A BATTLE ROYALE AT THE 6th ANNUAL WINTER WARRIOR 10K SNOWSHOE RACE! NEW LADIES 10K COURSE RECORD SET!!!
pic: above: Durango Double Marathon champion Anthony Kunkel can’t quite handle the tempo and agility of
FLC Cross-Country champion, Christian Gering (photo above, #261) during Saturday’s 6th Annual Winter Warrior 10k – a Nationally Sanctioned USSSA event created by multi-sport legend and Durango native, Steve Ilg. Brendan Trimboli (shown photo right #268) president of Durango Running Club, finished 3rd Overall. Gering’s time of 52:42 was just 43 seconds shy of local cycling National Champion Howard Grott’s 2014 Course Record. Gering said after the race, “I’ll be back…i will get the Course Record! I’ve never raced a more difficult race than the Winter Warrior! AMAZING race!!”
Durango Nordic Center was witness to a world-class 6th edition of the Winter Warrior 10k snowshoe race contested by a stacked, national-class field which resulted in a nail-biting epic battle upon the sacred snows in the most grueling of all endurance sports between rookie snowshoer yet supremely talented FLC Cross-Country runner, Christian Gering against back-to-back Durango Double Marathon winner and seasoned snowshoe racer, Anthony Kunkel in the Men’s Race. Brendan Trimboli of Durango Running Club finished a bit off the leaders pace in a very fast 58:13 time. Gering stayed tight on Kunkel’s snowshoe’s tails during the first of two excruciatingly testing 5k laps in sometimes soft, at other times firm yet very temperamental snow. “To get on the podium of today’s race went to the athlete capable of really relaxing into and listening to the snow’s language, truly a shining example of what sport snowshoeing is ALL about! I am sooo proud of ALL our Winter Warriors and Warrioress’s today!” said Race Director Ilg during a pre-race interview with 4-Corners TV which televised the event.
“It will be like running across a tightrope this morning,” cautioned Race Director and 2x World Mountain Snowshoer, Steve Ilg during the Pre-race instructions, “in the single track sections? Your foot strike better be dialed: smooth, light, and soft right in the middle…otherwise? You’re gonna post hole!” The event is a National Qualifying event which drew over 50 participants from as far away as Florida. 100% of race entry fees proceeds Ilg’s childhood alma mater; the Durango Youth Nordic Ski Club. “I wanna give back and EVERYONE receives a FREE raffle prize which is often worth more than TWICE their entry fee!” This race was featured in Runner’s World Magazine as, “One of the top 12 Snowshoe Races You NEED To Do,” in their December issue.
According to Ilg, all winter sports owe their genesis to snowshoeing. “In fact? All western civilization owes their survival to snowshoers…it’s what got us across the frozen Siberian Straight and onto Turtle Island (America). So, if you enjoy snowboarding, skiing, whatever glides on snow? YOU need to take Sacred Pilgrimage to my race and offer your sweat and spirit on what i call, America’s most Brutal-full snowshoe course!”
In the Ladies competition it was Durango’s Kathryn Ross who dethroned fellow Durangoan’s Megan Finnesey’s 2012 record by posting a 63:04 effort…nine minutes ahead of Laura Knapp (who was the current 5k Winter Warrior Champion). Ross – known locally for her terse, Haiku-like verbiage, told ilg during her post-race interview in front of the gathered crowd:
“It was hard.”
In the Men’s 10k 45+ division, it was Durango’s Gerry Geraghty who collapsed across the Finish Line after a 72:59 effort asking Race Director Ilg, “Did my time beat yours?”
The 5k races took on a spiritual splendor of their own as 13 year-old Ian Dodds of Farmington crushed a 39:22 effort to take the Overall Win. Meanwhile, it was one of Race Director Ilg’s old time fitness students and local jewelry maker, Diane Thornton – a former pro downhill cyclist – who killed the Ladies 5k field with a 42:46 effort, “It was AWESOME out there,” she exclaimed after she got her breath back.
Continuing her remarkable winning streak, it was Dewachen Ilg – an 8 year-old snowshoe racing phenom coming off a 6k Age Group win at the prestigious Chama Chile Ski Classic Weekend – that continued her winning ways by taking the 44-and-under category for the second consecutive year at the Winter Warrior. Dewa’s victory meant all the more to her since she held ha
with and paced her mom, Joy Kilpatrick (photo above #214, behind Dewachen Ilg) until 1k to the finish whereupon Dewa asked her mom, “Can i go now?” Her mom, giving her approval, watched as Dewa shut down a 250-meter gap to the adult racer in front of her before collapsing across the finish line. Her mom, finished on the podium in 3rd in the 45+ 5k Ladies Division saying, “The last time I did a Snowshoe Race? I was 6 month’s pregnant with Dewa!” Joy finished, ironically, 3rd in that race as well.
This year also saw a first ever, Best Costume Award. To coincide with the SnowDown Theme of the ’80’s it was none other than Sean Meissner of Durango killin’ it with his Richard Simmons person! You can judge for yourself on Sean’s costume seen photo far right above being passed by eventual 2nd place female 10k winner, Laura Knapp of Durango.
For ALL RACE RESULTS and GREAT PICS continuing to be posted go to Facebook and hit up Winter Warrior 10k or visit www.WinterWarrior10k.com
– steve ilg
818 590 2922
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