Lucas, Eveden Hail Victory at Haw Ridge Xduro

(Oak Ridge, TN) – Local runners dominated the field at yesterday’s XTERRA Haw Ridge Xduro Trail Run as Barry Lucas, 42, of Maryville and Sally Eveden, 53, of Knoxville placed first in their respective divisions.

Lucas finished the 20 kilometer trail run in just 1:14:03 and was able to claim victory over runner-up Mark Rasnake, 35, of Knoxville by more than 10 minutes. Eveden, who finished in 1:42:27, had an even larger lead on her opponent Karen Wilkinson, 42 and also from Knoxville, who crossed the finish line in 1:55:14.

This was the first time Tennessee residents were given a taste of XTERRA’s new, half-marathon distance Xduro trail races. The runners, who ranged in age from 15 to 63, enjoyed a picture perfect autumn day with falling leaves, clear skies and light winds. According to race director Kevin Mahan, “The woods were cool, the venue was quite scenic, and we all had fun. Everyone was a winner at the XTERRA Haw Ridge Xduro.”

Since this was the first race in the 2008-09 XTERRA Tennessee Trail Run Series, athletes still have three more opportunities to earn points toward their series total for their chance to win free entry to the XTERRA Trail Running National Championship taking place in Bend, Oregon in September 2009. Runners who finished yesterday’s race in less than 3 hours automatically qualify for both Nationals and the XTERRA Trail Running World Championship in Hawaii.

Complete race results are attached and more information can be found online at www.xterratrailrun.com. Media interested in photos from this event should contact emily@xterraplanet.com.

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