Slip-sliding along stretches of rain-drenched trail, Anchorage's Laura McDonough won the Resurrection Pass Trail 100-mile ultramarathon Saturday in Hope.
The victory marked the third time McDonough has won the 100-mile race outright and the 10th time she has collected a women's victory in either the 100-mile or 50-mile race.
She finished in 22 hours, 6 minutes. She trailed defending champion David Johnston of Wasilla for more than half of the race, but Johnston -- whose training has been disrupted this summer by a newborn baby, McDonough said -- dropped out at 70 miles.
"The trail was just a creek," McDonough, 52, said. "There was a lot of skirting around, and some people would go right through the puddles. In the big puddles (water) was up to your ankle. The trail itself, the way it drains, had an inch or two of water."
Held primarily on a forest service trail between Hope and Cooper Landing, the 100-mile course was altered this year. Instead of going 12 miles on a dirt road to the trailhead in Hope, the start was relocated so runners spent just four miles on the road before reaching the trail. Similarly, the finish line was moved from the Hope School to the trailhead.
To make up for the lost mileage, an out-and-back loop on Devil's Pass Trail was added on the return trip. A shorter loop on Devil's Pass Trail was created for 50-mile runners, who did the whole race on trails.
"A lot of things were different, so it felt like a new course," McDonough said. "Doing Devil's Pass itself, I think it was harder. ... It was dark when we were on it, and there's a lot of rocks, so it's very slow going."
McDonough's time was two hours slower than Johnston's winning time a year ago. It was 15 minutes slower than the women's record of 21:51 she set in 2011.
The 100-mile race started at 3 p.m. Friday in Hope. The 50-miler started at 6 a.m. Saturday in Cooper Landing.
Drew Harrington led a 1-2-3 finish for Fairbanks runners in the 50-mile race. Harrington won in 7 hours, 21 minutes and was followed across the finish line by A.J. Schirack and Eric Johnson.
Complete results were not available Saturday night.
Reach Beth Bragg at bbragg@adn.com or 257-4335.
By BETH BRAGG