MDLD Past Results & Reports

Since 2006, The Mason-Dixon Longest Day 100K Challenge has been a fun annual, personal trail challenge, shared among running friends and supported by the Trail Dawgs Athletic Club. This page serves as the record of finishes, and even of some of the attempts, for fans of the MDLD.

Fastest Finishes

2025 Reigning Fastest Finisher: Matthew Burke 15:19

Men's Fastest Finish Ever: James Weaver 10:30 (2019)

Women's Fastest Finish Ever: Jackie Palmer 12:01 (2014)

Fastest Unsupported "Dixon" Finish Ever: James Weaver 10:30 (2019)

Oldest "Challenge" Finisher Ever: Robert Bartholomew, 58 (2022)

Youngest "Challenge" Finisher Ever: Jake Landon, 21 (2019)

Key to finisher lists below:

Bold names denote meeting the sunrise to sunset "Challenge."

Mason = supported run with crew and/or pacer(s)

Dixon (italics) = unsupported run, no crew or pacer

List of all MDLD Finishes

MDLD 100k All-Time Results (Google Sheet)

compiled by Rob Bartholomew, 2025

A little history from MDLD co-founder Hunt Bartine (written in 2016):

"The Lancaster Buzzard trail runners should be thanked for introducing me to the trail and some of the concept of MDLD started then. We had done a run, north to south from Shanks Mare to Lock 12 in about 6 hours with one speedy guy (Evan Sandt) doing it in just over 4 and that had started me thinking about running the whole distance to Havre de Grace. The idea of an event of the whole distance came shortly after when I was on my through run attempt of the whole trail and probably when was half awake one night since i slept on trail and if not hallucinating at least not thinking clearly. It was only when I started to talk about it some with Paul Melzer (ed.: ultimately the co-founder) that the idea fully came together and it may have been Paul who had the brilliance or was sadistic enough to think of holding it on the Longest Day. Even several weeks before the inaugural run, we were not sure how realistic it really was. However, after an advance run over two days (we camped on trail along Muddy Creek after picking up our stashed bedding at Stark Moon kayak store) with about 18 hours running time we decided it could be done in 15 hours in one day. The pre-run also was done in near perfect weather and may have clouded our view about realistic 15 hour finishes. Two weeks later the first MDLD became a reality. Unfortunately the 1st year was hot and humid and had no finishers of about 8 starters, although Paul and I made it to Otter Creek by 5 pm but opted not to go on with heavy rain and lightning that was occurring."

2025 Finishers

Matthew Burke, M37, 15:19

Anthony Romano, M40, 16:49

Frank Murphy, M42, 16:59

Julie Lyness, F56, 22:52

The 2025 edition of our annual TrailDawgs Mason-Dixon Longest Day Challenge brought another round of June heat — but mercifully not quite as intense as last year’s brutal scorcher. Temperatures were around 70°F at the sunrise start and climbed steadily to just about 90°F by mid-afternoon — hot enough to demand patience, smart pacing, and a lot of ice.

Final-finisher Julie Lyness was first-starter at midnight, claiming the zombie shift. The rest of the finishers began with the sunrise crew. Matthew Burke and Ian Maffett ran together or nearby for much of the day, until Ian bowed out at Otter Creek. Anthony Romano and Frank Murphy stuck close nearly all day and pushed each other to the finish. Matthew was tghe fastest finisher for 2025, ultimately finishing in 15:19, with Anthony and Frank following in the darkness in 16:49 and 16:59. Julie weathered the full day and reached the Shank’s Mare finish in 22:52 — an inspiring midnight-to-dark effort. There was also much inspiration and suffering among the brave runners to started the journey but had the sense to stop when they needed. Others opted for fun runs somewhere along the route. Their names will be added the the "fun run" roster below soon.

Once again, our little home-grown, running-community-organized non-event only happened thanks to the generous contributions of time, energy, funds, and support from our incredible crew of volunteers and friends. Thanks to fellow non-organizers Dave Strine and Rob and Cathy Bartholomew (we really missed Roxanne — but she’s off rocking the Appalachian Trail this summer). Hunt and I kicked things off with a 5:37 a.m. crew start. Our kind and capable picnic captains took amazing care of the runners along the route. Cassie Lizza welcomed runners with support at Cold Cabin picnic area just before the marathon mark. Tim Gorzynski and Stewart “Stumpy” Dotts held things down at Lock 12 and helped runners survive the miles after the 50K mark. James Weaver and I hosted at Otter Creek Campground picnic site just before mile 50. Rob and Cathy were a constant roaming aid station. And the finish line was once again a celebration on the porch of the now-shuttered Shanks Mare Store, with Dave, James, me, and thousands of mayflies hosting pizza, shade, and the not-quite-official awards welcome party. We also really appreciate the support of the PHUNT Run (Carl Perkins) and Otter Creek Campground (Mandy and Scott, campottercreek.com) that makes hosting this much easier.

