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By Nancy Hobbs
VAIL, Colo. - (June 8, 2008) - Coloradoans Rickey Gates, 27, Aspen, and Laura Haefeli, 40, Del Norte, were victorious at the Larabar 10K Spring RunOff trail race, one of the final events at the 7th Teva Mountain Games. Gates and Haefeli, members of the 2007 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team, hope to earn berths on the 2008 team at the USA Mountain Running Championships hosted by the Mount Washington Road Race to be held on Saturday, June 21 in Gorham, N.H.
With $5000 in prize money at stake, the Spring RunOff attracted top mountain runners to the start line including, on the men's side, top U.S. finisher at last year's World Mountain Running Trophy event, Payton Batliner, 24, Boulder, who like Haefeli and Gates is preparing to race at Mount Washington. and multi-time mountain team member Simon Gutierrez, Alamosa, now a masters athlete, who is still giving the younger competitors a run for their money. Add to the mix Kenyan Meshack Kirwa, 33, and Joseph Gray, 24, Oklahoma City, OK, a former collegiate steeplechaser.
For the women, Haefeli, individual bronze medalist and team gold medalist from the 2007 World Mountain Running Trophy, was the pre-race favorite. At last year's event, Haefeli placed second.
From the start, the veteran Gutierrez went out hard and had the early lead into the first turn. The 42-year-old physical therapist and last year's USATF Masters Mountain Runner of the Year, would finish in the top five and earn top masters honors.
However, it was Rickey Gates, 2007 USATF Mountain Runner of the Year, who started out conservatively and inched his way through the front runners to take the lead and win with an impressive time of 39 minutes, 44 seconds - 22 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Gates, who earned $1000, had told friends the night before the race that he hoped to go under 40 minutes for the race course.
In pursuit of Gates were a threesome led by Kirwa, followed closely by Batliner and Gray. Just beyond the bridge leading from the single-track trail to the paved section of the course about ¼ mile from the finish line, Batliner shadowed Kirwa. Showing his leg speed, Batliner, who ran for CU in his collegiate years, passed Kirwa, while Gray turned it up a notch for an all-out sprint to the finish, making up ground to pass Kirwa and finish within a hundredth of a second of Batliner who was runner-up.
Haefeli led the women's race through the first climb, and was strong and solid throughout the course to decisively win by nearly two minutes over 23-year-old Sarah Shepard, 46:30 to 48:29. Brandy Erholtz rounded out the top three in 48:54.
The race boasted 294 finishers (compared with the inaugural race in 2002 when 78 racers competed) with a breakdown of 61% men and 39% women.
7th Larabar 10K Spring RunOff - Vail, CO, Sunday, June 8, 2008
MEN
1) Rickey Gates, CO, 39:44, $1000
2) Payton Batliner, CO, 40:06, $750
3) Joseph Gray, OK, 40:06, $500
4) Meshak Kirwa, KEN, 40:07, $250
5) Simon Gutierrez, 42, CO, 40:49 (top master)
WOMEN
1) Laura Haefeli, 40, CO, 46:30, $1000 (also top master)
2) Sarah Shepard, CO, 48:29, $750
3) Brandy Erholtz, CO, 48:54, $500
4) Sarah Pizzo, CO, 49:24, $250
Complete results at: TevaMountainGames.com
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
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