We no longer have a formal awards ceremony on Sunday morning. Reality was that most of you understandably blow town to get back home or see other sites before then, plus the fact that we’re pretty much brain dead zombies by that point (you could argue that we’re always brain dead, and you’d have a solid point, but that’s beside the point). So, we wrap everything up Saturday afternoon/evening. All awards are handed out at the finish line as runners finish and as results are tabulated.
100 Mile Awards
All 100 mile finishers will get a belt buckle. Sub-24 finishers will receive a special Sub-24 buckle. All 100 mile finishers will also receive an extra special finisher’s shirt.
The top three men and women overall in the 100 mile race will receive the coolest trophy in all of ultra running: a buffalo skull hand painted by local artist Dan Chapman.
50M/50K/30K Awards
All finishers in the 50M/50K/30K will receive an extra special finisher coffee mug. We used to give out medals, but for real, what are you gonna do with a medal besides stare at it? Coffee mugs are much more useful. Not to mention that the ones we give out are the heavy duty camping ones that can be used as a blunt object to knock out an intruder or fend off a grizzly bear. Seriously, these things are practically indestructible. Plus, they look cool.
The top three men and women overall in the 50M/50K/30K will also receive an award (in addition to their cool coffee mug).
Man/Woman in Black Award
Starting in 2018, we introduced the Man/Woman in Black Award. Let’s face it, most of y’all aren’t fast enough to win a buffalo skull by finishing top three in the 100. But you can still get yourself one. All you’ve gotta do is run all four distances (100 mile, 50 mile, 50K, and 30K). You can do them in four straight years, you can do them over the span of 10 years. Doesn’t matter. Finish them all, and you’ll walk (hobble?) away with a skull. If you are to the point where you have three finishes and are eligible for the Man/Woman in Black with one more, it might not hurt to drop us a line (blackhillsultra@gmail.com) and let us know…we try to keep track but a few of you are bound to slip through.
Age Group Awards
We give out age group awards for the top three finishers in the following three divisions for both men and women in each race distance: Open (under 40), Masters (40-49), and Grand Masters (50+). Awards vary from year to year. We like to mix things up and keep you on your toes. We don’t double-dip. so if you finish in the top three overall for your distance, you’re not eligible for an age group award. Spread the wealth!