Thanks to all of you who showed up, cheered, supported, ran, limped, or laughed your way down the trail — and a sincere "well done" to those who stuck it out in that midsummer heat.

Report by Pete McLaughlin

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

TB added

2024 Finishers

Keith Miller, M41, 14:17

Matthew Burke, M36, 15:15

Roberto Magana, M52, 16:57

Anthony Romano, M39, 19:42

The weatherman threw a doozy of a heatwave at the runners attempting the 2024 edition of our annual TraiDawgs Mason Dixon Longest Day Challenge. A local WeatherUnderground weather station on Slab Road recorded a high of almost 🔥 98.8 degrees and a dew point of 🔥 82.2 degrees -- simply put, brutal.

With that said, a shout-out to all of the runners who were hardy enough to take on the course in the heat yesterday, whether for a planned, short "fun run", a run cut short by the heat (a "no-fun run"?), or for a full-distance run.

We had a single runner who was able to complete The MDLD "100K" Challenge this year. 🏆 Congratulations to Keith Miller who finished the entire route in a time of 14 hours, 17 minutes. 🏆 Keith was the only of the starters of the Sunrise to Sunset Challenge to make it all the way from Rock Run Mill to Shanks Mare Store and managed to do so well before sunset.

We also had three runners who completed the entire distance with a midnight "zombie" start. Big kudos to Matthew Burke (15:15), Beto Magana (16:57). and Anthony Romano (19:42) for finishing this tough 60 mile route,

This is the first year since 2016 (when Don Riley was the single finisher in 2016 and finished after sunset) that we have had only one sunrise starter finish and less than finishers of any kind, For comparison, last year, for we had 8 runners finish the distance, 6 of them meeting the sunrise-to-sunset challenge. Each year from 2018 to 2021 there were 11 to 13 finishers. This year was tough.

This home-gown, running-community-organized non-event could only happen thanks to the generous contributions of time,energy, funds, and other support of numerous volunteers and friends. Thanks to fellow non-organizers Rox and Dave Strine and Rob and Cathy Bartholomew, as well as picnic captains Terry Meade, Abby Ross, James Weaver, Tim Gorzynski, Scott Newcomer, and Ruthie Franczek. We also really appreciate the support of the PHUNT Run (Carl Perkins), Otter Creek Campground (Mandy and Scott, campottercreek.com), Mason-Dixon Trail System (Ruthie is Madame President), and RunPA (Jason Logue, runpa.org/). Wow, I hope I did not forget to name any of you nice supporters!

Thanks to all of you who turned out and a sincere "well done" to all of you who managed to tolerate those conditions for any number of miles.

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

TB added

2023 Finishers

Eddie Pantoja, M37, 11:01:54

Ian Maffett, M41, 12:24:48

Chris Baumer, M44, 12:48:52

Jake Landon, M23, 13:49:35

Zach Geiple, M40, 13:59:28

Daryl Lehman, M47, 14:40:00

Glenn Downes, M43, 16:09:51

Roberto Magana, M51, 19:12:30

Special shout out to Eddie, Jake, and Zach for being the first four-time finishers.

An idea that came from the demented minds of Hunt Bartine and Pawl Melzer has turned into a long running – pardon the pun – local trail running tradition: The Mason Dixon Longest Day. Like every year, the 2023 edition of this disorganized non-event would not be possible without the generous support of time and labor of many volunteers and the participation of insane long-distance runners and their supportive family and friends. Thank you, folks!

Congratulations to all of the amazing runners on their monstrous awesome efforts and accomplishments on the trail this year. The MDLD is never easy and this day was less so than some of the others. A closed section of trail near Conowingo Dam resulted in a re-route onto a road, and more miles as a result. The weather was not very nice. Though it was cool at the start, it was very humid. Then it warmed up. Maybe too much. There were periods of rain. Middle Atlantic summer weather. On top of that, we had one finisher who fell and did a number on his wrist. Despite that, the runners rocked the trail, and the trail sometimes rocked them.

Hey, check out the nice race report by Daryl Lehman!

