Ultrarunning on the Niagara Frontier

Nickel City 50 (1980-1995)

The Inaugural Race. Dave Broad organized the first Nickel City 50 in 1980 so he would have a local ultra to run. The 50-mile race used a 1.75 mile road loop around Buffalo's Delaware Park. Eighteen runners started the inaugural race with 14 completing the distance. Ed Cohn won in 6:16:09; Carl Pegels was the top Masters runner in 7:45:48 and Joan Zirkelbach was the top woman finisher in 8:58:32.

TAC National Championship. The Nickel City 50 hit the big time in its second year by being designated the TAC National 50 Mile Road Championship. Entries for the race included some of the top men in the country. Frank Bozanich from Seattle, WA took his fifth national ultramarathon championship with his strong 5:17:09 finish. He led four additional men under 6 hours. Ed Cohn was the top local runner, finishing 3rd overall in 5:40:49, more than 35 minutes faster than the year before. The top Masters runner was John Sullivan from Massachusetts in 5:42:19, a very strong time for a 49-year-old man. Lennie Tucker, well known to this day for her work in the Syracuse running community, was the 1981 women's national champion with her 7:41:23 finish.

Race Reports. Ultrarunning magazine published full results along with a brief stories for most of the 16 years the race was held. The report on the 1981 race is especially worth a read. Click here for a 12-page compilation of the Ultrarunning race reports.

Top Times. The following list was compiled from available race results. If we have overlooked anyone with a fast time, please send a note with the addition.

Men	18-39					Race	Directors
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Time	1980-1985	Dave Broad
1	1981	Frank Bozanich	37	WA	5:17:09	1986-1992	Jerry Moss
2	1985	Robert Perez	37	TX	5:23:13	1993-1995	Carl Pegels
3	1981	Ray Scannell	30	MA	5:36:42
4	1981	Ed Cohn	30		5:40:59
5	1983	Ed Cohn	32		5:42:58
6	1985	Terry Martin	39	ON	5:46:56
7	1985	Robbie Wade	19	ON	5:55:18
8	1981	James Murphy	34	MA	5:59:01

Men	40-49
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Time
1	1981	John Sullivan	49	MA	5:42:19
2	1983	Irv Frawley	46		6:19:52
3	1981	Gene DaGaiu	42		6:30:39
4	1881	Irv Frawley	44		6:35:34

Men	50-59
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Time
1	1981	Bill O'Brian	50		6:25:38
2	1987	Ken Laverick	51	ON	6:43:43
3	1993	Jim McLean	50	ON	6:56:17
4	1981	Walt Connolly	51		7:10:09
5	1987	Joseph George	56		7:15:42
6	1986	Carl Pegels	52		7:27:35

Women
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Time	Category
1	1985	Mary Hanudel	25	OH	7:15:00	Women 18-39
2	1983	Nedra Weaver-Osborne	36		7:58:08	Women 18-39
3	1981	Lennie Tucker	43		7:41:23	Women 40-49

Top Local Runner. Ed Cohn deserves special recognition as the region's top road ultramarathoner in the past 30 years. In common with many of the best ultrarunners of his era, he moved up to the challenge of ultras from the marathon... in his case, he ran his first ultra after completing 23 marathons with times consistently in the 2:29 to 2:35 range. He won the Nickel City 50 twice (1980 & 1983) and placed third overall against top national competition in 1982. His 1981 and 1983 marks both ranked in the top five times and he is the only New York State resident to finish under 6 hours in the 16 year history of the race.

Women in the Nickel City 50. Relatively few women ran ultras in that era (1980-1995). Most years only had one or two women finishers and some years had none... not surprising considering that women had only recently begun running marathons, e.g., it was not until 1972 that the Boston Marathon officially permitted women to enter. The fastest women's time in the Nickel City 50 was set by Mary Hanudel in 1985. She went on to considerable fame two years later. Ultrarunning magazine named her Runner of the Year for her American six-day best (486+ miles) set en route to a second-place finish (8 days, 13 hours) at Australia's 1987 Sydney-to-Melbourne 658-mile run. She also won the 1987 Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour with 122+ miles.

