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The beginning
The Old Dominion 100 all started with a magazine article. Founder Pat Botts and husband, Wayne, read about Wendall Robie in a horse magazine, Western Horseman. The article was about how the Western States 100 ride would allow people to run the course if their horses went lame. That year, Pat went out to the Western States to compete. While there, she learned all about the running aspect of the race. While Pat was not a runner, she was intrigued by what they were doing. When she returned to the East Coast, she asked The Old Dominion 100 Mile Ride if they would be willing to add a run to their event. They were skeptical but gave her the green light if she could do the work and pay the bills.
1979: The Starting Class
In 1979, Pat and Wayne had done the work and were ready for the runners.
To everyone's surprise, 45 runners paid the $25 entry fee and showed up at the starting line.
Only 2 of them had ever completed a 100-mile run before. The runners were given 30 hours to finish
the course— the same grueling route the horses were following. The course began at Morven Park in
Leesburg, VA, headed west toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, and looped back to Leesburg, with only
three aid stations along the way.
No one truly knew how to handle the running aspect of the event. So much so that the ride team
would advise the runners not to take salt tablets (they quickly learned that salt helps the runner
greatly!). Barbara “Bobby” Allen would even pause for smoke breaks during the race. She still
managed to claim the title of first female finisher, crossing the line in 23:32:13. 22 runners would go on to complete under
30 hours. 18 of those 22 were under 24 hours.
Ed Demoney's race recap
1979 Historical Docs
Year 2
800- Peter Monahan, 812-Robert Levine, 817-Christopher Schweitzer, 842-James Mortenson 828-Robert Mason, and other racers at the start.
Map of the course
1980: A record to be beaten
In 1980, a new qualification standard was introduced: runners were required to complete
50 miles in 10 hours or less to prove they were fit and ready for the challenge. To ensure
the safety of both runners and horses, the field was capped at 50 participants.
That year, 49 runners lined up at the start of a slightly modified—and more challenging—course.
The field was a mix of returning finishers, new entrants, and several runners who had attempted
but not completed the race in 1979. Due to the tougher course, the finish rate dropped, with only
20 runners (41%) reaching the finish line. Among them were three athletes who had failed to finish
the previous year.
The standout performance came from Frank Bozanich, who not only won the race but also set a
course record of 15:17:22—a record that would stand for 12 years and would only be broken on
a different course.
Health Report
Runners checked in with a full medical team and afterwards a report would be mailed to them.
1981: First move
The ride and run left Leesburg, VA, and moved to Front Royal, VA.
The new course now runs between the north and south forks of the Shenandoah River.
With this move, the run adjusts the cut-off to 24 hours. In addition, the
field was increased to 75 runners and required all runners to have "handlers."
Heavy rains fell for hours leading up to the race, leaving the course muddy and grueling.
The rain was followed by hot and humid weather. The hot and humid conditions are all too common
during the first weekend in June.
1981 Going the Distance Article
Donald Helfer, David Horton, and Dennis Herr
1982: A 3-way tie
By 1982, the number of checkpoints for runners increased from 3 to 8. This was the one and only year featuring a three-way tie for first place—Rusty Donahue, David Horton, and Donald Helfer.
1982 Historical Docs
Ed Foley
1983: Penalty results in 2nd place
This year marks the only year in OD history that a penalty was applied to a runner's time. The course was changed late in the game, and due to poor marking, the front runner, Ed Foley, made a wrong turn. Once the error was found, the ride fixed the markings. The ride committee imposed a 1-hour penalty, giving Foley a 2nd place finish.
1983 Historical Docs1984: Age has no limit
The first heat wave hit this year, quickly revealing how easily extreme conditions can occur on the first
weekend in June. Of the 37 who started, only 13 finished. Ed Foley—a previous winner and the only runner
to have started and finished all Old Dominion runs up to that point—dropped out at mile 82. This year
also marked Tom Green’s first finish in what would become a long career of 100-milers.
Although runners over the age of 50 had started in previous years, this was the first year there were
finishers over 50—two of them, in fact. Rob Volkenand (53) finished in 22:49:00, and Vince Foote (50)
followed in 23:38:00. Additionally, the time cut-off was extended to 28 hours.
1985 Buckle
1985: A Pivotal Year
In 1985, there were several milestones. The cut-off time was increased to 30 hours, and multiple course changes were made. Laura Perry became the first person to complete both the Old Dominion ride and the run—finishing the ride on a mule in 1982 and the run in 1985. A few years after her run finish, she introduced the idea to the Vermont ride, which led to the creation of the Vermont 100 run. Additionally, O.R. Peterson completed the Old Dominion, becoming the first to earn a buckle in all four major 100-mile trail runs.
