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XTERRA Iron Creek Post Race Report



By Circ Toepel, XTERRA Rep

Fresh cut single track winding through meadows of tall grass.  All right, some of it wasn’t quite single track yet but it was still really cool to be slicing through the grass among the cows at 6000’.  Lest you think it was all fun and games, there was Mount Rose, rising up above and ready to suck the oxygen out of even the best riders.  Temperatures in the low 90’s and a redesigned bike course this year made for another awesome adventure at Iron Creek Lake outside of Spearfish SD.

Spencer Powlison was the lone pro at Iron Creek and he made the most of it by winning with a time of 1:58:53.  He was first off the bike and never stopped hammering on the run.  Jim Meyer used his local knowledge to be the first amateur in at 2:04:45.  Jim knows this course better than anyone as he is also a co-director and in charge of timing…hmmmm.  Stephen White rounded out the top 3 a minute back.

The women’s race unfolded in usual fashion with Becky Batizy coming in with the top males into T1.  The bike allowed Jill Sorenson to show her stuff by building an insurmountable lead and finishing in 2:25:15.   Louisa Jenkins took 2nd place by having the fastest run of the 2 lap course around the lake.  Julie Bruckman overcame me cheering for her as “Kim” all day and finished in 3rd place with a time of 2:30:59.

Not only is this one of the most spectacular XTERRA courses, it is one of the finest camping sites anywhere and many competitors chose to spend the whole weekend.  There are small cabins available as well as tent and RV sites but it is rustic camping only, with running water available at pumps scattered here and there.  Because of this great location there were about 400 spectators on hand to cheer all the racers.

Many competitors were gathered in the lake after finishing to cool off and cheer on the remaining racers as they passed by on the run.  The campground provided a great BBQ after the race while the awards of local honey and mustard were given.
XTERRA