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.
Trail Triumphs
24-Hour Adventure Run Winners Straw and Upchurch lead Marathon and Longer Division; Collegiate Peak age-group winners top Non-Marathon Division
JUNE 23, 2010, CARBONDALE, COLORADO- With the seventh annual Trail Runner Trophy Series presented by GORE-TEX® underway, results from March through May races have arrived and preliminary rankings have been tallied. The Trail Runner Trophy Series is North America's largest off-road running series, including 126 trail races (four races were recently cancelled or withdrawn) across the United States and Canada taking between March and September 2010.
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
With a single, stellar performance at the 24-hour Adventure Trail Run in Triangle, Virginia, on May 1, Keith Straw, 55, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, scored 400 Trophy Series points, taking the lead from Ryne Melcher, 31, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, who sits in second with 367.4 points. In his fourth time at the 24-Hour Adventure Trail Run, Straw ran 100 miles, completing the final lap of the rolling eight-mile course through Prince William National Park with just five minutes to spare before the cut off.
Third is Corey Hanson, 33, of Bellvue, Colorado, who won the 52.4-mile Rocky Mountain Double Marathon in Laramie, Wyoming, in 7:08:35, and finished the Collegiate Peaks 50-miler in Buena Vista, Colorado, in a respectable 8:05:13, earning a total of 259.6 points.
Leading the women's standings is 41-year-old Melissa Upchurch, of Church Road, Virginia, who also won the 24-Hour Adventure Run. "Last year I completed 64 miles and my goal this year was to run 80," says Upchurch. "It was much hotter this year, but I was able to complete 76 miles. This is probably my favorite race. I find it easier to not have a pre-determined distance." Combined with her strong performances at the Terrapin Mountain 50K in Sedalia, Virginia, (6:39:25) and Seneca Creek Trail 50K, in Damascus, Maryland, (6:36:20), she holds the lead with 366 points.
Second is Jody Aslett, 41, of Sandpoint, Idaho, who was first at the Mount Si 50-mile Ultramarathon in 7:34:40 in Snoqualmie, Washington, and second at the Spokane River Run 50K in 4:34:12, for a total of 293 points. And not far behind, with 231 points, is Meghan Arbogast, 49, of Corvallis, Oregon. She ran 4:36:29 at the Chuckanut Ridge 50K for fifth place, then later won the Ice Age 50-mile Trail Run in LaGrange, Wisconsin, in a speedy 7:17:07.
Non-Marathon Division
Four men share the lead in this division after winning their age divisions at the Collegiate Peaks 25-miler in Buena Vista, Colorado, on May 1. Ryan Burch, 30, of Gunnison, Colorado, Teejay Gomez, 20, of Clifton, Colorado, Bill Hintze, 50, of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Mark Walters, 41, of Buena Vista, Colorado, all have 100 points each.
Similarly, four women also earned 100 points at Collegiate Peaks, including Melody Fairchild, 36, of Boulder, Colorado, Jennah Jones, 24, of Golden, Colorado, Stacey Mark, 53, of Davidson, North Carolina, and Chamane Skold, 46, of Evergreen, Colorado.
This division's overall winner is typically the one to run the most Trophy Series races in a season, so expect clear leaders to emerge as the trail-race season kicks into high gear.
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.
Kickin' it in Kentucky
Trophy Series leaders earn most points at the Land Between the Lakes Trail Races
MAY 11, 2010, CARBONDALE, COLORADO- With the seventh annual Trail Runner Trophy Series presented by GORE-TEX® underway, results from March and April races (received as of April 22) have arrived and preliminary rankings tallied. The Trail Runner Trophy Series is North America's largest off-road running series, including 130 trail races across the United States and Canada that take place between March and September 2010.
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, and two random-draw prize winners. The packages include items from Trophy Series sponsors 2Toms (makers of BlisterShield and Sportshield), ZXU, Amphipod, Cho-Pat, DeFeet, GoMotion, Kahtoola, Lock Laces, Osprey, Native, Pro-Tec Athletics, Trigger Point Therapy, Udo's Oil, Vespa and Zombie Runner.