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

Willie Wrede, 48.3 miles

Ben Wickham, 45.4

Erin Altemos, 44.8

Jennifer Brazee, 41.4

Toby Ehrbaker, 41.4

Andrew Raup, 41.4

Matthew Burke, 35.5

Diana Widdowson, 35.5

Luc Claessens, 34.3

Henriett Blodgett, 31

Roxanna Strine, 31

Ryan Leppo, 23.3

Jay Pinter, 23.3

Ryan Redon, 23.3

Florin Tencariu, 23.3

JoAnna Vickers, 23.3

Heather Dusseau, 21.5

Kenny Dusseau, 21.5

Tim Crowe, 21

2022 Finishers

1 Benjamin Linne M24 11:32

2 Robert Bartholomew M58 13:27

3 Luc Claessens M57 14:02

4 Cassandra Lizza F41 15:25

5 Marty Angulo M46 16:13

6 Philip Perkins M50 16:19

7 Todd Fisher M59 18:06

Following a 2021 MDLD that featured the youngest "Challenge" finisher ever, the 2022 run gave use the oldest "Challenge" finisher ever: co-non-event disorganizer Robert Bartholomew, who was a very young 58 years of age. Rob didn't even plan to complete the entire distance that day but managed to be the second runner to reach the steps of Shanks Mare Store. Not far behind was another of the "fast-fifties" brigade, Luc Claessens, age 57, who ran the entire route with no help, making him the fastest "Dixon" of 2022.

Just as impressive as the older finishers was the effort of the year's fastest finisher, relative youngster Ben Linne (age 24), who flew through the course in 11:32. Ben had a great group of friends enjoying the day with him as pacers and crew.

Cassie Lizza took the crown for the fastest (and only) female finisher this year, also accomplishing the feat as an unsupported "Dixon" run.

This was a great year to run the MDLD. The weather was reasonable, not mild but not especially hot, and the trail was in great shape, with some much trimming and weed-wacking that it was like a tour of Longwood Gardens. Well, if you had to run 60 miles of rocks and roots at Longwood.

Congrats to all of the finishers and to the fun-runners for their effort! More details on the day will be added here as time and memory permit.

Mason-Dixon Shortest Night 50k++ Challenge Finishers

Course: Shank's > Cold Cabin, Sunset Start on June 17 (9 hours of darkness)

1 Tiffany Hodum F36 9:20

2 Sarah Wenger F36 9:21

3 Eric Ferree M36 9:34

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

Roxanna Strine 54 miles

Diana Widdowson 54

Ian Maffett 50

Ryan Redon 50

Amy Sipe 50

Gary Wenczel 48

Saul Duarte 45

Jeff Engelbrecht 45

Pete Fisher 45

Melissa Morland 45

Kathleen Cusick 36

Miguel Barowski 23

Bob Brosh 23

Jake Landon 23

Matthew Miller 23

Jay Pinter 23

Lisa Gesualdo 21

Julie Lyness 11

Jeff Kearns 9

2021 Finishers

1. Jake Landon (M21) 13:17

2. Melissa Morland (F45) 13:21

3. Steven Larick (M27) 14:32

4. Caleb Roth (M31) 14:32

5. Luc Claessens (M56) 15:03

6. Riley Andridge (M27) 15:07

7. Serge Arbona (M56) 15:08

8. David Long (M45) 15:56

9. Jakob Sinclair (M41) 16:01

10. Kirk Bolen (M40) 16:55

11. Jeff Izzo (M46) 16:55

The 2021 run of the MDLD featured a fastest time by the youngest "Challenge" finisher ever: Jake Landon of Newark, Delaware, age 21. More details on the day will be added here as time and memory permit (with updates on who was Mason and who was Dixon).

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

Ryan Leppo 55

David Lantz 45

Daryl Lehman II 45

Cassandra Lizza 45

Mandy Pierce 45

Chris Rush 45

Roxanne Strine 45

Kathleen Cusick 41

Todd Fisher 40

Gary Wenczel 37

Jessica Eager 35

Clifton Shanklin 35

Marty Angulo 33

Henriett Blodgett 31

Jeff Kearns 31

Julie Lyness 31

Sarah Wenger 28

Lisa Gesualdo 23

Glen Ausmus 22

Robert Bartholomew 22

Patricia Boone 22

Jen Lange 22

Rob Story 22

Diana Wildowsin 22

Alberto Vasquez 21

Eddie Pantoja 5

2020 Finishers

1. Eddie Pantoja (M34) 12:44

2. Eric Ferree (M42) 13:37

3. Jake Landon (M20) 13:40

4. Steven Larick (M26) 13:48

5. Zach Geiple (M37) 13:59

6. Pete Fisher (M52) 14:16

7. Hugh MacMullan (M53) 16:30

8. Erin Altemos (F46) 17:06

9. Casey Fisher (M37) 17:13

10. TJ Quinn (M42) 20:04

11. Grayce Langheine (F37) 20:07

12. Mandy Pierce (F45) 21:51

13. Julie Lyness (F51) 25:40

The year 2020 has been full of unexpected events. However, even in 2020, the Mason-Dixon Trail gives us what we expect: rocks, climbs, roots, thorns, nettles, rain, mist, heat, breezes, sun, shade, great views and inspiration. Due to covid-19, our usual runners' roving picnic and celebration of running was a little less social than usual -- a bit more socially distanced, shall we say? And, runners had the flexibility in running within a window of dates around the Longest Day of June 20, from a few days before to a few days after.

