Simon Gutierrez (Taos, N.M.) and Laura Haefeli (Del Norte, Colo.) were the winners of the USA National Trail Running Championship on Saturday, June 5 in Vail. The race, which included a $5,000 cash purse and sponsored by Gore-Tex, was held in conjunction with the Teva Spring Runoff, a 6.4-mile run that included 3,000 feet of elevation gain and loss on Vail Mountain.
Gutierrez, 38, took an early lead in the very steep first mile of the course, battling with Matt Carpenter for the first portion of the race. Gutierrez, the 2003 USA Mountain Running Champion, was the first to reach the finish line in 42 minutes, 57 seconds. Runner-up Josiah Middaugh, a pro triathlete from Vail, was next in 44:01, while Bill Raitter (Estes Park, Colo.) was third in 45:01.
Unlike Gutierrez, who has made his mark in trail, road and mountain running, Haefeli, 36, has typically used trail running as training for summer biathlon competitions. A seven-time U.S. national champion at that sport, Haefeli, the former University of Dayton cross country All- American, surprised a strong women’s field to earn her first national USATF title. She covered the course in 51:56, just ahead of runner-up Katie Blackett (Boulder, Colo.), who finished in 52:07.
Kari DiStefano (Telluride, Colo.), last year’s Spring Runoff women’s champion and a multi-time member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, was third in 52:20 and Danelle Ballengee (Dillon, Colo.), also a former U.S. Mountain Running Team runner, was fourth in 53:30.
Gutierrez and Haefeli each earned $1,000 for their victories.
Andy Ames, 41 (Boulder, Colo.), was the Masters champion, as he finished fifth overall in 45:40. Michael Tobin, 40 (Boise, Id.), was runner-up in the Masters division, finishing sixth overall in 45:48. DiStefano, 45, was the women’s Masters champion.
USA Trail Running Championships: 6.4 miles Vail, CO, Saturday, June 5, 2004
Men
1. Simon Gutierrez, Taos, NM, 42:57, $1,000
2. Josiah Middaugh, Vail, CO, 44:01, $750
3. Bill Raitter, Estes Park, CO, 45:01, $500
4. Bill Fanselow, Golden, CO, 45:34, $250
5. Andy Ames, 41, Boulder, CO, 45:40
Women
1. Laura Haefeli, Del Norte, CO, 51:56, $1,000
2. Katie Blackett, Boulder, CO, 52:07, $750
3. Kari DiStefano, 45, Telluride, CO, 52:21, $500
4. Danelle Ballengee, Dillon, CO, 53:30, $250
5. Kelly Ryan, Lakewood, CO, 54:33
USATF Masters Age-Group National Champions
Men
40-44
1. Andy Ames, Boulder, CO
2. Michael Tobin, Boise, ID
3. Bernie Boettcher, Silt, CO
50-54
1. Buzz Burrell, Boulder, CO
2. Ed Green, Thornton, CO
55-59
1. Larry Rose, Silt, CO
Women
40-44
1. Heidi Vosbeck, Glenwood Springs, CO
45-49
1. Kari DiStefano, Telluride, CO
2. Jeanne Blatter, Silt, CO