New XTERRA Georgia Season Starts with New Winners

Kutter and Gower take top honors at Harbins Park

New faces - with fast feet - prevailed at the XTERRA Harbins Park Trail Run at Dacula, Ga., today.

Tom Kutter of Loganville, Ga., and Erin Gower from Marietta, Ga., took top honors in the 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) course at Harbins Park Trails.

The race was the first of six in the 2010-11 XTERRA Georgia Trail Run Series. Neither Kutter nor Gower competed in the Georgia Series last season.

Kutter was the overall winner, completing the course in 36 minutes, 52 seconds. He said he often trains at Harbins Park, so the familiarity with the trail helped his cause.

"I kind of knew what to expect because I run those trails a lot," said Kutter, 30. "It was an awesome race. Conditions were great, everything was great."

Kutter competed at the 2008 Olympic trials for the marathon, but did not enter too many races in 2010. He said he would like to use the XTERRA Georgia Series as part of his training to return to national elite level in 2011.

"I wasn't running very much last year - I had some injuries and just wasn't training as much as I should," he said. "I'm trying to get back into it now, and I'd like to do the whole (Georgia) Series."

Michael Johnson of Canton, Ga., stayed close to Kutter the entire course, and finished second with a time of 37:02, which was just 10 seconds behind Kutter.

Gower was the first female finisher with a time of 45:30. She ran away from the rest of the women's field, as runner-up Elizabeth Johnson came in nearly two minutes later at 47:30.

The XTERRA Harbins Park Trail Run featured a capacity field of 220 runners, ranging in age from 17 to 73.

"What a way to start the season," Georgia Series director Tim Schroer said. "The weather was fabulous, and to get a sellout in our first race, you couldn't ask for more."

Cumulative points for the Georgia Series will be kept throughout the season. The top age-group runners at the end of the season will receive free entry to the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship.

Georgia is one of 10 regions hosting an XTERRA Trail Run Series for the 2010-11 season. The others are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Long Island, North Carolina, Ohio, Philadelphia, Southern California and Texas.

The next race in the Georgia Series is the XTERRA Fall Fitness Trail Run at Buford, Ga., on Oct. 2. For entry information visit www.xterratrailrun.com or www.dirtyspokes.com.

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