2018 EMU 6-Day Race Women's Preview

2018 EMU 6-Day Race

By Joe Fejes

This year’s women’s race is guaranteed to have a clean slate on the podium as the top 3 runners-Silke Gielen (782.23 km), Tina Andersen (740.52 km) and Kristina Paltén (667.31) from last year’s edition are not running.   Gielen and Andersen’s performances were #1 and #2 in the world last year. Notwithstanding the noteworthy absentees, the 2018 EMU edition will undoubtedly be fiercely competitive for a podium spot as there are at least 10 women that have run 600+km in a 6-day race before, including two prior EMU winners Krisztina Bakucz Nagyne (2013) and Charlotte Vasarhelyi (2014) along with two-time runner-up Sumie Inagaki (2015 &2016) and 2015 bronze medalist Sonia Lutterotti. Five (5) of the women, (Martina Hausmann,, Charlotte Vasarhelyi, Sarah Barnett, Kriztina Bakucz Nagyne, and Sumi Inagaki) have run 700+km.

Women Entrants that have Run 600+km in a 6-Day Race

Count	Runner	Age	6-day (km)	6-day (mi)	48-hr (km)	48-hr (mi)	24-hr (km)	24-hr (mi)	# Ultras	Country
1	Barnett, Sarah	43	714	443	259	160	166	103	50	Austrailia
2	Cotugno, Gabriela	42	688	427	268	166	160	99	19	Argentina
3	Nagyne, Bakucz Krisztina	56	714	443	302	187	187	116		Hungary
4	Vasarhelyi, Charlotte	42	734	456	281	174	196	121	110	Canada
5	Inagaki, Sumie	52	713	443	397	246	241	149	52	Japan
6	Hernandez, Yudith	29	628	390	na		234	145	13	Sweden
7	Kampe, Diana	44	613	380	267	165	206	128	16	Denmark
8	Lutterotti, Sonia	57	692	429	265	164	202	125	50	Italy
9	Hausmann, Martina	58	756	469	323	200	202	125	273	Germany
10	Jensen, Lena	51	647	402	291	180	158	98	16	Sweden

Past podium performances at EMU:

                1^st Place                           2^nd Place                       3^rd Place

2017        Silke Gielen (782.23)*/486 mi                    Tina Andersen (740.52)               Kristina Palten (667.31)

2016        Zecchino, Luisa (732.16)/454 mi                Sumie Inagaki (713.53)               Krisztina Nagyne Bakucz (666.17)

2015        Silke Gielen (744.48)/462 mi                     Sumie Inagaki (706.60)                Sonia Lutterotti (692.23)

2014        Charlotte Vasarhelyi (734.22)/456 mi          Silke Gielen (720.17)                 Ria Buiten (557.59)

2013        Krisztina Nagyne Bakucz (714.35)/443 mi   Charlotte Vasarhelyi (687.23)    Silke Gielen (653.45)

2012        Monica Barchetti (723.22)/449 mi              Krisztina N.  Bakucz (712.17)      Barbara Becker (513.07)

2011        Monica Barchetti (705.25)/438 mi              Krisztina Zoltanne Nagy (675.55) Heather Hawking (633.60)

*Event record & age 55-59 world best performance

IAU World Best Performances

World Record: 883.63 Barwick, Sandra

Age Group              Distance: (km)        Distance: (miles)     Runner:

(35-39)                    806.00                     500.82                     Robinson, Eleanor

(40-44)                    883.63                     549.06                     Barwick, Sandra

(45-49)                    773.97                     480.92                     David-Bodet, Christine

(50-54)                    714.35                     443.87                     Nagyné Bakucz, Krisztina

(55-59)                    744.48*                   462.59                     Gielen, Silke

(60-64)                    648.40                     402.89                     Lamothe, Francoise

(65-69)                    552.89                     343.54                     Bayer, Else

(70 -74)                   600.29                     373.00                     Klein, Helen

·          Assuming Silke’s 2017 performance is ratified by the IAU.

Noteworthy observations:

Japan’s Sumie Inagaki is primed to finally take the “W” at EMU after finishing runner-up in 2015 and 2016. Her ultrarunning accomplishments are legendary since she first hit the ultra scene in 2002—she won Spartathlon in 2006 and 2009; she was the IAU 24 hour World Champion in 2004 and 2006. She won Badwater in 2011 & 2012. She is also the former 48 hour world record holder with 397 km/246 miles, whose longstanding record was recently eclipsed earlier this year by Poland’s Patrycja Bereznowska 401 km masterpiece at Athens Ultramarathon Festival.

Lookout for youngster Yudith Hernandez, (age 29), who finished fourth last year in her 6-Day debut and has serious leg speed as evidenced by her 234 km/145 mi in the Skovde 24 hour Ultrafestival in 2013.  Observers of last year’s race noted that Yudith recovered nicely in the latter stages of the race after having crashed and burned from a blistering start.  If she runs a controlled race she will be on the podium this year.

Talk about oodles of experience:

# Ultras

273         Martina Hausmann

110         Charlotte Vasarhelyi

52           Sumi Inagaki

50           Sarah Barnett & Sonia Lutterotti

Podium Prediction:

Sumie and Charlotte will battle it out for the “W” with youngster Yudith “Nascar-I wanna go fast” Hernandez as a threat if she can control her pace in the first few days. If either of the three falter, then look for the wily multiday veterans Krisztina Nagyné Bakucz,  Sonia Lutterotti or Sarah Barnett to pull carpe diems, and “seize the days”. Kampe and Cotugno have had solid performances at EMU and both are also undoubtedly capable of stepping up and carrying the 700km flag around the loop. 

This is going to be fun!