Burrell Wins Inaugural XTERRA Dry Creek Run

The inaugural XTERRA Dry Creek Trail Run was anything but dry. Light rain and a muddy course made for challenging conditions at Garin Park in Hayward, Calif.

The race was completed on June 4, and Galen Burrell of San Francisco emerged as the overall winner, completing the 21-kilometer course in 1 hour, 53 minutes, 56 seconds. He dominated the race, and was the only runner to complete the course in less than two hours.

"Conditions along the hilly course were extremely muddy, which made for very slow going throughout the race," said Burrell, 31. "In many sections of the course, the mud was so sticky, that each step felt like five pounds of wet cement had stuck to your shoe. Given the slow turnover, the race was more a test of strength and attrition than leg speed. I think the race could have been run about 30 minutes faster under normal, dry conditions!"

Burrell, who works as a lighting designer with a global engineering firm, is no stranger to success. He is an experienced trail runner, and former winner of the Pikes Peak Marathon, the Spring Desert Ultra, the Canberra Three Peaks Challenge, the Stinson Beach 25K, and the Sequoia Trail Race.

Andrew McIntire, a 2011 graduate of Moreau Catholic High School, placed second with a time of 2:12:59. Proceeds from the race were donated to the Moreau Catholic cross-country team.

John Weru, who recently won the XTERRA Santa Cruz Trail Run and is a former winner of the San Francisco Marathon, was registered to participate, but decided not to run on the morning of the race.

Samantha Michel of Fremont, Calif., placed 13th overall with a time of 2:44:18, and was the first female finisher.

Co-race directors Rob Butner and Enrique Henriquez said they would like to bring the race back next year, and perhaps have it become part of an XTERRA Trail Run Series in Northern California.

For complete results, visit www.xterradrycreekrun.com.

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