Course Records Set At USA 100-Mile Trail Championships
Posted Tuesday, 24 July, 2007
FOLSOM, Calif. - July 24, 2007 - Rising ultrarunning stars Molly Zurn and Pacific Association/USATF's Jasper Halekas conquered both the challenging course and the competition at the 2007 USA Track & Field 100 Mile Trail Championship, hosted by the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 on July 21. The course consisted of two tours of a 50-mile trail route mostly along a northeastern segment of the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. Competitors traversed the crest of the Tahoe Basin between Spooner Lake and Tahoe Meadows near Mt. Rose (Nev.), at elevations ranging between 7,000 and 9,200 feet.
Blessed by mild weather both day and night, both champions established new course records en route to earning an even split of the $2,000 total winner's purse. Zurn, 36, formerly of San Francisco and currently of Reno, Nev., made history by becoming the first woman to crack the 24-hour barrier here, finishing only her third 100-miler in 23 hours, 32 minutes, 12 seconds. Kim Gimenez, 42, of Long Beach, Calif. was second among women in 24:47:59.
Halekas, 30, of Oakland, Calif. shattered his own Tahoe Rim Trail 100 standard from 2006 by over two hours. He felt strong after cruising through the first 50 miles in 8:32. Then Halekas powered over the course's final challenge, a second ascent of 9,200-foot Snow Valley Peak (mile 93), when he realized he would bag the course record. He blasted downhill to do exactly that, in 18:16:01. Oakland's Mark Gilligan, 36, was second in 19:38:00.
There were 69 finishers in the 100-mile national championship event, and over 250 finishers in the companion Tahoe Rim Trail 50-mile and 50-kilometers races. The event was jointly presented by the Tahoe Mountain Milers (Lake Tahoe) and Sagebrush Stompers (Carson City) Running Clubs.
For full results, visit www.pausatf.org.
The Pacific Association is the largest member association of USA Track & Field (USATF). We serve northern California and northwestern Nevada. USATF is the National Governing Body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States. For more information about the Pacific Association, visit our Web site at www.pausatf.org.
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