A few days ago we went to Charlottesville, Virginia where the 3rd president Thomas Jefferson lived and who inspired the legendary Andy Jones-Wilkins to create TJ100K. We also reflected on the expedition of Lewis and Clark organized by Thomas Jefferson, who reached the Pacific ocean from the city of St. Louis; possibly the most epic ultramarathon in history.
Organized by the Charlottesville Area Trail Runners and co-director John Andersen, the race is a looped format around the Walnut Branch lake. Each lap is approximately 9 miles with 2 aid stations. With a wide variety of terrain and 1000 feet of elevation gain per loop, TJ100k has plenty to offer.
In this third year records were broken for both men’s and women’s categories; 10:03 for men and 11:31 for women. Both fields were competitive and provided excitement. A very well established tradition, Andy delivers a $2 bill with Thomas Jefferson’s image to not only the winners, but to every finisher of the race.
We interviewed race director Andy Jones-Wilkins, who is known for reaching the top 10 in Western States for 7 consecutive years. He talks about logistics, history and the camaraderie in this race and between ultrarunners.
The Eastern Tribe is conduced by Neisa Condemaita, sponsored by The North Face USA and produced by Andrew Arbuckle. Neisa Condemaita is a journalist, certified trainer of the Road Runners Club of America and Local Ambassador of The North Face and, of course, TrailRunner. Andrew Arbuckle is director-producer and ultramarathoner.