Updated monthly, Trophy Series points standings, races, press releases, race reports, profiles of past winners and details about the prizes can be found at
www.trailrunnermag.com.
Marathon and Longer Division
Leading the Marathon and Longer Division is Ryne Melcher, 31, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, who won the Mount Si 50-Mile Run on April 11 in Snoqualmie, Washington. It was his 138th ultramarathon finish. "For the most part I stayed right on pace for a 5:50 finish," says Melcher. "But the depth of new talent has made ultrarunning so competitive in the last few years that easing up for even a quarter mile can cost you a victory or shot at a course record." With that in mind, Melcher pushed through the final miles to score a course record by 22 seconds, finishing in 5:54:15.
Combined with the Trophy Series points he earned for finishing the Chuckanut 50K on March 20 in Fairhaven, Washington, Melcher leads with 231 points.
Tied for second (each with 200 points) in the Ultramarathon Division are Zach Gingerich, 30, of Aurora, Illinois, who won March's Land Between the Lakes 50-mile Run in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, and Jeremy Morris, 30, of Kearney, Nebraska, who won the Rockin' K 50-mile Trail Run in Marquette, Kansas, on April 3.
Three women share the lead in the Ultramarathon division after winning 50-milers, each worth 200 Trophy Series points. Cynthia Heady of Finchville, Kentucky, won the Land Between the Lakes 50 in 8:24:07. "I am really not that fast and as I get older, longer-distance races are for me," says the 48-year-old trail runner and race director. "I love the solitude of the woods and all that goes through my mind during an ultra."
Also leading this category are 41-year-old Jody Aslett, of Sandpoint, Idaho, who won the Mount Si 50-miler in 7:34:40 and Theresa Wheller, 43, of Wichita, Kansas, who won the Rockin' K 50-Mile Trail Run in 10:55:11.
Non-Marathon Division
After winning their age groups at the West Kentucky Runners Club's Land Between the Lakes 23K (LBL) on March 13, five men share the lead in the Non-Marathon Division. Among them is a familiar name to Trophy Series followers, Brian Beckort of Tell City, Indiana, who won the 30-39 age group with a course-record time of 1:31:42.
Other LBL age-group winners include Jason Fitzgerald, 46, of Mayfield, Kentucky, Nolan Hargus, 19, of Petersburg, Indiana, Paul Thomas, 57, of Louisville, Kentucky, and Brian Whitehead, 28, of Boaz, Kentucky.
The same race awarded equal age-group points to four women who now top the leader board in the Trophy Series Non-Marathon Division. These include Jennifer Sinclair-Hutchins, 46, of Danville, Kentucky, Sonia Mariano, 29, of Glasgow, Kentucky, Robin Lawhorn, 39, of Fankfort, Kentucky, and Linda Hansen, 50, of Carbondale, Illinois. Lawhorn was the first woman at the LBL 23K (14.3 miles), finishing in 2:04:50.
SPECIAL NOTES:
--The Desert Dash Moonlight Madness #2 on August 28, 2010 has been cancelled
--The Great Prairie MUT on August 8, 2010 in Minnesota has also been cancelled.
MORE RACES!
The 2010 Trail Runner Trophy Series, presented by GORE-TEX, will include 126 Trophy Series races throughout North America, ranging from 5K to 100 miles. For a full list of races,
click here.
MORE PRIZES!
This year's Trophy Series prizes again include the men's and women's Trail Fiend Award (awarded for finishing the most Trophy Series races). Winners get a spot at the 2011 Get Your Running Legs On week at Nipika Mountain Lodge in the Canadian Rockies (
www.nipika.com).
New this year, the man and woman to run the most Trophy Series miles will each win a spot at a Dreamchasers trail-running camp in 2011, hosted by renowned endurance athlete and coach Lisa Smith-Batchen and Jay Batchen (
www.dreamchaserevents.com).
Prize packages including goodies from Trophy Series sponsors are awarded to the Non-Marathon Division winners across 10 age groups, the top three male and female finishers in the Marathon-and-Longer Division and two random draw-prize winners.
The 2010 Trail Runner Trophy Series starts March 6, so start signing up now for races!
Best luck for a successful and adventure-filled season on the trails!
