2024 - What an amazing day for racing! A special thank you from the Hawthorn Half Day Ultra & Relay team for your participation and inspiration! We are so very impressed with the determination and grit we saw in all of you yesterday. Some highlights from the event below!!

https://runsignup.com/.../IN/TerreHaute/HawthornHalfDayUltra

https://fandoit.smugmug.com/Hawthorn-Half-Day-2024/n-QWnsgg

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make Hawthorn Half Day such a fantastic success. Your support, enthusiasm, and hard work were absolutely amazing, and we couldn't have done it without you.

First off, a big shoutout to our sponsors, volunteers, and event timer. You guys rock! Thanks for keeping everything running smoothly and making sure everyone had a blast.

The day started off nice and cool, perfect for some speedy 6-hour finishes. A massive congrats to Sam Wassel, who not only won the overall female category but also broke her age group record with an impressive 40.93 miles—the highest mileage of the day in the 6-hour solo category! Our overall male winner, Scott Fihma, crushed it with 40.32 miles. Our overall 3-person team, Legs Miserables, nailed a sprint finish with 39.82 miles. Special kudos to Kathy Wicks, our top walker, who covered 20.66 miles and whose crew adopted (bottom right pic) a kitten rescued by a fellow racer from a creek on the course. Hawthorn, the kitten, definitely stole the show and our hearts. They report this morning that kitty slept all the way home to Danville and is off to see the vet on Tuesday.

As we moved into the 12-hour race, the sun came out in full force, making it a whole new ball game. Our volunteers were on point, keeping everyone hydrated and cool with ice and pep talks/high fives. Despite the heat, 87% of the participants powered through to the end. The top three runners exceeded 60 miles, with Doug Hettinger hitting an incredible 67.3 miles. Our overall female runner, Kate Shrader, put up a fierce fight and took her category with 55.37 miles. Even with an accidental lost loop, Team John Latta FC took the overall 3-6 person team win with a total 92.69 miles for the day. Our overall team of 2 "Non Runners" had a winning strategy and finished strong with 59.59 miles. And a big high-five to Shannon Funke, our overall walker, who completed 40.53 miles in the 12 Hour solo event! Jeff Kackley set a new record for the most mileage in HHD history for the 12-hour solo male 60-69 age group, earning him a double title. See story Tribune-Star from yesterday's front page article.

Thanks again to everyone who made this day unforgettable. Your energy and dedication are what make events like this so special. We can’t wait to see you all next year! Mark your calendars for 5/24/25. Registration will open soon.

2024 Records:

*6 Hour Female Solo 30-39, Sam Wassel 40.93 miles

*12 Hour Male Solo 60-69, Jeff Kackley 56.37 miles

2023 was a record breaking day for the 6 hour event with Mother Nature playing nice and kicking off the start of both races at 50 degrees. Nine records were broken and they were all in the 6 Hour event!! A brief overcast gave some midday relief for the 12 hour event as temps topped out over 80 degrees at 2 p.m. Runners enjoyed the iced coffee (and “good ice”) from Impressed Coffee and fresh cut fruit, PB&J’s, Pinwheels, and all the sugar from B&B Foods as they made their loops through home base.

Hawthorn Half Day Relay & Ultra continues to draw competitiors hoping to break records in both solo and team events. With exciting races to the finish, and down to the second efforts - records were smashed in 2023!

There were NINE records broken!! (see below)

Below is a list of the 2023 winners. All the results can be found at the results tab at the top of the page.

  • Overall Male Winner (12 hours) - Doug Hettinger, 68.81 miles
    Overall Female Winner (12 hours) -     Polly Launay, 55.98 miles
    Overall Male Winner (6 hours) -     Anthony Witt, 46.04 miles
    Overall Female Winner (6 hours) -     Sam Wassel, 40.32 miles
    Team of 2 Winners (12 hours) -     Average Joes, 81.75 miles
    Team of 6 Winners (12 hours) -     Acorn Endurance, 92.58 miles
    Team of 3 Winners (6 hours) -     North Boys, 53.76 miles

2023 RECORDS

6 Hour Solo

Men’s 6 Hour Race – Anthony Witt (46.04)
Women’s 6 Hour Race – Sam Wassel (40.32)

6 Hour Age Group
30 - 39 AGE GROUP - Anthony Witt 46.04 Miles

60 + AGE GROUP - Joseph Hutson 36.71 Miles

30 - 39 AGE GROUP - Sam Wassel 40.32 Miles

50 - 59 AGE GROUP - Julie Eubank 35.21 Miles

60 + AGE GROUP - Pam Henderson 33.60 Miles

6 Hour Teams

Team of 3 Division (6 Hour) – North Boys

Team of 3 Division Male Masters (6 Hour) – Team Crushers (49.04)