1985 Historical Docs
1986: The Birth of the Grand Slam
The Grand Slam is born. Tom Green was able to endure the heat, terrian, and clock this year so that he could go on to run Western States a few weeks later. By the end of summer he will be the first person to finish all four 100s in one summer.
1986 Historical Docs1987: The largest starting field
122 started this year. The largest field to date. After this year, a cap is put in place due to the limited access to parking at crew aid stations.
1988: Lottery System
This is the first and only year that a lottery system was implemented.
David Horton takes home his 3rd win with the Old Dominion.
It will take nearly 30 years to see another runner with this many first to finish.
1989: The Start of the Great Last Race
The first two runners complete the Great Last race, Gordon Hardman and Marshall Ulrich.
The Great Last race participants take on the six 100s that were (and still are) available in the US. Old
Dominion, Western States, Vermont, Angeles Crest, Leadville Trail, and Wasatch Front.
All events are completed from June-Sept.
This year, Vicki Johnson was the first women
to defend her first female finisher title. She finished 1st in 1988 with a time of 21:26 and then
again this year with a time of 20:47. This gives her 3 first female finisher times. It will take
near 15 years before another women will have 3 first to finish titles.
Our cut off
time was lowered to 24 hours this year.
1990: The come back of a lifetime
This year goes down as one of the greatest come back in our history. David Powell was 45 minutes behind the leader at 37 miles. Throughout the day, he slowly makes up time. By the time he is 5 miles from the finish line he takes the lead and wins with a margin of 32 minutes.
Read more about the comeback in our Redbook1991: Founder conquers run course
Founder Pat Botts finishes her first OD100 run. She now holds buckles for the
ride and the run. She will eventually (in 1998) hold the most completed OD runs by a women
for almost two decade, until Liz Bauer completes her 7th one in 2016.
This year the run separated from the horse ride. And the cutoff is permanently set to 24 hours
for a buckle and 28 hours to finish.
Jerry Jones with his sons.
1992: Move to our Current home
The race course is moved to Fort Valley, VA.
Eric Clifton sets a record of 15:10:00 averaging a 9:06 split. A record that still stands today.
The first set of 1,000 mile buckles were handed out to Ed Foley and Rick Hogan. They finished 10 Old Dominion
races under 24 hours.
1993
This year was all about being relentless. The pre-race hours brought rain and cool temperatures, but by the afternoon, heat and humidity settled in—making conditions especially tough for the runners. Eric Clifton, last year’s first-to-finish, was unable to defend his title and had to drop out later in the day. Still, many familiar faces crossed the finish line, including Ed Foley, Rick Hogan, Pat Botts, Tom Green, and David Powell. Meanwhile, a few new faces finishing their first Old Dominion. A standout moment came with the first-time finish of I. King Jordan. He had become the first deaf president of Gallaudet University a few years before and would go on to complete the Old Dominion an impressive seven times.
1995: First back to back wins
Mike Morton is our first male to successfully defend his 1st place finish. He finished last year in 17:40:00 and this year in 16:55:00. And as Tom Green remembers it "Mike Morton was going to let Courtney Campbell cross the finish line first this time since he was awarded the "win" the previous year in their tie, but Courtney preempted his plans by pushing Mike across the line first. Two class acts!!"
Media coverage1995 Historical Docs
1997: Current Women's Record Set
After managing the OD for three years, Ray and Wynne Waldron take on being the Race Directors
this year.
Janice Anderson at the age of 31 resets the female record to 18:25:48 taking the
title from Vicki Johnson who previously set the record at 20:47 in 1989. Her record still stands today,
just waiting to be taken down, who's going to brave enough to toe the line and go face to face with our course and
Janice's record?
Rob Grant
1998: 20th Running
20th running of the Old Dominion. Dan Barger is only the second man in our history to defend his first to finish title. In addition, our record of most buckles given out during our event with 49 buckles was tied (1987 also had 49 buckles too). It will take more than 25 years before handing out more than 49 buckles, at one time.
Media coverage1998 Historical Docs
1999- 2001: End of an Era
1999-2001 marks the end of an era of the old school runners. By 2001 our course will have said
goodbye to the originals.
Wendell Robison takes his 10th and final buckle in 1997.
Pat Botts
takes her final OD run in '98, but of course you will still find her out on the course every year handing out
sage advice or giving infamous calf massages.
While in '99, Ed Foley completes his 15th OD run (with a dislocated
shoulder nonetheless) and all
15 are under 24-hours. He started 20 times but those 5 other times the heat or injuries got to him before he got
to the finish line. Ed would continue to return for a few years to man aid stations until he retired to the North.
Mike Robertson finishes his 14th and final running of the OD. And Rick Hogan goes on to complete his 17th Old Dominion,
13 of the 17 are under 24 hours. However, he has the most back to back finishes with 11. Foley and Hogan
still hold their records today.
Tom Green and Michael Price would return over the next 2 years but
that's the last of the great Old Dominion runners from the 80s
Foley, Robinson, Robertson, Hogan, and Green are the only
runners that own the 1,000 mile buckle and in 2000 Rick Schneider would join this elite group gaining his
1,000 mile buckle with 10 sub-24 finishes over the previous 11 years. These guys make way for the new runners
that are ready to set history on our course. They have forever left their mark on our trails and hearts.
Race Report 2000: Dave Bursler via Stan Jensen/run100s.com
2000 Historical docs
2001 Historical docs
2002
Sabbatical Year.
2003-2005: A New Class
A new corps of runners arrived just as it was time to say goodbye to some longtime favorites.
Jay Finkles takes his first run at the OD in 2003, followed by David Snipes and Dan Brenden in 2005.
Liz Bauer begins her many attempts at the OD course in 2006. While, in 2007, Keith Knipling flew in and claimed first place on his debut.
All of these runners would go on to return to the OD for years to come—with hopes of eventually earning their 1,000-mile buckles.
2008
Liz Bauer returns to defend her 1st female finisher title for the 3rd year in a row and does so successfully. 2006 finished in 23:20:52, 2007 she finished in 22:07:57, this year she finish in 25:19:49. Though this year she is over 24 hours so she doesn't get the buckle, but no females finished ahead of her. She would go on and also finish first in 2009 in a time of 22:44:25. Liz is the FIRST racer (male or female) to defend her title for 4 years running.
Runner at the Elizabeth Furnace Aid Station.
2009: A few extra miles
Jason Lantz joins the ranks of the Old Dominion elites as being able to defend
his 1st to finish title. 2008 finished in 19:49:12 and this year finishes in 18:35:32.
A 9 mile mistake results in Dan Brenden to run an extra 18 miles. He works retlentlessly all day to make up that time
and he crosses the finish line in a time of
26:36:47. He shares his full story in our Redbook.
Anthony Swietzer's Finish
2009 Photos
Bib 145
2010: The Legacy Continues
This year, the first legacy runner takes on the course. Jerry Jones' (1991, 92, 93, & 97 finisher) son, Mike Jones, returns to run his first Old Dominion 100. Mike finishes in a time of 21:26:29.
Dave Warfel's Race Report2010 Photos
Photos by Bobby Gill
Olivier Leblond leaving Veach West.
2012
Olivier picked the Old Dominion for his first 100 miler. This will be a huge day for him, as he will go on to win the race. The photo above shows Olivier being sent over the cattle guards at Veach West while Ed Foley ensures that he gets over safely. Spoiler alert! In 11 years, Olivier will join the ranks of Ed Foley and other Old Dominion legends to get a 1,000 mile buckle.
2012 Photos
David Snipes provides insight to a runner
2013
It's been 34 years since the first running of the Old Dominion. Race registration is now $165.
Megan Stegemiller Race Report
2013 Photos
Keith Knipling at the 803 aid station
2014
This year many of our local favorites take on the course, which always brings a fun atmosphere to the day. This year Megan Stegemiller-Alvarado defends her 1st to finish title from 2013. And Olivier Leblond gets his 2nd win on the course.
2014 photos, results & event recap
Long Time volunteer, Lee Pugh, works with a runner at the Little Fort Aid Station
2015: The most 1st place finishes
Olivier Leblond becomes another runner to defend his first-to-finish title three times, tying David Horton for the most first-to-finish titles. However, by 2018, he surpasses both David Horton and Liz Bauer by gaining his fourth first-to-finish title.
2015 photos, results & event recap
Bib 90 at the first Med Check
2016
Liz Bauer completed her 7th Old Dominion race, making her the female with the most Old Dominion finishes, surpassing founder Pat Botts, who had set the record at 6 in 1998.
2016 photos, results & event recap
Mario Raymond
2017: Return to the Grand Slam
After our sabbatical in 2002, the race was no longer apart of the Grand Slam. However, 2017 brought the race back into the fold. With Western States, Leadville, and Vermont no longer giving priority to Grand Slammers, and it becoming increasingly harder to get in through the lottery system, the Old Dominion was invited to return. This move was in hopes that more runners could have the opportunity to complete the Grand Slam .
2017 photos, results & event recap
USAT&F recognized Pat Botts for over four decades of contributions and leadership in the establishement of the sport of Long Distance 100 mile endurance running.
2018: The women ran a strong race
The 40th anniversary of the Old Dominion marked a major milestone, with the transition to online registration and a sold-out race weeks before the event.
The women showed up ready to take on the course—three finished in the top 11, and ten crossed the line within 28 hours. Such a strong showing hadn't
been seen since 2001. If this trend continues, it may only be a matter of time before someone challenges the long-standing female course record of
18:25, set by Janice Anderson in 1997.
The weather forecast leading into the event looked unfavorable, with thunderstorms predicted throughout the day and night. Fortunately, the rain
held off for most of Saturday, only beginning around 10 PM and continuing until early morning. Had the race started just four hours later,
runners would have been swimming rather than running—Passage Creek had flooded Fort Valley by 11 AM on Sunday.
Olivier Leblond claimed the overall win with a time of 17:01:45.
Race Founder, Pat Botts, looking at the washed out course
2019: Results of a rainy year
The rain from 2018 continued throughout the rest of the year, affecting the Fort Valley area significantly. A large sinkhole washed away part of the road on Woodstock Mountain during the spring of 2019. With special permission, the runners were still allowed to traverse the mountain, but no vehicles were permitted. This is traditionally a no crew section, but the road was now closed to locals during the event. This turned out to be a huge benefit for the runners as they got to run miles 91-95 without traffic on the steep, dark, switchback roads which is travered late in the run.
2019 photos, results & event recap2020: COVID
In the Spring of 2020, Covid-19 hit the country. Along with many other races, the Old Dominion 2020 race was cancelled in order to be in compliance with state mandates.
Phil Sanderson and Chad Lasater
2021: Reunited
After having to take 2020 off, race management was eagerly looking forward to the 2021 event. Olivier Leblond won in a time of 17:22, marking his sixth first-place finish. It's clear that Olivier is a powerful and smart runner on our course. He has figured out our course and knows how to run it for a first-place finish.
2021 photos, results & event recap
Harvey Hall
2022: Largest Starting field in 21 years
The Old Dominion field has grown over the last few years. Moving to online registration helped, but there has also been an increased interest in ultrarunning as a whole, especially after COVID. This year, the largest starting field toed the line in 21 years. Additionally, the race welcomed Harvey Hall & Francesa Conte back to the course.
2022 photos, results & event recap
1,000 mile sterling silver buckle
2023: 1,000 mile buckle awarded
This year was all about traditions, something we value greatly as a race. After 23 years, we awarded another 1,000-mile buckle. Olivier Leblond was presented with this buckle by race management member Kim Oliver, daughter of Ed Foley. Ed was one of the first to receive this buckle in 1992. Olivier joins the small group of runners to earn this special distinction. In addition, Blake Benke returned to the course and earned his second buckle, 22 years after his first one—the longest stretch between buckles. We also had the pleasure of awarding a buckle to Andrew Palen, whose father received his in 1997. We love when our race family returns, whether the following year or 20 years later.
2023 photos, results & event recap
Founder Pat Botts and Headtimer Henry Marlborough, both were apart of the 1979 race.
2024: Largest finishing field
We could not have asked for a better race day in the Fort Valley area. The weather allowed the runners to really show off all the training they have put in leading up to this year's race. While this was not our largest starting field, it was our largest finishing field. We had 82 runners finish and 52 of them buckled, both new records. Speaking of records, we had a few runners challenging Eric Clifton's course record. John Kelly and Andrew Simpson went out strong and were within reach of it all day. Unfortunately, Simpson missed a turn due to a passing truck blocking a turn sign at mile 63. It caused him to go up and over Woodstock Tower instead of heading towards Mudhole. From that point, he had to fight the mental game to stay in it. He still finished in a respectable time of 20:19. John Kelly continued to push the record pace but then he got to meet Sherman's Gap, a section of trail that is talked about a lot but is hard to understand until you meet it in person. Coming off this section, it was clear that the record was just out of reach, but he continued to push for a strong finish of 15:44, 3rd fastest time, but 2nd fastest time on this course. The Women's and Men's course records from the 90s still stand, unbeated.
2024 photos, results & event recap
Whitney Richman finishes for 2nd fastest time in the 47 year history of the race
2025: Records still stand
This year, both the men's and women's course records were under threat. Andrew Simpson finished in 15:33—the third-fastest
time in our history—while Whitney Richman crossed the line in 18:39, earning the second-fastest time ever recorded. What made
these achievements even more impressive were the less-than-ideal conditions.
Although the morning only brought light rain, the trails were slick from the persistent rainfall over the past month,
leading to numerous stream crossings. The afternoon brought some heat, but not the typical all-day heat and humidity
that the race expects. Late-night runners were met with heavy rain.
A handful of runners earned their 5th, 6th, or even 7th buckle. Who will be our next 1,000-mile buckle recipient?
2026
Registraion is open!