DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY/dewayne@mcnews.online
LOViT – Pierre Loic Derange of Meyzieu, France, shattered the course record in the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) 100 Mile Endurance Run by more than 30 minutes to win the sixth annual event. Stephanie Turner of Fayetteville, Arkansas won the women’s division with a time of just over 24 hours.
Derange and Turner were among 47 runners to begin the grueling 100 mile course Friday evening on the shores of Lake Ouachita. Participants began and ended the race at the Mountain Harbor Resort East Cove Pavilion. They spent the next 34 hours crossing rugged trails up and down the ridge lines south of Lake Ouachita with elevation changes totaling 40,000 feet.
Derange was the first of 28 participants to complete the course in a time of 21 hours and one minute. A time which eclipsed last year’s record setting pace of 21:34:38 set by Daniel Arnold.
Arkansas was well represented in the race with three of the Top Five finishers hailing from the Natural State. Little Rock’s Micah Woods finished second with a time of 21:35:00, just 22 seconds shy of Arnold’s record. Third place finisher Chris Lyle of Gentry, Arkansas finished the course in 22:45:00, fourth place finisher Alexander Schnoeller of Nashville, Tennessee completed the race in 24:22:00, and Matthew Clay of Fayetteville rounded out the Top Five with a time of 24:30:00.
Stephanie Turner of Fayetteville, Arkansas finished sixth overall with a time of 24 hours 49 minutes. Her time is second best all-time among women competitors behind Bailee Wilkerson’s 2017 time of 23:34:00.
Aneta Zeppettella of Centerville, Ohio was the second fastest woman this year with a time of 27:44:00, followed by Amanda Yiznitsky of Cincinnati, Ohio who finished the course in 28:44:00.
Mount Ida’s own Melissa Carmack was the fourth best among women competitors with a time of 31:01:00. She was the only local runner to compete in the 100 mile course. Helen Garen of Beavercreek, Ohio rounded out the Top Five with a time of 31:37:00.
The seventh annual 100K race began at 6 a.m. Saturday morning and made its way along the eastern edge of the LOViT to just below Blakely Dam and back to Mountain Harbor Resort. Competition was stiff with the Top Three competitors breaking Chris Ho’s record time of 10:18:00 set in 2017.
Chad Payne of Hot Springs was the first to cross the finish line with a time of nine hours and 35 minutes. Carter Dodd of Indianapolis, Indiana was second with a time of 9:48:00, followed by Chris Berry of Little Rock with a time of 9:54:00.
Chad Fridley of Huxley Iowa was fourth place with a time of 11:42:00, followed by Gavin May of Coldwater Mississippi with a time of 11:54:00.
Mika Thewes of Royal Oak, Michigan was sixth overall and fastest among female competitors with a time of 12 hours. Melissa Linan of Allen Texas was second with a time of 12:19:00. Both times were just behind the course record of 11:30:42 set by Carmen Cheadle in 2016.
Lauren Sewell of Siloam Springs, Arkansas finished third with a time of 13:04:00, followed by Virginia Gwyn of The Colony, Texas with a time of 13:46:00 and Marcela Ortiz of Dallas, Texas with a time of 13:49:00.
Kylynn Ledbetter was the only Montgomery County resident to compete in the 100K. She finished the course in 16:20:00 to finish ninth best in the women’s division.
The LOViT 100 is one of two 100 mile races in Arkansas and the 100K is the only one of its kind in the state.
Sponsors of the race include: Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa, Go!Running, Tailwind Nutrition, The North Face and Pinnacle Valley Liquor.
For more information on the race and a full list of competitors and their times visit runlovit.com.
