Hennepin Hundred — 100 Mile

Results: 2026

205 runners finished.

These figures are from UltraSignup's 100-mile results. Taggart VanEtten's 12:45:59 from 2023 remains the fastest time listed there.

Source: UltraSignup — 2026 Hennepin Hundred 100-mile results. Checked October 10, 2026.

Event Overview

A flat, point-to-point Illinois 100-miler on the Hennepin Canal State Trail, with a short out-and-back segment, mixed rail-trail surfaces, and a 30-hour cutoff.

Course & Terrain

Predominantly point-to-point canal and rail trail from Sterling to Colona, with a short out-and-back section in the organizer's upside-down-T course design.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Hennepin Canal State Trail
• Long, flat corridor between Sterling and Colona

Dirt, crushed limestone, chip-seal, and limited pavement create a largely nontechnical but repetitive runnable surface.

Why This Race Matters

Michele Hartwig founded the Hennepin Hundred and first held it on September 12, 2015, with her club MUDD Ultra-running Dudes & Dudettes and the nonprofit Trails for Illinois as organizers; she still directs it under Ornery Mule Racing. Trails for Illinois director Steve Buchtel pointed her to the Hennepin Canal, a disused waterway listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The course is point-to-point from Sinnissippi Park in Sterling to Colona near the Quad Cities, following the Hennepin Canal State Trail past locks and lift bridges, with a short out-and-back that gives it an upside-down-T shape. The surface is dirt, chip-seal, crushed limestone and some pavement, and with a 30-hour limit 100-mile runners continue through the night. The race has been held every year since 2015 except 2020, when it was cancelled. Taggart VanEtten’s 12:45:59 in 2023 broke Jim Sweeney’s 13:09:32 from 2018. In 2025, Sweeney won again in 13:47:02 and Denise Bourassa won the women’s race in 18:09:26; UltraSignup lists 204 finishers and 77 DNFs.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men: Taggart VanEtten, 12:45:59, 2023
• Women: Rachel Ragona, 14:37:05, 2023

Preparing for a Race Like Hennepin Hundred — 100 Mile

The 100-mile race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Gut training for ultrarunners: A six-week practice sequence for race-day fueling.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Planning Notes

• Treat intermediate cutoff gates as part of the course. Build enough margin for aid stops and late-race slowdown, and verify every current gate in the official rules.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare verified US 100-mile races
• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the 100-Mile format guide
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist