Mt. Prospect Mini Marathon 2024

The tables inside the Mt. Prospect Public Library filled steadily on July 27, 2024, as competitors unpacked heavy hardware and inspected layers of intricate mechanisms. Rather than a sprint on standard puzzles, the atmosphere carried the distinct weight of extended focus. Turning larger layered puzzles demands finger strength, sharp pattern recognition, and sustained concentration over hundreds of moves. Across 12 rounds of action, 37 competitors gathered to measure their skills against some of the most demanding events in the discipline.

The Mt. Prospect Mini Marathon 2024 brought a dedicated field to Mount Prospect, Illinois, USA for a full day of high-level speedcubing. While solving a traditional Rubik's Cube is a baseline for many, managing the sheer scale of the 5x5x5, 6x6x6, and 7x7x7 cubes requires exceptional stamina. With six events scheduled across the single-day meet, the big cubes took center stage, testing how well entrants could maintain accuracy and rhythm through grueling, multi-minute attempts without succumbing to mental fatigue.

Seung Hyuk Nahm delivered a masterclass in large-puzzle control, sweeping all three major big-cube disciplines. In the 5x5x5 Cube, Nahm captured first place with an average of 42.66 seconds, highlighted by a sharp single of 41.91. Henry Lichner followed in second with a 45.78 average, while Ethan Cho completed the podium at 50.82 across a competitive 29-player field. The demanding solve counts set the stage for even heavier hardware later in the day.

The 6x6x6 Cube saw Nahm extend that dominance, putting together a winning average of 1:15.57 and a best single of 1:09.40 across two rounds. Lichner once again secured second place with a mark of 1:22.17, followed by Cho in third at 1:24.64. Nahm completed the sweep in the massive 7x7x7 Cube, posting an average of 2:00.87 alongside a 1:55.95 single. Cho claimed second place on the 7x7x7 podium with a 2:13.32 average, edging Lichner, who took third in 2:13.66.

Beyond the top steps of the podium, several participants produced remarkable personal milestones that highlighted the depth of the field. Elijah Eckert took on three events, delivering a first ever attempt at the 5x5x5 Cube with a time of 2:52.57 while cutting his Clock personal best to 10.47, an improvement of 49.4 percent over his previous mark of 20.71. Amanda Sugiharto entered two events, logging a first ever attempt at Clock in 13.07, finishing 8th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, and lowering her blindfolded personal best by 28.7 percent to 2:32.22. Daniel Perez entered all six events, slashing his 7x7x7 Cube best by 34 percent down to 4:19.92 and finishing 11th in 3x3x3 Blindfolded. Julian Glasser logged a first ever attempt at the 6x6x6 Cube in 4:25.30, improved his 5x5x5 Cube best to 2:04.20, and took 11th in blindfolded.

The personal breakthroughs continued across the roster throughout the afternoon. James Phipps-Denti trimmed 32.7 percent off his Clock mark to set a personal best of 11.29. Colin Sharpe contested four events, posting a Clock personal best of 5.75, which was 30.8 percent faster than his previous standard of 8.31, alongside a 5x5x5 Cube best of 2:06.74. Alex Chen achieved an 18.2 percent drop in Megaminx to reach a personal best of 2:14.24 and placed 11th in blindfolded. Charles F. Roller tackled five events, recording a Clock personal best of 5.73 to beat his previous record by 16.8 percent and lowering his Megaminx standard to 1:33.38.

Outside the cube categories, the meet provided intense races against the stopwatch. The Clock event drew the largest turnout of the weekend with 33 entrants over three rounds. Reed W. Richardson clinched the title with a winning average of 3.69 and the day's best single of 3.17. Chris Van Der Brink took the second spot with an average of 4.11, while Zeke Mackay locked in third place with a 5.39 average.

Mackay found the top step in the 12-sided Megaminx event, capturing the win with a 41.42 average and a round-best 36.50 single over 26 competitors. Seung Hyuk Nahm placed second with an average of 44.73, while Brian Johnson finished third at 46.30. In the memory-intensive 3x3x3 Blindfolded event, where memorisation must be completed without sight before executing algorithms, Brayden Thompson took first place with a single of 19.84 seconds. Mackay was second at 44.35, and Tommy Moreno finished third with a 57.68 single, with those seeking traditional 3x3 results finding plenty of drama in the sightless format.

The Mt. Prospect Mini Marathon 2024 concluded having showcased the endurance, precision, and broad technical scope required at an official cubing competition. From lightning-fast mechanical dial solves to grinding two-minute sessions on large cubes, the speed cubing community demonstrated steady progress in Illinois. As another WCA competition entry enters the record books for 2024, competitors depart with fresh benchmarks and valuable experience for the seasons ahead.