North Coast Hundred & 24 Hour (1985-1989)

With the Nickel City 50 well established on the fall calendar, Dave Broad organized a spring ultra using the same Delaware Park course. The inaugural race was won by Dan Brannen (a top ultrarunner in the 1980's and now Executive Director of the American Ultrarunning Association) in 15:09:30 with race director Dave Broad finishing second in 18:44:49.

After two years as a 100-miler, the race format shifted to a timed 24-hour run. The new format proved to be much more popular with entries more than doubling. Dick Sitter from Pennsylvania ran 122.6 miles in 1987 for a mark that proved to be the best over the three years the event was held. Marshal Ulrich, now best known for having completed Badwater ultra 15 times, came closest with a 122.3 mile effort in 1988.

Race Reports. Ultrarunning magazine published full results along with a brief stories for all five years the race was held. Click here for a 5-page compilation of the Ultrarunning race reports.

Top Times & Distances. The following list was compiled from the available race results.

100 Miles							Race	Directors
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Time	Category	1985-1987	Dave Broad
1	1985	Dan Brannen	32	PA	15:09:30	Men 18-39	1988-1989	Jerry Moss
2	1985	Dave Broad	38		18:44:49	Men 18-39
3	1986	Dick Sanders	37		18:48:12	Men 18-39
4	1986	Tom Jewiss	37	ON	20:23:36	Men 18-39
5	1985	Dick Sanders	35		21:28:04	Men 18-39
6	1986	Jerry Moss	50		23:14:18	Men 50-59


24 Hour
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Miles	Category
1	1987	Dick Sitter	48	PA	122.6	Men 40-49
2	1988	Marshall Ulrich	39	CO	122.3	Men 18-39
3	1988	Dick Sanders	41		119.8	Men 40-49
4	1987	Dick Sanders	36		119.6	Men 18-39
5	1987	Bob McGee	46	ON	112.1	Men 40-49
6	1989	Dick Sanders	42		111.1	Men 40-49
7	1988	Kevin Magin	41	MI	110	Men 40-49
8	1988	Dick Sitter	49	PA	109	Men 40-49
9	1987	Michel Careau	46	ON	107.8	Men 40-49
10	1989	Michel Careau	48	PQ	106.8	Men 40-49
11	1988	John Sholeen	43		106.5	Men 40-49
12	1989	Kevin Magin		MI	104.1
13	1987	Greg Buhuslawsky	35	ON	103.3	Men 18-39
14	1989	Michael Kinzel		OH	102.3
15	1989	Greg Buhuslawsky	37	ON	100.6	Men 18-39
16	1988	Carl Pegels	55		100.2	Men 50-59
17	1988	Stanley Paccione	41		100.2	Men 40-49
18	1988	Ronald Johnstone	47		100.2	Men 40-49
19	1988	Joseph Dabes	49		100.2	Men 40-49
20	1988	Greg Helbig	49		100.2	Men 40-49

BPAC 6 Hour (1996-2009)

The Transition: 50 Miles to 6 Hours. In its last three years the Nickel City 50 had experienced a continued decline in entries. After the November 1995 race, Race Director Carl Pegels and the sponsoring Buffalo Philharmonic Athletic Club announced their intention to change the race format and move it to a different time.

The race was reborn in April 1997 as the BPAC 6 Hour Distance Classic. Still using the same Delaware Park loop, the change brought immediate improvement... where the last Nickel City 50 had only 14 entrants, the new 6 Hour had 41 entrants with 26 of them running more than a marathon distance. Most importantly for the future of the race, there was much improved participation from the Buffalo running community.

Delaware Park to the Amherst Bike Path. By 2002 the race management began considering other venues for the race. The City of Buffalo had imposed steep park usage fees and reduced the level of park service, e.g., closed bathrooms. In 2006 race management finally moved the race to the Amherst bike paths. The new longer loop course proved to be immediately popular with entries nearly doubling.

Race Reports. Ultrarunning magazine published results listing all runners completing more than the marathon distance for 1996 to 2008. Most results include brief stories. Click here for a 17-page compilation of BPAC results from 1996-2009.

Top Times & Distances. The following list was compiled from results the the 1996-2009 races.