With all of the challenges that our communities have faced this year, we still had a field of tough, determined, strong runners show up. Most ran on June 20, but a few others made the attempt just before or after. Six runners finished The Challenge, completing the distance from Rock Run Mill to Shanks Mare Store within daylight hours. This is a tie for the greatest number of successful Challenges, equaling the 2014 total. And, thirteen total runners completed the distance, meaning that -- in addition to the six who made The Challenge -- seven more tough men and women persisted through darkness and fatigue to get the 100K distance completed one way or another. That is another record high number, tying the 2019 total.

Eddie Pantoja was the fastest 2020 finisher on his third run of the MDLD, persisting through early challenges from Eric Feree and hot, humid weather to finish in 12:44. Eric Feree was the second finisher, hanging on through the challenging conditions to finish in 13:37. Three more runners finished in the next 20 minutes, close on Eric's heels. Jake Landon had his second MDLD finish, shaving off an hour of time compared to last year with a 13:40 arrival at Shanks Mare. Steve Larick finished next at 13:48 on the clock, an incredible run for a first timer at MDLD and the 100K distance. Zach Geiple, who previously finished in 2017 and 2015, finished in 13:59, knocking a half hour off his best time. And, the last challenge finisher, Peter Fisher, had a great run, well ahead of sunset with a finishing time of 14:16.

Also completing the full 100-ish kilometer distance after sunset were Hugh MacMullan (16:30, first finish after an "almost" in 2017!), Erin Altemos (17:06, first finish!), Casey Fisher (17:13, 2nd finish), TJ Quinn (20:04, first finish!), Grayce Langheine (20:07, first finish!), Mandy Pierce (21:51, 3rd finish), and the tough Julie Lyness (25:40, first finish) as most persistent finisher.

These are some exceptional people who achieved a truly Challenging goal. Congratulations to the 2020 finishers! And kudos, too, to those on the Honor Roll of "fun-runners" (listed below).

We will try to add more details here as they occur to us. Please, in the meantime, if you wrote a "race report" (even though this is not a real race), please send us the link.

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs" Honor Roll

Neal Barnaba 47 miles

Kathleen Cusick 45

Roxanne Strine 41

Tacey Powers 37

Lisa Gesualdo 35

Cassandra Lizza 35

Robert Bartholomew 28

Gary Wenczel 28

Kiran Koons 23

Gabi Stephens 23

Kenny Dusseau 22

Wayne Heffelfinger 22

Rachel Pierce 21

David Wood 21

Pete McLaughlin 15

Bernie Sanders McLaughlin 15

Melanie Hemmings 13

Dave Strine 12

Roxanne Strine 12

Angie Patterson 8

2019 Finishers

1. James Weaver 10:30 (Dixon)

2. Melvin Huyard 14:16 (Dixon)

3. Thomas Haine 14:22 (Dixon)

4. Jake Landon 14:42 (Mason)

5. Henry Peck 15:14 (Mason)

6. Robert Bartholomew 15:38 (Mason)

7. Gary Wenczel 15:38 (Dixon)

8. Elsa Araujo 17:21 (Mason)

9. Casey Fisher 18:02 (Dixon)

10. Don Riley 19:19 (Dixon)

11. Mandy Pierce 19:30 (Mason)

12. Dipak Bhattacharyya 23:15 (Dixon)

13. Iris Golla 23:15 (Dixon)

Mini-MDLD"Fun Runs"

Eddie Pantoja, Eric Feree, and others to be added soon with distances

Held June 22, 2019. What a great day to run 100K. Perfect weather. Well-groomed trails. Seriously! Well-groomed trails! The usually overgrown and rugged Mason-Dixon Trail was groomed nearly as well as a cross-country course in the weeks ahead of time thanks to volunteers from the Mason-Dixon Trail System. Well, OK, it was still tough, but at least the tall grass had been weed wacked. And, there were some massive new blowdowns that had not been cleared.

We had a field of impressive runners and 2019 saw a second consecutive year with a record time. James Weaver managed to run the distance in 10 hours and 30 minutes. That's fast. And, the guy is so nice that he hung around to see everyone finish (at least everyone who finished before midnight).

We will add more details here about the day as they occur to us. Please, in the meantime, if you wrote a "race report" (even though this is not a real race), please send us the link.

