It seemed as though Mother Nature was doing all that she could to not let The Bear Chase take place this past weekend. It seems she was unaware of the persistence and true grit that the organizers of the Bear Chase were willing to unleash come obstacles as devastating as a 100-year flood.
But that’s what just they did – persevered, fought and conquered – just like the athletes that took to the newly laid course on Sunday morning. And Mother Nature complied. Friday’s weather forced all races to be held on Sunday, where warm and sunny skies greeted runners throughout the day.
In the men’s inaugural 100K race, 42-year old Kelly Knowles of Golden – winner of the 2012 Bear Chase 50M – took top honors in a blistering 9:27:16. Castle Rock’s Stephen Sherwood grabbes econd in 10:43:10, and Marc Staley of Golden rounded out the top three in 11:17:04.
The women’s 100K saw 44-year old Tonia Smith of Colorado Springs garner first place in 10:46:39. Jessica Poirier of Lakewood finished second in 11:36:19, and Denver’s Rochelle Garnanez crossed the line in third in 12:07:24.
In the men’s 50M, Jeremy Ebel of Boulder finished in first place with a time of 7:28:09, with Denver’s Scott Kretzmann not far behind, finishing in second in 7:30:26. Boulder’s Paul Rapinz, 43, finished third in 8:24:37.
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day was that of women’s 50M champion Kaci Lickteig of Dannebrog, Nebraska. Lickteig smoked both the men’s and women’s 50M fields in 6:54:15. Golden’s Kaija Staley finished second in 8:16:30, with 42-year old Michele Bierstedt crossing the line in third in 9:10:21.
Men’s 50K winner Chester Kurtz finished up in 4:15:35, while Nebraskan Miguel Ordorica grabbed second in 4:19:01. Close behind was Denver’s Christian Hendrickson, finishing third in 4:20:50.
In the women’s 50K race, Jen Byrne of Lakewood crossed the line in first in 4:23:23, with second place finisher Siobhan Pritchard finishing in 4:32:50. 40-year old Lisa Purul rounded out the top three in 4:50:01.
The men’s half marathon saw 24-year old Tyler Curtis take top honors in 1:20:44. Brian St. Onge of Superior finished second in 1:26:46, and Thornton’s Erik Frank finished third in 1:31:07.
Speedster Sarah Pizzo of Denver took the win in the women’s half marathon with a finishing time of 1:33:27. Fellow Denverite Kelsey Martin grabbed second place in 1:35:29, and rounding out the top three was Elizabeth Carey of Denver in 1:42:19.
In the men’s 10K, Lonnie Cruz took the win in 35:21, with Erick Dorsch not far behind, finishing second in 35:31. Joel Hamilton of Golden grabbed third in 37:09.
The women’s 10K saw 12-year old Anna Schults of Lafayette finish in first in 45:11. Kendelle Krause of Broomfield finished right begind Shults in 45:16, and 20-year old Carly Meyer rounded out the top three in 48:26.