Goodwin, Tolley Claim Wins at XTERRA Season Closer

(Greenville, SC) – The inaugural XTERRA South Carolina Trail Run Series closed its 2009 season this morning on the Paris Mountain Trails. The gorgeous Greenville day set the stage as FJ Goodwin and Lisa Tolley ran their way to victory on the winding, scenic, 7-kilometer course.

With the fastest time of the day, series newcomer Goodwin, 23 from Winterville, NC, won the race with a blazing time of 26:31. Less than a minute later Greenville’s own Evan Nelsen, 19, and Piedmont’s Tom Ford, 18, bolted across the finish line with their times of 27:18 and 27:31 respectively.

After finishing second overall in the series’ last race, Seneca’s South Carolina Master Runner of the Year Tolley, 42, came back with a vengeance to dominate the women’s field in 30:22. Claiming the second place title was Greenville’s Michelle Gaul, 30, with her time of 32:13 barely edging out Kelly Kent, 35 of Greer, by just 6 seconds.

With their outstanding performances today, Tolley and Gaul have secured their titles of 2009 XTERRA South Carolina Regional Champions. Along with the rest of the deserving age group winners, they have earned this coveted title as well as free entry to the XTERRA Trail Running National Championship on September 13 in Bend, Oregon. Here they can go head to head with the nation’s best trail runners, and with no qualification necessary, all are welcome to compete.

From there, runners have the opportunity to say aloha to the beautiful Hawaiian island of Oahu at the December 6th XTERRA Trail Running World Championship. Taking place at the spectacular Kualoa Ranch, athletes can run alongside the very landscape where major productions like Jurassic Park, Godzilla and LOST have filmed.

Runners should also mark their calendars for the return of the XTERRA South Carolina Trail Run Series on November 14, 2009. This 11-kilometer race revisits Paris Mountain Trails State Park and will be the first chance for South Carolina runners to earn points toward their 2010 series totals.

For more information about the XTERRA Trail Run Series, visit www.xterratrailrun.com.

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.

2009 XTERRA TRAIL RUN SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS

XTERRA Trail Running National Championship 5/10/21km – Bend, OR – 9/13/09
XTERRA Trail Running World Championship 5/10/21km – Oahu, HI – 12/6/09
For more information, visit www.xterratrailrun.com or call 877-XTERRA-1.

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