Men	18-39						Race	Directors
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course	1997-2006	Carl Pegels
1	1998	Michael Kichty	37	PA	51.59	Delaware Park	2007	Peggy Hillery
2	2000	Ryne Melcher	31	ON	49.57	Delaware Park	2008	Peggy Hillery &
3	1997	Len Fetterly	31		48.21	Delaware Park		Sue Devlin
4	2005	Ryne Melcher	26	ON	46.03	Delaware Park	2009	Sue Devlin
5	2000	John Culhane	36	ON	45.44	Delaware Park

Men	40-49
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	2009	John Ehntholt	42		47.23	Amherst
2	2001	Mark Bomhower	43	ON	46.03	Delaware Park
3	2007	Brian Murray	44		45.18	Amherst
4	1999	Mark Bomhower	41	ON	44.81	Delaware Park
5	2008	Ed Housel	49		44.18	Amherst

Men	50-59
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	2008	Todd Baum	50		45.50	Amherst
2	1998	Ron Gehl	50	ON	44.94	Delaware Park
3	2009	Ed Housel	50		44.60	Amherst
4	2001	Tom Perry	55		42.24	Delaware Park
5	2002	Doug Barber	55	ON	41.44	Delaware Park

Men	60-69
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	1999	Richard Sitter	60	PA	38.81	Delaware Park
2	2006	Bryan Mason	61	ON	38.79	Amherst
3	2007	Joseph Reynolds	62		35.75	Amherst

Men	70+
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	1997	Odino Soligo	76	ON	33.64	Delaware Park
2	2008	Carl Pegels	75		29.25	Amherst
3	2007	Carl Pegels	74		29.25	Amherst

Women	18-39
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	1999	Deanna Lindsay	39	ON	43.99	Delaware Park
2	2006	Laura Bleakley	36		43.40	Amherst
3	2001	Karin Westfahl	29	ON	42.35	Delaware Park
4	2007	Rebecca Harmon	37		41.71	Amherst
5	2006	Rebecca Harmon	36		39.00	Amherst

Women	40-49
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	2007	Katie Stettler	42		41.71	Amherst
2	2006	Katie Stettler	41		39.00	Amherst
3	2007	Lorrie Tily	46		38.62	Amherst
4	2009	Tamara Loos	42		38.32	Amherst
5	2006	Diane Jozefski	42		37.95	Amherst

Women	50+
Rank	Year	Name	Age	State	Distance	Course
1	2009	Elizabeth Hurdman	52	ON	35.75	Amherst
2	2005	Patricia Sommers	51	ON	35.40	Delaware Park
3	2002	Jean Gerstein	51	OH	34.88	Delaware Park

Performance Trend: Men Down. Note that only one man has completed 50 miles or more in the 13-year history of the six hour format while there were nine men who completed the Nickel City 50 in under six hours. While some of the difference may be due to the greater motivational difficulties inherent in the timed format (e.g., running harder doesn't make the race end sooner), most of the difference is probably due to the general decline in the level of road ultrarunning that has accompanied the rise of participation in trail ultras.

Performance Trend: Women Up. Women's participation and race times are much improved over the earlier Nickel City 50 years when some races had no female finishers. Note especially how many of the top women's marks were set on the Amherst course which only came into use in 2006, indicating the trend toward increasingly competitive women's fields continues.

Western New York Ultra Series. Before the Ultra Series started in 2004, the average number of runners going beyond the marathon distance at BPAC was in the 20-25 range. Over the six years of the Series, that number has grown to 40-45 runners despite a wide-spread loss of Canadian runners to competing races in Ontario Province. While most of those runners do not go on to contest the other races in the Series, at least some of the recent BPAC growth can be attributed to the greater regional awareness that has come with being in the Series.

The Man Who Kept Ultrarunning Alive in Buffalo. The hero of this narrative is Carl Pegels. He was there at the start in 1980, winning the Masters division in the first Nickel City 50. He ran all three North Coast 24 Hour runs, completing over 100 miles once. In 1993 he took over directing the Nickel City 50 and then guided its successful transition to the timed format as the BPAC 6 Hour Distance Classic in 1997. When continued use of the Delaware Park venue became problematic, he guided the highly successful shift to the Amherst course in 2006. And, now that he is no longer the race director and is able to run BPAC, he has posted two of the top three times for the Men 70+ age category.

Submitted by Tom Perry
March 27, 2010