2018 Finishers

1. Andrew Simpson (York, PA), 10:46 (Dixon)

2. Eddie Pantoja (Avondale, PA), 11:54 (Mason)

3. Eric Ferree (Seven Valleys, PA), 13:58 (Dixon)

4. Kathleen Daumer Cusick (Alexandria, VA), 14:05 (Dixon)

5. Michael Martinek (Fallston, MD), 14:17 (Mason)

6. Josh Jones (Jarrettsville, MD), 15:06 (Dixon)

7. Robert Bartholomew (Aberdeen, MD), 16:04 (Mason)

7. Lisa Gesualdo (Bel Air, MD), 16:04 (Mason)

9. Don Riley (Phoenix, MD), 19:41 (Zombie Dixon)

9. Keith Hearn (Elizabethtown, PA), 19:41 (Zombie Dixon)

9. Joe Hess (Mount Joy, PA), 19:41 (Zombie Dixon)

12. Gary Bowman (Conestoga, PA), 20:20 (Zombie Dixon)

12. Mandy Pierce (Mount Joy, PA), 20:20 (Zombie Dixon)

Held June 23, 2018. Twenty-one brave trail runners toed the line at the Rock Run Mill this year. In the weeks leading up to the run, numerous volunteers from the trail running community and the Mason-Dixon Trail System were on the trails, clearing downed trees, trimming overgrown trails, and touching up faded blue trail blazes. In the days before the run, some of us jokingly predicted that a record fast time would be achieved this year because of the superb condition of the trail. Little did we know that one of this year’s runners -- first-timer Andrew Simpson of York, PA -- was trained to top fitness, reasonably rested, and capable of running a smoking fast time. And, smoking fast it was -- Andrew set a new fastest MDLD time, coming in at 10 hours and 46 minutes after the sunrise start. In addition to the new record holder, four other runners made the very difficult sunrise-to-sunset challenge and eight others finished the full 100-km-ish distance.

The twenty-one “Challenge” runners started their days in two groups, one group at midnight and one at 5:38 am at the official sunrise. The midnight “Zombie” group was nine runners strong, one group of three Cecil Trail Squirrels and a group of six of the usual Lanco-Yorkco (trail) suspects. According to reports from local citizens, they worked their way north moaning like the pack of dead-but-undead runners they are. Little more is known about their fate until they called it a day -- the Squirrels at Lock 12 (38-ish miles), the Lanco-Yorkco groupies around sunset at the finish. Meanwhile, the sunrise runners began to assemble after 5 am at the Mill and were off at 5:38 under cloudy and humid but cool conditions. The sunrise group was joined by a few friends setting out for shorter “fun runs.” For the first time in a few years, we managed to NOT have part of the pack get lost in the first miles in Susquehanna State Park. There was not a ton of separation of the runners in the early stages, but the distance between the FRBs and the back of the pack steadily grew through the day. The temperatures gradually went up from the lower 60s at the start to the mid or upper 70s by mid afternoon, with patches of sunny skies making the day feel a bit warm now and then.

Speedster Andrew went out ahead of the pack shortly after the start and essentially stayed there all day long, except for a short period where he went off course and was passed by second-year runner Eddie Pantoja of Avondale, PA. Eddie was fairly close to Andrew for much of the day, but Andrew clearly mounted a serious attack on the final Escarpment section and stretched the field a bit, apparently running every one of those nearly unrunnable hills (the 7 “RBs”). This earned him the new record fastest run of 10:46. Eddie crushed his sub-13 hour goal by beating 12 hours. Eric Ferree had a great run to be the third finisher in just under 14 hours. Last year’s fastest runner, Kathleen Cusick, ran strong near the front of the pack for most of the day and ended the day as the fastest female finisher for 2018. Michael Martinek took his eyes off the Susquehanna fish fauna long enough to make a great first run at the MDLD, also beating the sunset. Josh Jones significantly bested his time from last year but arrived just a few minutes after the 8:38 sunset, just missing the sunrise-to-sunset challenge (there is always next year, Josh). Also completing the full 60-ish mile, 100-ish kilometer distance after sunset were Rob Bartholomew and Lisa Gesualdo; Rob had to regroup after a fall and very nasty finger laceration and ran fast enough to catch Lisa and finish together. Rounding out the finishers were the folks who got the most out of the day, Zombie Runners Don Riley, Keith Hearn, Joe Hess, Gary Bowman, and Mandy Pierce.

As always, please send in your race reports and photos!

Mini-MDLDs

to Greenbranch Road (57ish)

Luc Claessens

to Otter Creek Campground (almost 50)

Elsa Araujo

Dan Hawk

to Lock 12 (37ish)

Roxanne Strine

to Muddy Creek Bridge (more-than-a-marathon)

Todd Yingling

to Cold Cabin Park (almost-a-marathon)

The Midnight Squirrels!

Chuck Dolor

Andrea Griffith

Steve Jackson

MDLD Section "Fun Runs," various distances

Anthony Walick (37ish miles to Lock 12)

Steve Bunville

Stewart "Stumpy" Dotts

Tim Gorzynski (23 to Cold Cabin)

“Reading Dave” Krausse

Brigitte Sheehan (23 to Cold Cabin)

David Wood

And two RASACers with Ron Green whose name we forget

Special recognition for aid station volunteers and supporters!

