Ultra-runner Marina Striker placed high in one of the first big races of 2023.
Striker placed ninth in her gender and 31st overall in the Hawaiian Ultra Running Team’s Trail 100-mile Endurance Run – appropriately nicknamed the “HURT 100.” Her time was 33:28:40, just about 13 minutes behind Candice Burt, who came in 30th.
Striker is a highly acclaimed and well-known trail runner and marathoner with dozens of races over hundreds of miles under her belt. For years, she’s pushed her limits in official and unofficial ultra-races, including a 76-kilometre trek along the Fat Dog 120 (yes, 120 miles), The Frosty 50 in Manning Park and a gruelling 100-mile Chilliwack-area race of her own invention: Marina’s Colossal 100.
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The HURT100 is a race through the dense rainforest of Hawai’i overlooking Honolulu. While the race has been around for several years, the roots of HURT itself trace back to the 1980s. Back then, running as a sport was experiencing a boom with runners everywhere vying for glory in frequent marathons and half-marathons. There were not many trail or ultra runners in Hawai’i at the time, but the tight-knit group of athletes formed the original HURT. HURT’s first race with the Tantalus Triple Trek, a 50-kilometre trail run; it wasn’t until 2001 that the HURT100 was established and has since become known as one of the world’s hardest 100-mile races. Many hundreds of racers apply, but the race is limited to 135 runners every year.
The trail is looked after through the Na Ala Hele hiking and trail program, which has turned pig trails through the dense jungle into people-friendly pathways.
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
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