By Jon Walk
Texas Runner and Triathlete Correspondent
Having won at Leadville two years ago, and with four other 100-mile wins in the last two years, San Antonio's Elizabeth Howard entered this year's Leadville Trail 100 as one of the heavy favorites, along with Boulder, Colorado's Darcy Africa, who won this year's Hardrock 100.
And even though 2012 hadn't been as kind to her with a drop 60-plus miles in to her two-time title defense at Rocky Raccoon (in Huntsville) and a 14th-place body-chilling finish at Western States, some could have argued that it was her race to lose.
Early on, though, Vermont's Aliza Lapierre, 32, who had a second and a third (this year's Western States) in her three 100-mile finishes to date, had control of the race as she and Howard took it out fast.
Lapierre maintained a steady, slim lead over Howard through the turnaround at the Winfield aid station all the way to mile 55 and up Hope Pass for the second time.
Though in the next 5.5 miles back into the Twin Lakes aid station, Howard, 40, would post an almost 12-minute lead on Lapierre.
But Boulder, Colorado's Tina Lewis, who two years ago - the same year Howard won - barely made the 30-hour cutoff to finish, was busy rattling off a 56-minute split of her own to pull within 11 minutes of Howard herself.
Howard would hold on to a 10-minute lead on Lewis and 16 on Lapierre through Half Pipe (mile 70.9), but Lewis would make her move over the next 5.6 miles into the Outward Bound aid station at the National Fish Hatchery.
She would leave the station with an 80-second advantage on Howard and turn it into a crushing 77-minute win -- the second fastest time ever (19:33:45) -- for the win.
Howard's finishing time of 20:44:08 was still the eighth fastest time in Leadville history as she held off Oregon's Ashley Nordell by just under four minutes.
Even though the five-state region didn't have anyone in the hunt for a podium spot in the men's race, Austin's Paul Terranova was taking another step towards history.
Just over 250 times in the last 25 years, a runner has completed four 100-milers to run what's known as the "Grand Slam of Ultrarunning".
With an age group placement at last November's Ford Ironman Cozumel and the luck of the lottery draw to get into this year's Western States 100, held this past June, Terranova finished his third Grand Slam 100-miler in 21:04:47 as he tries to do what no one else has done -- the Grand Slam and finish the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Remaining on Terranova's running card is the Wasatch Front 100 in Kaysville, Utah the weekend after Labor Day -- and five weeks before Kona.
The 38-year-old was one of 18 - entering Saturday's race - that was seeking this year's tag of "Grand Slammer".
Three didn't finish - and two others beside Terranova hail from the five-state region.
Russellville, Arkansas' PoDog Vogler, 46, and Albuquerque, New Mexico's Brian Pilgrim, 45, will try to join Terranova and be the first Grand Slam finishers from the area in two years. In all, 27 of the 250 career Grand Slammers since 1986 have hailed from either Texas, Arkansas or New Mexico. Oklahoma and Louisiana has not produced a finisher to date.
Speaking of finishers -- and starters, this year's Leadville Trail 100 put more starters on the line than ever before (797), yet it didn't produce a record number of finishers.
Just over 45 percent of those who left downtown Leadville at 4 a.m. Mountain time on Saturday made it across the finish line -- the lowest in four years and after three straight years of a 55 percent finishing rate or better.
Those from the area didn't fare much better as just 28 of 72 starters - 38.8% - conquered the Rockies to cross the line and claim their belt buckles.
Nineteen were finishing their first Leadville Trail 100 while 10 of them had also tackeld the 100-mile distance for the first time in their ultrarunning careers.
The complete area finisher's list is listed below:
20:44:08 - Elizabeth Howard, F, San Antonio, TX (2nd Leadville finish)
21:04:47 - Paul Terranova, M, Austin, TX (1st Leadville finish)
23:15:16 - Eric Pope, M, Albuquerque, NM (1st 100-mile finish)
23:38:14 - Ted Herget, M, Jonesboro, AR (1st Leadville finish)
23:51:47 - Tom Brennan, M, Poteau, OK (1st Leadville finish)
24:41:45 - Jason Lippman, M, Austin, TX (4th Leadville finish)
26:15:53 - Shaheen Sattar, F, Dallas, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
26:46:22 - Margaret Ochs, F, Sandia Park, NM (1st 100-mile finish)
26:50:27 - Katrin Silva, F, Las Vegas, NM (1st 100-mile finish)
27:44:32 - Vlad Henzl, M, Los Alamos, NM (1st 100-mile finish)
27:44:47 - Podog Vogler, M, Russellville, AR (2nd Leadville finish)
27:47:06 - Carrie Delbecg, F, Austin, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
27:53:09 - Ken Gordon, M, Albuquerque, NM (9th Leadville finish)
27:57:21 - Paul Turner, M, Conway, AR (1st Leadville finish)
28:09:14 - Larry Pearson, M, Helotes, TX (1st Leadville finish)
28:26:09 - Neil Blake, M, Rio Rancho, NM (6th Leadville finish)
28:45:35 - Lori Enlow, F, Tahlequah, OK (1st Leadville finish)
28:45:41 - Richard Brown, M, Manchester, LA (1st Leadville finish)
28:56:04 - Jesse Vork, M, Leander, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
29:05:13 - Nicholas Juskiewicz, M, Albuquerque, NM (1st Leadville finish)
29:08:07 - Edgar Martinez, M, Allen, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
29:12:47 - Dan Keefe, M, Oklahoma City, OK (5th Leadville finish)
29:14:00 - Brian Pilgrim, M, Albuquerque, NM (2nd Leadville finish)
29:16:03 - George Peterka, M, Hot Springs National Park, AR (1st Leadville finish)
29:36:13 - John Martinek, M, Houston, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
29:41:09 - John Peck, M, Austin, TX (3rd Leadville finish)
29:46:02 - Maurice Forshee, M, Austin, TX (2nd Leadville finish)
29:53:10 - Edgardo Gonzalez, M, San Antonio, TX (1st 100-mile finish)
No comments:
Post a Comment