won the race by running even splits. She averaged about 8:40 for the 26.66 miles to Sunnyside and about 8:40 for the remaining 23.34 miles to the finish. Three men ran faster than Harman to Sunnyside; all slowed significantly after Vine Valley.
	Andrei Aroneanu, with his 7:53:54 at age 52, ran the age-graded equivalent of a open 6:56:53.
	Joe Milligan, age 71, is the oldest runner to finish the 50 miles around the lake. His 10:05:38 equates to an age-graded equivalent of an open 7:20:25.
	Richard Sitter, Jr., age 67, is the second oldest runner to finish the 50 miles. He had Milligan in his sights on Middle Road and cut the gap to 48 seconds at the finish for the closest category finish in the race history.
	Andy Rice is the only runner to have finished the race every year. He now has finishes of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Will next year be his year to get the win?
	Diane Jozefski now joins Joe Packard with three finishes. Diane's 8:42:45 for 5th open woman was a PR by over 43 minutes.