Wholistic Fitness

“Nursing my 4th career high-impact injury on my right hip sustained in a road race in New Mexico several weeks earlier, I had no expectations to defend my title from last year, yet having Andrew, who is one of my High Performance Yoga® students, inherit the title was just as rewarding for me than winning it myself.”
-steve ilg

ilg rips along the Pagosa Duathlon singletrack enroute to a 7th overall placing and 3rd place in the 45+ category.
photo courtesy Carmen Hubbs.

It was a coach’s honor to hand over my title of last weekend’s Pagosa Mountain Duathlon to Andrew Ferguson of Durango. Andrew is a HP Yoga student and fan of WF. photo by ilg

Love trail running among beautiful scenery? How ‘about racing your mountain bike among wildflower carpets of sequestered beauty? If you answered yes to either, double your pleasure next July 9th at the Pagosa Mountain Duathlon! photo courtesy Carmen Hubbs.

As expected, this year’s 4th Annual Pagosa Mountain Duathlon on July 11th, came down to another heavenly, sacred sweat. Over the ponderosa and gambel oaks, a stunningly warm, blue sky blanketed the racers, their families, and friends.

What was not expected was the jump in athlete quality which accounted for a new Course Record (1:31:01) in the Men’s Division and several sprint finishes as tired racers sprung new wings once the Finish Line was spotted. Race Director Carmen Hubbs reported a strong if not stronger turnout compared to last year. Drier conditions made for a significantly faster course than last year and the times proved it. My own time was 3 minutes faster than my winning time last year, yet that faster time was only good enough for 7th place, this year. More, higher quality athletes are discovering this great race among the towering pines of Pagosa!

First time entrant, Andrew Ferguson – who races for Directory Plus in Durango – took home the Champions medal, finishing 14 seconds over Eric Walecki. Ferguson (or “Ferggie” as he is known in Durango peletons) is one of several athletes in Durango that I’ve been encouraging to get this event on their race schedule. He did, and together we arrived at the Start Line with mere minutes before the ever tan and sweetly smiling Hubbs, the lifeblood of this race, started us. An hour and half of princely pain later, Andrew stood atop the podium, smiling ear-to-ear with his 1st place in the Full Duathlon division. 17 year-young Katarina Medici cranked to the top of the Women’s Full Course with a time of 1:57:47, nearly 5 minutes over Sarah Blackwell, twice her age.

It’s not that often that this race comes down to a sprint finish, yet, that is how it came down for me and nearly how Ferggie finally overcame his 4-minute deficit entering the Bike Transition. Both Walecki and another talented runner, JD Kurz, are younger and faster runners than Ferggie. And, runners do have an advantage on this course. The 10k run section is fast and the fleet can sizzle the run course building a cushion of time entering the relatively short (20k) mountain bike section. Aside from the dreaded “big rock gully” at kilometer 5 of the mountain bike course, the bike course is not technical and is big chainring friendly. This very fact helps powerful cyclists like Ferggie to absolutely hammer along the serpentine singletrack and gravel roads like a rabid wolverine in a drought year. Still, it took until the final half kilometer for the new champion to chow down Walecki and Kurz, proving he was in fine form for contesting the mountain bike NORBA Nationals the following weekend.

This race, with proceeds going to support the Archuleta Country Victim Assistance Fund is truly one of the premier mountain duathlons in the awe generating beauty of American southwest. Even as I ran out of real estate in my own finishing sprint to lose to Durango brother Doug Boykin by a mere 2 seconds, I came across the Finish Line realizing just how Blessed we are to sweat among these magnificent peaks and all the wilderness over which they so elegantly gaze.

I truly hope to see you and your family on the Start Line next July 9, 2011.