David and Brenda Wood (Cold Cabin and Otter Creek picnic hosts and shuttles)

Dave Strine (Muddy Creek Bridge, shuttles, aid drop cleanup)

Angus Repper, “Reading Dave” Krausse, and Stewart "Stumpy" Dotts (Lock 12)

Brian Rousseau (Omnipresent! Cold Cabin, Lock 12, Otter Creek, finish line, shuttles)

Don Riley, Stewart "Stumpy" Dotts, and Steve Bunville, aid drops

Roxanne Strine, finish line and aid drop cleanup

Thank you to Mandy and Scott Welch of the relaxing and hospitable Otter Creek Campground for the use of their picnic pavilion!
Thank you to the region’s best outfitters at Shanks Mare Store for the use of their from porch as a finish line!
Maps and volunteer maintenance by the Mason-Dixon Trail System was over the top this year -- without the M-DTS, you'd still be lost and covered with stinging-nettle welts. Visit their site and join!
Most of all, one of the RDs (Pete) would like to thank his co-RDs Hunt Bartine and Roxanne Strine for helping put on this very fun running picnic and celebration of the amazing Mason-Dixon Trail.

2017 Finishers

1. Kathleen Daumer Cusick (Alexandria, VA), 13:22 (Dixon)

2. George Sefzik (Washington, DC), 13:25 (Dixon)

3. Eddie Pantoja (Avondale, PA), 13:35 (Dixon)

4. Zach Geiple (York, PA), 14:31 (Mason)

5. Josh Jones (Jarrettsville, MD), 17:23 (Mason)

6. Gary Bowman (Conestoga, PA), 18:39 (Mason?)

6. Keith Hearn (Elizabethtown, PA), 18:39 (Mason?)

8. Tacy Powers (Newark, DE), 20:31 (Mason)

Held June 24, 2017. Four runners achieved the very difficult sunrise-to-sunset challenge out of eight finishers of the full 100-km-ish distance. Twenty runners started. Though 12 runners dropped early, there were no fatalities.

The runners started their days in stages, with one group starting at midnight, another group at astronomical sunrise (3:36), and finally a group of folks tying for the sunrise-to sunset challenge leaving at 5:38 am. The sunrise group started as the sky opened up and soaked them in a torrential downpour. After the usual adventures of a few runners getting lost in Susquehanna State Park, the pack gradually broke up into clusters of runners and the field spread out. Post-downpour, the morning was rather cool although very humid, but the day warmed as the showers cleared. By later morning and early afternoon, the temperatures reached well into the 80s with humidity keeping the runners from cooling off much -- though the shaded areas in the woods had fairly enjoyable conditions, the open areas made for some hot miles.

As of late morning, first-finisher Kathleen Cusick got out ahead of the pack of sunrise starters, passed early starters, and maintained a bit of distance from the rest of the pack for most of the day. Kathleen ended up as fastest finisher, reaching the steps of Shanks Mare Store at 7:00 pm sharp, beating the sunrise-to-sunset challenge in a time of 13:22. This made Kathleen the first female to be a MDLD "fastest finisher", and also made her the fastest ever female "Dixon" (no pacer or crew). Though Kathleen was out ahead almost the entire day, the second and third finishers, George Sefzik and Eddie Pantoja, seemed to claw back a little bit of time in the final miles, and ended up finishing only 3 and 13 minutes behind, respectively. Zach Geiple rounded out the sunrise-to-sunset Challenge finishers, besting his previous finishing time with some speedy, trekking-pole-driven final miles. Others to complete the full 60-ish mile, 100-ish kilometer distance were Josh Jones, Gary Bowman, Keith Hearn, and Tacy Powers. The dropouts, er, we mean "other starters," enjoyed various numbers of tasty helpings of sweet Mason-Dixon miles, in some cases with off-trail tours of other highlights of Harford and York Counties to add some variety (we can only assume unintentionally?).

Please send in your race reports and photos!

Mini-MDLDs

to Greenbranch Road (57ish)

Andy Anderson

Aaron Ellison

Hugh MacMullen

to Apollo Park (53ish)

Brian Rousseau

to Otter Creek Campground (almost 50)

Gary Appel

Luc Claessens

Mandy Pierce

to Lock 12 (37ish)

Jim Demsko

Kiran Koons

Graham Munda

to somewhere on River Road (34ish?)

Roxanne Strine

to Muddy Creek Bridge (and the special "bonus miles" award)

Dan Hawk

MDLD Section "Fun Runs", various distances

Hunt Bartine (pacer, 23 miles)

Stacy Bradley

Steve Bunville

Stewart "Stumpy" Dotts

Kyle Elken

Monica Farling

Casey Fisher (pacer, 37 miles)

Ann Greenawalt (pacer)

Kathi Markley

Pete McLaughlin

Scott Newcomer (two sections pacing)

Don Riley (pacer, 23 miles)

Amy Zbikowski (pacer?, 50 miles!?)

