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BRECKENRIDGE — Last summer, Liberty University runner Jordan Whitlock got his first real taste of running at elevation. While training with his teammates in Leadville, Whitlock decided to compete in the Summit Trail Running Series event that literally runs up Peak 9.
“I'd only been up here about a week and a half,” he said of the race. “I ended up dropping out after a couple miles. It was so tough.”
After his, well, short performance last summer, Whitlock certainly was more prepared the second time around.
At the STRS's Horseshoe Gulch race, Wednesday, Whitlock bested a strong field to finish in first place.
“I liked it a lot. For Colorado, it's a good course,” the 21-year-old said. “I've ran a lot of races in Colorado, but they've been almost too hard for me. But this is a course that you could actually run fast.”
And that's exactly what he did, completing the STRS's longest course of the season in a time of one hour and two minutes. Steve Marshall (1:03:51) finished second, and Dylan Olchin was third.
The race, which began and finished at the Horseshoe Gulch Trailhead off Tiger Road, consisted of two courses. The “long” course Wednesday was nine miles, while the “short” course was five.
The added length didn't seem to deter too many runners from competing, though, as race director Linsey Kach said more than 125 runners pre-registered for the race.
“I think it's just the longest, not necessarily the hardest course,” Kach said. “There's a good climb, but it's just a beautiful run out there. ... It's a different type of area up here: You're not just running through constant trees; there's open areas, meadows. It's just a more open course.”
Some runners actually enjoyed the extra miles along with the scenery. The women's short course winner, Samantha Lunsky, said even though it was “hard,” she enjoyed the race.
“There was a big uphill, but it was pretty,” the Summit High incoming senior said. “It was a lot of fun to run it, and I tend to like the longer courses better.”
Lunsky finished in a swift time of 40 minutes and two seconds, more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Jaime Brede. Jennifer Schappert (42:27) was third.
The top male finisher on the short course was 17-year-old David Mogi, who, like Whitlock, also is training in Leadville for the summer. Even though Mogi's time of 34:56 put him ahead of second-place finisher Scott Siriano by more than a minute, the native of the Sudan wasn't too concerned about winning or losing.
“I do them just for fun,” Mogi said. “I like to do them as a workout.”
Mogi wasn't the only runner on the trails Wednesday trying to get in an offseason workout. The entire cross country team from Francis Howl Central High School in Missouri — up in the area for a team-bonding week — also competed. They weren't exactly tough to pick out of the crowd, either.
“We hiked the Mohawk (Lakes) trail the other day, so some of the boys shaved their heads,” head coach Michelle Breuer said while pointing to one of her boy runners who was sporting a freshly trimmed mohawk.
Breuer and her team decided to run the race simply by chance.
“Went into the North Face store, and they told us that the race was going, and we decided to do it,” she said. “ ... We were going to run today anyways, so we decided we might as well race.”
One runner who hasn't seemed to need much training this summer is April Thomas, who won her fourth STRS long course title with a time of 1:08:28.
Some other category winners from Horseshoe Gulch were Kaia Dunnum (Women's Short 20-29), Brede (Women's Short 30-39), Martha Lunsky (Women's Short 40-49), Daine Olson (Women Short 50-59), Lynne Mosbaugh (Women Short 60+), Drew Anderon (Men's Short 20-29), Rob Catalano (Men's Short 30-39), Siriano (Men's Short 40-49), John Swartz (Men's Short 60+), Olchin (Men's Long 20-29), Marshall (Men's Long 30-39), Roger Cox (Men's Long 40-49), Thaddeus Noll (Men's Long 50-59), Elliott Henry (Men's Long 60+), Helen Cospolich (Women's Long 30-39) and Monique Merrill (Women's Long 40-49).
The STRS is sponsored by The North Face Breckenridge 322 South Main Street.
“I'd only been up here about a week and a half,” he said of the race. “I ended up dropping out after a couple miles. It was so tough.”
After his, well, short performance last summer, Whitlock certainly was more prepared the second time around.
At the STRS's Horseshoe Gulch race, Wednesday, Whitlock bested a strong field to finish in first place.
“I liked it a lot. For Colorado, it's a good course,” the 21-year-old said. “I've ran a lot of races in Colorado, but they've been almost too hard for me. But this is a course that you could actually run fast.”
And that's exactly what he did, completing the STRS's longest course of the season in a time of one hour and two minutes. Steve Marshall (1:03:51) finished second, and Dylan Olchin was third.
The race, which began and finished at the Horseshoe Gulch Trailhead off Tiger Road, consisted of two courses. The “long” course Wednesday was nine miles, while the “short” course was five.
The added length didn't seem to deter too many runners from competing, though, as race director Linsey Kach said more than 125 runners pre-registered for the race.
“I think it's just the longest, not necessarily the hardest course,” Kach said. “There's a good climb, but it's just a beautiful run out there. ... It's a different type of area up here: You're not just running through constant trees; there's open areas, meadows. It's just a more open course.”
Some runners actually enjoyed the extra miles along with the scenery. The women's short course winner, Samantha Lunsky, said even though it was “hard,” she enjoyed the race.
“There was a big uphill, but it was pretty,” the Summit High incoming senior said. “It was a lot of fun to run it, and I tend to like the longer courses better.”
Lunsky finished in a swift time of 40 minutes and two seconds, more than a minute ahead of second-place finisher Jaime Brede. Jennifer Schappert (42:27) was third.
The top male finisher on the short course was 17-year-old David Mogi, who, like Whitlock, also is training in Leadville for the summer. Even though Mogi's time of 34:56 put him ahead of second-place finisher Scott Siriano by more than a minute, the native of the Sudan wasn't too concerned about winning or losing.
“I do them just for fun,” Mogi said. “I like to do them as a workout.”
Mogi wasn't the only runner on the trails Wednesday trying to get in an offseason workout. The entire cross country team from Francis Howl Central High School in Missouri — up in the area for a team-bonding week — also competed. They weren't exactly tough to pick out of the crowd, either.
“We hiked the Mohawk (Lakes) trail the other day, so some of the boys shaved their heads,” head coach Michelle Breuer said while pointing to one of her boy runners who was sporting a freshly trimmed mohawk.
Breuer and her team decided to run the race simply by chance.
“Went into the North Face store, and they told us that the race was going, and we decided to do it,” she said. “ ... We were going to run today anyways, so we decided we might as well race.”
One runner who hasn't seemed to need much training this summer is April Thomas, who won her fourth STRS long course title with a time of 1:08:28.
Some other category winners from Horseshoe Gulch were Kaia Dunnum (Women's Short 20-29), Brede (Women's Short 30-39), Martha Lunsky (Women's Short 40-49), Daine Olson (Women Short 50-59), Lynne Mosbaugh (Women Short 60+), Drew Anderon (Men's Short 20-29), Rob Catalano (Men's Short 30-39), Siriano (Men's Short 40-49), John Swartz (Men's Short 60+), Olchin (Men's Long 20-29), Marshall (Men's Long 30-39), Roger Cox (Men's Long 40-49), Thaddeus Noll (Men's Long 50-59), Elliott Henry (Men's Long 60+), Helen Cospolich (Women's Long 30-39) and Monique Merrill (Women's Long 40-49).
The STRS is sponsored by The North Face Breckenridge 322 South Main Street.
