BRECKENRIDGE — The drama of Saturday's Firecracker 50 mountain bike race had little to do with the impressive list of names in the field. It had even less to do with who was going to win, because, after all, that was decided pretty early.

The only question that was left when riders began pinballing down the switchbacks toward the finish in Breck's Carter Park was how much the husband-and-wife duo of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Heather Irmiger were going to win by.

“I was kind of in no-man's land for a little bit. ... I was all alone,” Irmiger said. “I thought I might have taken a wrong turn or something.”

Actually, everything Irmiger and her husband did Saturday was about as right as it can get, with both of them besting their respective fields by more than 12 minutes. And with the 50-mile bike race also hosting the USA Cycling Marathon MTB National Championships, the couple each took home a stars-and-stripes jersey as national champions.

“Three-and-a-half hours is a long time to be out there pushing that hard,” Horgan-Kobelski said, “but I'm really happy. It felt just great.”

For Irmiger, it was her first ever national title.

“It feels pretty awesome, especially in a marathon.,” she said. “ ... It feels good to know that I can put on the gas for that long.”

The couple, who both race for the Suburu-Gry Fisher pro team, were participating in their first-ever Firecracker 50, despite having a home in Winter Park.

“Usually I'm off chasing World Cups in Europe this time of year, but this is the kind of racing that I love,” said Horgan-Kobelski, who grew up in Boulder. “It's nice to be in Colorado and doing these type of races.

“I grew up racing in Winter Park and the Fall Classic in Breck, so this is my hometown stuff, and I love this type of stuff.”

On the men's side of the field, it may have been a little tougher for Horgan-Kobelski to pull away from the field had it not been for some physical and technical problems to some of his top challengers.

Runner-up Jeremiah Bishop, last year's Firecracker champ, had what he called a “bad race.”

“I was definitely suffering,” he said, visibly gassed at the finish. “I had some of the worst exercise asthma I've ever had in my life.”

Bishop said he had difficulties breathing for the entire first half of the course. It wasn't until some rain fell on the competitors that he regained some energy.

“I'm actually happy with second in a way, because I can't believe I even finished,” he added. “I was thinking about dropping out, I felt like death out there.”

For Gunnison's Dave Wiens, it was more about some spotty tires than sparse breathing.

“I felt good, but you never know in a longer race if it'll last,” the mountain biking legend said after having the sidewall on his back tire blow during the race, causing him to flat on three separate occasions.

“You don't want to quit, though,” he said about the mechanical difficulties that left him well back of the leading finishers. “I'm out here to train and get a good ride in, I don't want to have to stop. It's just part of being in these type of races on this type of terrain.”

One rider whose day went almost exactly as planned was Cameron Brenneman, an amateur rider from Santa Fe, N.M. Brenneman had one goal coming into Saturday, and that was to win.

“That's been my goal for the whole year, and I've been training for it,” he said.

All of the action took place after racers kicked off Breck's Main Street Fourth of July parade by pedaling past the deep crowds awaiting the array of floats.

The capacity field of 750 competitors then headed south out of town and onto the course, which made a midway loop in Carter Park, where spectators were treated to live music, food and drinks.

The race also included a team division, where riders could split the 50-mile course into two, 25-mile sections.

All in all, 12 national champions were crowned in their respective divisions for the race taking place on Independence Day.

For complete results in each division of the race, visit www.mavsports.com.

Bryce Evans can be reached at (970) 668-4634 or at bevans@summitidaly.com.