Special recognition for aid station volunteers and supporters!

David and Brenda Wood (Cold Cabin and Otter Creek)

Dave Strine (Muddy Creek Bridge and Shanks Mare Store)

Stewart "Stumpy" Dotts, Kathi and John Markley, and Stacy Bradley (Lock 12)

Thank you to Mandy and Scott Welch of the fun and relaxing Otter Creek Campground for the use of their picnic pavilion!

Thank you to the excellent outfitter and outdoor advocates at Shanks Mare Store for the use of their from porch as a finish line!

Maps and volunteer maintenance by the Mason-Dixon Trail System -- without the M-DTS, you'd still be lost and covered with stinging-nettle welts. Visit their site and join!

2016 Finishers

1. Don Riley, 17:22 (Mason)

Held June 17, 2016. There was one finisher out of 8 starters. The finish was after dark. So, though we had a brave, bad-ass finish, nobody beat the Longest Day Challenge this year.

Mini-MDLDs

Tacy Powers, 53.4 miles

Bill McCue, 45.3 miles

Mandy Pierce, 45.3 miles

Jeff Engelbrecht, 45.3 miles

Kyle Elken, 45.3 miles

Ron Kappus, 35.4 miles

Christian Taylor, 35.4 miles

MDLD Section Runs, various distances

Hunt Bartine

Laurie Reinhart

Tim Gorzynski

Jamie Kite

Steve Bunville

Brigitte Sheehan

Casey Fisher

Carl Perkins

Jason Sparklin

Pete McLaughlin

2014 Finishers

1. Jason Lantz 11:11:00 (Dixon)

2. Jackie Palmer 12:01:00 (Mason)

3. James Rayburn 12:35:00 (Dixon)

4. Kathleen Cusick 12:57:00 (Dixon)

5. Henry Peck 13:35:00 (Mason)

6. Ryan Vandenberghe 14:35:00 (Mason)

7. Gary Bowman 17:18:00 (Mason)

Held June 21, 2014 on a cool day with some morning showers and drier conditions later in the day. Great running conditions. There was an amazing total of seven finishers out of eleven starters. An unprecedented six runners who started at sunrise managed to finish by sunset, making The Challenge. This year's course was longer than previous years' with the addition of some beautiful new miles (1.5 of them) along the banks of Otter Creek, but about 1/2 mile less in Conowingo.

Mini-MDLDs

Brigitte Sheehan 50 miles @ Otter Creek

Roxanne Strine 50 miles @ Otter Creek

Jack Wharton 38 miles @ Lock 12

Steve Bunville 29 miles @ Muddy Creek Bridge

2014 reports: Jackie Palmer

2013 Finishers

1. Michael Welch 13:51:00 (Mason)

2. Scott Newcomer 13:55:00 (Dixon)

3. Alexander Papadopoulos 14:11:00 (Dixon)

4. Janet Smith 14:36:00 (Mason)

5. Kenneth Keller 15:11:00 (Mason)

6. Gary Lukacs 17:16:00 (Mason)

7. Henry Peck 17:16:00 (Dixon)

8. David Wood 19:29:00 (Dixon)

9. Steve Bunville 20:01:00 (Mason)

10. Harry Hewson 20:48:00 (Mason)

11. Jeff Engelbrecht 23:45:00 (Dixon)

12. Roxanna Strine 24:35:00 (Mason)

Held June 22, 2013. There was an amazing total of twelve finishers out of twenty starters. Four runners started at sunrise and beat the sun to the end of the course. Some of the runners had a very early start and soldiered on for finish times of over 20 hours.

Mini-MDLDs

Matt Smythe 50 miles @ Otter Creek

Ryan Vandenberg 45 miles @ Posey Road

Milo Selin 38 miles @ Lock 12

Kyle Elken 32 miles @ Slab Road

John Lucerne 32 miles @ Slab Road

Bob Brashear 25 miles @ Cold Cabin

Loren Thomas 25 miles @ Cold Cabin

Eva Van Stratum 25 miles @ Cold Cabin

Grace Tran fun run, various trails

2013 reports: Jeff Engelbrecht

2012 Finishers

1. Meg Harnett 12:56 (Mason)

2. Keith Levasseur 13:06 (Dixon)

3. Bill Tryon 13:51 (Mason)

4. Thomas Haine 14:26 (Mason)

5. Nate Regoski 14:49 (Mason)

6. Will Weidman 15:58 (Dixon)

7. Brigitte Sheehan 20:42 (Mason)

Held June 23, 2012. There were seven finishers out of twenty-one starters. Though the weather was reasonably nice and the temperatures not notably hot, this year's run presented difficulties over previous years. Storms in late 2011 and early 2012 had thrown many downed trees and washouts into the mix. The icing on the cake was an intense storm that passed through the area the night before, giving the runners a large number of new downed trees to deal with. Despite those extra obstacles, seven participants managed to finish the entire 100K, with a record five runners completing the daylight challenge. Meg Harnett of Baltimore completed the fastest ever run by a woman and won this year's challenge in a time of 12:56. Keith Levasseur of Glen Burnie, MD, completed the fastest "Dixon," meaning a run without crew or pacer(s), coming in only ten minutes or so behind Meg. Congratulations to all of the 2012 runners!

