October
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WMRA WORLD CUP 2021: BROKEN ARROW VK & SKYRACE WEEKDEND RESULTS
WMRA WORLD CUP 2021: BROKEN ARROW VK & SKYRACE. Our WMRA WORLD CUP section bring us the rsults of what happened this weekend in the WMRA World Cup in th USA, at Palisades Tahoe, California, USA, and the Broken arrow VK & Skyrace.
WMRA WORLD CUP 2021: BROKEN ARROW VK
The first race to kick-off the Broken Arrow Skyrace presented by Salomon (https://www.brokenarrowskyrace.com/) was the VK held on Friday, October 1. The event was one of two American-based races in the 2021 WMRA World Cup, the other being the 26K Skyrace to be held Sunday, October 3, with both events staged in Olympic Valley, CA, site of the newly renamed resort of Palisades Tahoe.
What better way to start the weekend than with an all-out, vomit-inducing, ladder-climbing, red-lining-4.25-mile slog from a 6,234-feet to 8,855-foot-high peak. At 11:00 a.m. nearly 200 runners lined up for the start. Skies were powder blue with temperatures in the 50s, but it felt much warmer due to the vibrant autumn sunshine.
Darren Thomas, 27, and Allie McLaughlin, 30, both of Colorado Springs, CO, took the VK titles and the World Cup crowns.
Thomas and fellow Coloradoan, Andy Wacker, 33, Boulder, took the race out with decisive speed, however, Thomas took control and slowly increased his lead to finish in 45:08, one minute and 30 seconds ahead of second place finisher, David Sinclair, 29, Peru, Vermont. In third was Telluride, Colorado’s Ryan Becker, 27, in a time of 47:49. Wacker faded to sixth in 49:03.
In the women’s race, McLaughlin closely trailed the lead women until the one kilometer mark, when she accelerated and took charge. She continued to gap the field to break the tape in a time of 54:24 to finish in 14th position overall. Less than one minute later, Hillary Allen, 33, Fort Collins, CO, finished second followed by 19-year-old Grace Staberg, Silverthorne, CO.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, international travel was a huge challenge, however, Ondrej Fedfar, 32, placed an impressive fourth overall after just arriving from the Czech Republic. Other international finishers included Ryan Atkins, 34, Canada, who finished eighth, Juan Bolaños, 20, El Salvador, 20th among the men, and Anna Frost, 39, New Zealand who finished ninth among the women.
The WMRA World Cup VK podium finishers:
Darren Thomas – 45:08 – $500
David Sinclair – 46:38 – $300
Ryan Becker – 47:49 – $200
Allie McLaughlin – 54:24 – $500
Hillary Allen – 55:20 – $300
Grace Staberg – 56:20 – $200
Complete Results: https://www.athlinks.com/event/171438/results/Event/988162/Course/2129498/Results
WMRA WORLD CUP 2021: BROKEN ARROW SKYRACE
Sunday, October 3, was the final day of the three-day Broken Arrow Skyrunning festival held at Palisades Tahoe resort in Olympic Valley, CA. The festival culminated in a 23K which was shortened from its original 26K distance due to construction at the resort. Like the VK on Friday, two Coloradoans were victorious in Joseph Gray, 37, Colorado Springs, and Janelle Lincks, 28, Thornton.
The race started at 7 a.m. at the Palisades Tahoe epicenter running through the resort’s brick-lined promenade before switchbacking up the single track trails and circumnavigating the resort, climbing from 6,214 feet to a high point of 8,855 feet and then returning to the finish for a total of 5,030 feet of vertical gain. “It was a respectful pace at the start,” said eventual winner Gray, “we stayed bunched up for the first few miles with a deep field of talent. My goal was to progressively pick up the pace and let the pack guide my moves.
“It was great to feel the energy coming into the finish area and ring the bell,” said Gray. “A win was the main goal and obviously I’m content coming away with that.”
Gray finished in 1:52:44 followed just two seconds later by Darren Thomas, 27, Colorado Springs, CO, winner of Friday’s VK. In third was Andy Wacker, 33, Boulder, CO, timed in 1:53:12.
On the women’s side, Lincks started out conservatively through the village and after the first climb had moved into the lead, a position she kept to the finish. Her winning time of 2:14:04 bested second-place finisher Emkay Sullivan, 27, Reno, NV, by more than three minutes. Sullivan’s time was 2:17:19. In third, Bailey Kowalczyk, 26, Boulder, CO, was timed in 2:19:43.
Very happy with her effort, Lincks said shortly after her finish, “It was a beautiful course and I felt good…I’ve never seen landscape like that!”
In addition to a $3,500 pay day, Gray and Lincks captured the WMRA World Cup points as well as the win for the final race in the Golden Trail National Series presented by Salomon. Thomas and Sullivan each earned $2000, while Wacker and Kowalczk each netted $1000.
For a complete list of results: https://www.athlinks.com/event/171438/results/Event/988162/Results
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