XTERRA Trail Run Race Recaps

A few race recaps for some trail races held in February and March in the XTERRA series:

XTERRA Thrill in the hills XDURRO “Mudfest”
Following a day of rain, conditions were perfect for making the XTERRA Thrill in the Hills Xduro into an exciting mudfest. Around 500 runners trudged and slipped their way through 21-kilometers of dirty fun over the rolling terrain inside Winder, Georgia’s Fort Yargo State Park on February 28. Tom Kutter, 29, crossed the finish line first in a time of 1:19:18 with Nathan Haskins, 21, just 7 seconds back. For the women, 23-year old Elena Linn turned in the overall win finishing in 1:39:40. Tara Mooney, 26, and Katina Zuganelis, 22, took second and third places with their times of 1:46:58 and 1:47:56 respectively.

XTERRA Seven Islands Trail Run
Fred Smith and Cinandra McCeery, both of Knoxville, Tennessee, were the hometown heroes of the 10-kilometer XTERRA Seven Islands Trail Run on February 28. Smith, 32, turned in the fastest time of the day in just 44:07 to claim his rightful place on top of the podium. David Worth, 23, of Sevierville, TN and David Hance, 22, of Talbott, TN took second and third place with their times of 45:44 and 51:48 respectively. For the women, McCeery, 28, had almost a 4 minute lead over runner up Heather Freshwater, 22, of Jefferson City, TN.

XTERRA Runnin’ The Rokcs Trail Run
Less than a second separated first from second place at the March 7th XTERRA Runnin’ the Rocks Trail Run held at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers. Atlanta’s Chris Wiley, 40, bolted across the finish line at 35:49:50 and edged out Marietta’s Jeff Campbell, 38, by just six tenths of a second.

The women’s race had a little more breathing room as 36-year old Holly Ortlund of Decatur took top honors for the 10km event in just 43:01. Once again, Kennesaw’s Tara Mooney, 26, took second in 44:32 while Britney Almaguer, 23 of Atlanta, claimed third place in 45:23.

XTERRA snowhsoe races at the  XTERRA Winter World Championship
Fresh powder, bright sun, and blue skies made for fabulous racing conditions at the XTERRA Snowshoe Races in Snowbasin, Utah on March 7. Marc Lonac from Fort Collins, CO won the XTERRA Snowshoe 10km in 40:08 while Caprice Schwarzwalder from Ogden won the women’s race in 50:42 during the Saturday races of the XTERRA Winter World Championship. Marc Munns won the 5km in 37:49 while 12-year-old Kylie Osguthorpe from Ogden, UT won the women’s division in 47:07.