Mini-MDLDs:

Janet Smith (Otter Creek): 50 miles, ~12:25

David Wood (Otter Creek): 50 miles, ~15:35

Jeff Engelbrecht (Otter Creek): 50 miles, ~15:21

Henry Peck (Otter Creek): 50 miles

Jason Rita: 50+ miles trail+road division

Roxanne Strine: ~44 miles (gameland fence)

Gary Lukacs: 38 miles+++ (Lock 12 plus off trail tour), 8 hrs++

Steve Bunville: 38 miles (Lock 12), ~8:20

Harry Hewson: 38 miles (Lock 12), ~8:25

Eva Van Stratum: 38 miles (Lock 12), ~11:31

Dean Johnson: 34 miles, ~10:00

Mimi Hughes: TBA

Kim Demarco: TBA

Loren Thomas: TBA

Kallie Johnson: 10 miles, 4 paws

2011 Finishers

1. James Rayburn 11:37

2. Jim Mastrianni 15:00

3. Janet Smith 18:47

4. Mike Gormley 18:47

5. John Dunham 19:20

6. Glenn Gravatt 19:54

Held June 18, 2011. There were six finishers out of twenty-five starters. Though this trail is not easy at any time, 2011 seems to have been an especially tough year.

2010 Finishers

1. James Rayburn 11:10 (new fastest time)

2. Ron Green 14:38

3. Jen Erickson 15:04

4. Thomas Haine 15:05

5. Bill Tryon 15:10

6. Laurie Reinhart 15:29

7. Larry Schlaline 15:56

Held June 19, 2010. Seven finishers out of nineteen starters. James Rayburn and Ron Green finished before the 8:37 sunset. Rayburn set a new course record.

2010 Reports: Steve Bunville | Jen Erickson | Ron Green | Tom Haine (pdf)

2009 Finishers

1. Brett Pfleiger, 12:22 (new fastest time)

2. Bill Tryon, 14:25

3. Ron Green, 14:42

4. Jaret Seiberg, 15:22

5. Christian Taylor, 17:48

6. Hamilton Tyler, 17:48

7. Seth McElroy, 17:49

8. Rick Moyer, 17:49

9. Pete McLaughlin, 18:39 (new record slow time)

Held June 20, 2009.

Hunt reports:

MDLD seems to attract a select type of trail runner looking for a different but significant challenge and has grown slowly. This year saw an increase to 16 registered full 100k distance runners and 5+ relay participants.

This forth running saw similar conditions early on, to the brutal 1st year in 2006 when horrific thunderstorms, hail and driving wind forced two of the starters to end the day at 50 miles with the 6 others having dropped earlier. The last 12+ miles include a significant amount of treacherous rock on an escarpment overlooking the river and since the course is not marked other then with the M&D trail blazes, going on with prospects of darkness is always questionable.

However this year the early storms moderated and 10 persistent runners completed the full distance in a wide variation of times. Three finished before sunset between 12 and 15 hours, one before civil twilight( 15 1/2 hrs), 5 in under 17 hours and one over that.

The run winner, Brett Pfleiger a high school XC coach from York, Pa completed in an amazing 12 Hours 22 min bettering his successful 2008 MDLD event by over 2 hours, despite the less than optimal conditions which caused the demanding rocks on steep upÊand down hills to be even less forgiving. Its estimated that the course which winds along the Susquehanna river on the official Mason & Dixon trail, has over 15,000 ft of climbing. Runners make their way using only the trails blazes , maps and a very few reflective ribbons during the final 10 miles.

2009 reports: Brett Pflieger (pdf) | Jaret Seiberg

2009 photos: Paul Melzer

2008 Finishers

1. Brett Pfleiger 14:18 (new fastest time)

1. John Sporer 14:18 (new fastest time)

3. Jen Erickson 17:20

Held June 21, 2008. There were eight starters and three finishers.

2008 reports: Jen Erickson (pdf) | Howard White | Nate Regouski

2008 photos: Hunt's 2008 photos | Dover Boys photos

2007 Finishers

1. Jaret Seiberg 15:00ish

1. Kerry Owens 15:00ish