Below are the results from the 2018 running of The Wild Oak Trail 100 Miler: TWOT. The race was held in the traditional mid-winter calendar slot that adds so much to the challenge of the trail itself - in this case February 16-18, 2018. The remarkable total of NINE of the 16 Friday morning starters completed the four loops of TWOT to obtain their finish. They then received the finisher's treasured jar of apple butter from Race Director Emeritus and race founder Dennis Herr. Having more than half the starters finish was astonishing enough, but to have the previous record of five finishers shattered to this extent was extraordinary, and a testament to the talent and tenacity of this year's field.
The overall winner was a repeat: John Kelly again smoked the field, and he broke the record of 26:35 that he set during TWOT 2017, more than achieving his goal of breaking the seemingly untouchable sub-24 barrier. John's Beamonesque time of 23 hours and 48 minutes will prove a tough record to break for future TWOT runners. Second to John, and top female, was another repeat TWOT finisher: Kathleen Cusick. Her time of 32:30 is a PF for this regional legend, and is now the second fastest time for a woman at TWOT, behind only the Feb 2011 31:50 by Eva Pastalkova. While all nine runners have compelling stories, one more needs to be highlighted here: Guy Towler completed his third straight finish. Guy completed TWOT 2017, Hot TWOT in October 2017 and then again completed TWOT this year. Guy is truly a model of TWOT consistency: 2017 time of 47:56, Hot TWOT 2017 time of 48:10 and then his finish here at TWOT 2018 in 48:01 was neatly sandwiched between his two previous times.
As usual, there was a single loop race held in concert with TWOT. The Saturday race saw 21 participants in 2018. David Stauffer held off James Fogg, with Kelly McDonald fourth overall and first female. As usual at least one of the finishers of a single loop was not "racing" the distance, but was instead pacing a four-loop runner.
The next TWOT Race Weekend will be February 8-10, 2019; in the interim, Hot TWOT will be held over the weekend of October 19-21, 2018.
Race Director Antoinette Landragin's event recap
A Report by John Kelly
| Place | Name | Sex | Age | State | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Kelly | M | 34 | MD | 23:48:00 |
| 2 | Kathleen Cusick | F | 45 | VA | 32:30:00 |
| 3 | Eric Harris | M | 45 | MD | 33:08:00 |
| 3 | Levi Mason | M | 37 | VA | 33:08:00 |
| 5 | Jason Brady | M | 38 | PA | 35:37:00 |
| 6 | John Fegyveresi | M | 41 | VT | 38:43:00 |
| 7 | Amy Zbikowski | F | 39 | MD | 47:41:00 |
| 8 | Guy Towler | M | 48 | MD | 48:01:00 |
| 9 | Rob Tidwell | M | 47 | VA | 48:35:00 |
| One Loop Finishers | |||||
| 1 | David Stauffer | M | 25 | VA | 4:50:00 |
| 2 | James Fogg | M | 40 | MD | 5:08:00 |
| 3 | Joel Maynard | M | 43 | VA | 5:45:00 |
| 4 | Kelly MacDonald | F | 29 | VA | 6:03:00 |
| 5 | Shihan Wijeyeratne | M | 24 | VA | 6:20:00 |
| 5 | Tim Whelden | M | 29 | MD | 6:20:00 |
| 7 | David Landis | M | 35 | VA | 6:43:00 |
| 8 | Jim Smucker | M | 56 | VA | 6:45:00 |
| 9 | Mark McCoy | M | 49 | VA | 7:00:00 |
| 10 | Chris Pabian | M | 41 | PA | 7:13:00 |
| 11 | Matthew Abraham | M | 32 | VA | 7:25:00 |
| 12 | Jairemy Drooger | M | 43 | VA | 7:37:00 |
| 13 | Cara Foley | F | 34 | VA | 7:55:00 |
| 13 | Meir Lewin | M | 30 | MD | 7:55:00 |
| 15 | David Harlow | M | 37 | TN | 8:20:00 |
| 16 | Gabriela Stephens | F | 38 | PA | 8:28:00 |
| 16 | Kiran Koons | F | 44 | PA | 8:28:00 |
| 18 | Jason Sajko | M | 42 | VA | 9:18:00 |
| 18 | Whitney Sajko | F | 40 | VA | 9:18:00 |
| 20 | Andy Peterson | M | 61 | VA | 9:40:00 |
| 21 | Nick Yeates | M | 37 | VA | 10:12:00 |