Now in our 38th year, Skyline 50k is one of the oldest continuously running 50k’s in the United States, if not the oldest. This year’s event ran on August 5 and once again, we were treated to near perfect conditions with a cool foggy morning that gave way to glorious afternoon sunshine.

The race was slightly larger than last year and had several local champions, many of them ambassadors for our local partner Gu Energy. To wit, the top three men were all Gu runners: Steven Kool, Sam Robinson, and Brian Gillis filling out the podium.

In the women’s race, Kristina Randrup finally stood atop the podium after coming in second her last two years (to YiOu Wang and Caroline Boller no less.) Three times is a charm and we expect great things from Kristina. The women’s podium welcomed Kristina Eszter Balazs and Sunny Kim in second and third place.

As often is the case, we welcomed many rookies to ultrarunning on this fine day – 33 in all. The top rookie finishers were Jason Weldon and Gabriela Zamora. But it’s not lost on us that Jaynee Jones and Karina Powell rounded out the list of firsters as the final finishers of the day and perhaps, for this, the finest.

You can find all the final results here and see the list of rookies here.

Again in 2019, we handed our anniversary awards to 5-, 10-, 15-year finishers. And for the first time, we gave a 20-year award to Joseph Swenson. We also welcomed more than one of the runners from the original Skyline 38 years ago, Joe Schieffer and Charles Savage. Long may they run!

Out on the course, our photo correspondent ‘Screamin” Jay Boncodin took more pictures than you can shake a stick at. You can find selects here below and the entire collection on the Google here.

No report is complete without the long long list of thank you’s and this is no different. Each year our aid stations are staffed by the best of the local teams, Dusty Bottoms, Pamakids, Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders, and Running for a Better Oakland. Also, each year we enjoy the full-throated support and participation from many of the other local running clubs because of our role in the Pacific USATF Grand Prix. This includes Excelsior and West Valley Runners among others. On course, runners are supported and encouraged by the Volunteer Safety Patrol, led by the very-organized John Rabold and by Scena Ambassador Stan Jenson after whom our Legend Award for service is named. Thanks to them all and the many, many volunteers I’ve not mentioned.

Thanks as well to our insanely great sponsors, led by Transports perhaps the greatest local running store in the country and right here in glorious Oakland. Also sponsoring was Gu Energy, a local company for us, and The Golden Squirrel, where we handed out bibs and drank beer.

And thus it goes. Another Skyline 50k is in the books. Join us again on the luxurious lawns of Lake Chabot for the 39th running on August 2, 2020.