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Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Loutitt makes impact in STRS debut



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Men’s 10K first place winner Jason Loutitt, right, runs ahead of Dylan (141) and Gabe Olchin after a fast start Wednesday on the Baker’s Tank trail in Breckenridge.
Men’s 10K first place winner Jason Loutitt, right, runs ahead of Dylan (141) and Gabe Olchin after a fast start Wednesday on the Baker’s Tank trail in Breckenridge.
Summit Daily/Kristin Skvorc
BRECKENRIDGE — If Dylan Olchin hopes to repeat as the 10K Nike Summit Trail Running Series champion, he clearly has his work cut out for him.

Olchin finished in an unfamiliar second place behind Jason Loutitt in Wednesday’s Baker’s Tank race — the opening installment of the 2006 STRS.

“I don’t know who that guy was,” Olchin said of the victor. “But he kicked my butt. ... He’s going to be tough to keep up with this summer.”

It was Olchin who was tough to keep up with last summer, as the local racer finished undefeated on the season to claim the series title.

“It was kind of an eye opener,” Olchin said of his result on Wednesday. “I need to start running again.”

Loutitt, a professional Canadian marathoner who finished Wednesday’s race in 36 minutes, seven seconds, was a newcomer to the Summit series. He moved to Vail six weeks ago, where he plans to spend this summer training for the Pikes Peak Marathon.

Loutitt was not a perfect stranger in Wednesday’s field, however, following his 10K victory at Saturday’s Run the Rockies in Frisco.

“I saw (Loutitt’s) picture in the paper,” said Steve Marshall, Wednesday’s third-place finisher in the 10K. “So I knew he was a pro marathoner. And (Olchin) is in a class by himself. I’m actually really happy with third — it’s essentially a win for me.”

Olchin seemed to take his second-place finish in stride.

“I’m not too bummed,” Olchin said. “I just wish I had represented like my brother.”

Gabe Olchin, another newcomer to the STRS, won the men’s 5K race with a time of 17:21. The Colorado State graduate student commuted from Fort Collins to run the race and hang out with his younger brother.

Gabe Olchin was followed in the 5K by Darren Brungardt in second and Littleton’s Derek Griffiths in third.

Griffiths, who commutes to STRS races from the Front Range on a regular basis, has had his fair share of success in Summit County.

“I won all the 5K’s two years ago,” Griffiths said. “Then all the studs started coming out, so I don’t win them anymore.”

Dylan Olchin wasn’t the only runner to see his undefeated streak come to a screeching halt.

Lynda Andros of Vail took third in Wednesday’s women’s 5K race, after going undefeated in that category last season (she missed one race, but won all the others).

It was two recent Indiana University graduates that knocked Andros from her pedestal.

“We’re just visiting,” second place finisher Kelly Siefker said. “We saw this race in the paper today during lunch and figured we needed a workout, so we decided to come out.”

Jessica Gall, Siefker’s former IU track and field teammate, won the women’s 5K with a time of 18:53.

Both graduates, neither one of whom had ever competed more than a couple hundred feet above sea level, said they were struck by the friendliness of their competitors.

“Every time we passed someone, they said ‘good job’.” Gall said. “I was so out of breath, I could barely respond.”

Gall seemed to like the scenery as well.

“The view from the (highpoint of the course) was incredible,” she said. “We don’t get that in Indiana. ... This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Kim Eytel won the women’s 10K race with a time of 46:56 ahead of Maureen Sheehan (48:02) and Jaime Falcon (48:08).

Eytel and Falcon have become familiar foes after trading 10K victories throughout most of last summer.

“We’re very compatible,” Eytel said. “We push each other a lot and usually switch positions a few times on the course.”

Eytel took over early Wednesday, however, as she was determined to jump out ahead of Falcon.

“I was trying to build up some time between us on the uphill,” Eytel said. “I know she’s tougher on the downhills and I’m usually a chicken on them — I guess I’m scared of injury.”

STRS No. 1 Baker’s Tank

Men’s Short Course
1. Gabe Olchin — 17:21
2. Darren Brungardt — 18:02
3. Derek Griffiths — 18:18

Women’s Short Course
1. Jessica Gale — 18:53
2. Kelly Siefker — 18:56
3. Lynda Andros — 20:03

Men’s Long Course
1. Jason Loutitt — 36:07
2. Dylan Olchin — 37:42
3. Steve Marshall — 39:02

Women’s Long Course
1. Kim Eytel — 46:56
2. Maureen Sheehan — 48:02
3. Jaime Falcon — 48:08

Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-4634, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.


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