2 Repeat Winners Take JFK 50-Mile Run
Walmsley and Bard improve on 2014 times
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American runners Jim Walmsley, 25, and Sarah Bard, 31, took first-place finishes in the men’s and women’s divisions of Saturday’s John F. Kennedy 50-Mile Run in Washington County, Maryland, according to the race’s website. The race is the oldest ultramarathon in the United States. It begins in Boonsboro, Maryland—60 miles northwest of Washington, DC—and traces the Appalachian Trail for a section, gaining 1,172 feet in elevation. After about 15 miles, the race returns to a flat gravel road. The course finishes in Williamsport, Maryland.
Both competitors also won last year but improved their times in 2015. Walmsley completed the race in 5:47:37, nine minutes faster than the year before, and Bard finished in 6:31:11, about six minutes faster than her 2014 time.
“I wouldn’t say it felt any different, as far as added pressure,” Walmsley told Runner’s World. “I see myself as a very natural road racer but a very talented trail runner, so I definitely think the variety on this course suits me a lot.”