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, . 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 . “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.”