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Bollig untouchable at Gold Run

ANDY FRAMEsummit daily news
Summit Daily/Reid Williams Russell Bolig crests a hill on the Gold Run Nordic course Saturday during the bike portion of the High Alpine Winter Triathlon. Bolig won the men's division of the ski-bike-snowshoe race.
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BRECKENRIDGE – Russell Bollig crossed the finish line of the 25K High Alpine Winter Triathlon at Gold Run Saturday as the winner for the third straight year. After 1 hour, 25:04 minutes, he had hardly broken a sweat.”On a day like today, anytime you win a race and everything goes well with no problems, afterwards it’s just like nothing ever happened,” the Broomfield resident said.But something did happen. Bollig and 17 other athletes raced over the hilly course in three different ways. The race began with a 10K cross country skate portion. Then after kicking off their skis and boots, the athletes hopped on their bikes for another 10K trek through the snow. The last leg of the race was a 5K snowshoe run. The weather was perfect for the competitors, with blue skies above and temperatures reaching the mid-40s. It was just another day out of the office for Bollig, who either swims, rides his bike or cross country skis six days a week. Breckenridge residents Monique Merrill, 1:35:47, and Kate Chapman, 1:52:27, were the top two female finishers Saturday. Chapman, who lives right next to the course and works at the Gold Run Nordic Center, was in her element in her backyard. “I’ve decided that my sport is multisport,” Chapman said. “It’s so fun trying to adapt to the changing conditions.”Most of the athletes who raced Saturday have been competing in endurance-based events all over Colorado for years. Despite the stress they put on their bodies, most of the athletes are addicted to the feeling they get while pushing themselves to the limit.”It’s one of the metaphors of life … delayed gratification,” Hot Sulphur Springs resident and sixth-place finisher Clint Roberts said. “You don’t feel good while you’re racing, but you know when it’s all said and done, you’re going to feel really great. But the same can be said about hitting your head with a hammer.”

Roberts finished second in the 50-59 age group behind Vail resident Dawes Wilson. “I never feel bad about coming in second to Dawes, because he is an animal,” Roberts said. “When Dawes is done today he’ll probably ski from Vail Pass back to Vail on his way home.”This was the fourth High Alpine Winter Triathlon at Gold Run. The event spawned from the long-running Snowman competition at Copper Mountain. Bollig won the Snowman eight times.Andy Frame can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 236, or at aframe@summitdaily.com.Results 1. Russell Bollig, Broomfield2. Eric Black, Dillon

3. Isaac Barnes, Breckenridge4. Dawes Wilson, Vail5. Monique Merrill, Breckenridge6. Clint Roberts, Hot Sulphur Springs7. James Kahkoska, Colorado Springs8. Bob Cottrell, Dillon9. Kevin Minard, Dillon10. Kate Chapman, Breckenridge



11. Ron Uhle, Breckenridge12. Ladawn Stevenson, Breckenridge13. Anne Chapman, Breckenridge14. Jim Cushing Murray, Frisco15. John Beharrell, Cheshire, UK Junior1. Anna Kahkoska2. Kathy Leszcynski, Jason Leszcynski


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