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Trophy Series Kicks into High Gear
Ryne Melcher takes over Marathon and Longer Division; David Hestor, Kimberly Walter and Meira Minard dominate Non-Marathon Division
JULY 21, 2010, CARBONDALE, COLORADO—Preliminary results from the seventh annual Trail Runner Trophy Series, presented by GORE-TEX®, have been tallied and rankings generated. The Trail Runner Trophy Series is North America’s largest off-road running series, including 126 trail races across the United States and Canada. The following rankings are based on events held between March and June, with the final overall winners to be announced in November.
The man and woman to run the greatest number of Trophy Series races each win a spot at the 2011 Get Your Running Legs On Trail Running Week at Nipika Mountain Resort (www.nipika.com) in the Canadian Rockies. So far, six runners are currently contending for this prize after running four races each, though the winner (announced in November) usually finishes around 20 races.
Plus, the man and woman to run the greatest number of Trophy Series miles each win a spot at a 2011 Dreamchasers trail-running camp, hosted by Lisa Smith-Batchen (www.dreamchaserevents.com).
Find Trophy Series points standings, races, press releases, race reports, profiles of past winners and details about the prizes at www.trailrunnermag.com.
Marathon and Longer Division
Ryne Melcher, 31, of Vancouver, British Columbia, overtook top spot on the leaderboard with 482.6 points after winning the Lake Youngs Ultra on June 12 in Renton, Washington, which put him ahead of Keith Straw, 55, of Malver, Pennsylvania, who has 400 points.
Melcher’s stellar season so far includes a course record at April’s Mount Si 50-Mile Trail Ultra in Snoqualmie, Washington, where he lowered the men’s standard to 5:54:15. “From the last aid station there was 3.3 miles to go and I had the win in the bag. It was just a matter of it being a course record or not,” says Melcher. “Ultrarunning has become so competitive that easing up for even a quarter mile can cost a victory or a course record.”
Still in third place is Corey Hanson, 33, of Bellvue, Colorado, with 259.6 points.
Melissa Upchurch, 41, of Church Road, Virginia, remains in the lead with 416 points after finishing June’s The North Face Endurance Challenge Mid-Atlantic Regional 50-miler in Washington, D.C. in 11:02:09. Second-place Jody Aslett has not added to her Trophy Series point total of 293, and next in the rankings is Meghan Arbogast, 49, of Corvallis, Oregon, who now shares third place with Jennifer Aldassy, 31, of Issaquah, Washington, who won the Rainier to Ruston 50-mile trail race in South Prairie, Washington in June with a time of 9:50:01. Both have 231 points.
Non-Marathon Division
Seventeen-year-old David Hestor, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, has emerged as this division’s leader after winning his age group at April’s Hyner View Trail Challenge 15.5-miler in Hyner, Pennsylvania, with a time of 2 hours 57 minutes 55 seconds and June’s Rothrock Trail Challenge, where he ran 3:33:48 for the 18.6-mile course.
Close behind is 33-year-old James Harrington, who earned a total of 126.8 points for winning his age group at two events in his home town of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Desert Dash Daytime Trail Run and Desert Dash Moonlight Madness Trail Run. Third is Brian Joly, 51, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who won his age group at the Hyner View Trail Challenge and was second in his age group at the Rothrock Trail Challenge.
Kimberly Walter, 29, shares the non-marathon division lead with Meira Minard, 36, both of State College, Pennsylvania. Walter and Minard won their respective age groups at the Rothrock Trail Challenge and Hyner View Trail Challenge, though in both events Minard scored faster finishing times, clocking 3:34:17 to Walter’s 3:44:44 at Rothrock, and 2:46:39 compared to 3:07:02 at Hyner View.
Third-place Kimberli Kwiatek, 52, of Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, also ran those two events, scoring an age-group victory at Hyner View with a time of 4:05:10, and second at Rothrock after covering the 18.6-mile course in 5:17:32.
Non-Marathon Leaders by Age Group
Male
10-19, David Hestor, Duncannon, PA, 136.4 points
20-29, Teejay Gomez, Clifton CO, 100 points
30-39, James Harrington, Las Vegas, NV, 126.8 points
40-49, Bernie Boettcher, Silt, CO, 104.8 points
50+, Brian Joly, Pittsburgh, PA, 117.8 points
Female
10-19, Cassandra Sobers, Williamsport, PA, 89.9 points
20-29, Kimberly Walter, State College, PA, 136.4 points
30-39, Meira Minard, State College, PA, 136.4 points
40-49, Chamane Skold, Evergreen, CO, 100 points
50+, Kimberli Kwiatek, Mill Hall, PA, 117.8 points
At the season’s end, prize packages will be awarded to Non-Marathon Division winners across 10 age groups, plus the top-three male and female winners in the Marathon-and- Longer Division, plus two random-draw prize winners. The packages include items from Trophy Series sponsors 2Toms (makers of BlisterShield and Sportshield), 2XU, Amphipod, Cho-Pat, DeFeet, GoMotion, Kahtoola, Lock Laces, Osprey, Native, Pro-Tec Athletics, Trigger Point Therapy, Udo’s Oil, Vespa and Zombie Runner.
Trophy Series Sponsors
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