Timphony and Fernandez Race to Opening Wins in SoCal Series

Close to 500 participate in XTERRA Point Mugu Trail Run

James "JJ" Timphony started entering races in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series last year, and he's catching on fast.

Timphony was the overall winner of the XTERRA Point Mugu Trail Run on October 16 at Malibu, Calif. He completed the 18-kilometer course in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 41 seconds. Timphony, 24, has entered three XTERRA SoCal Trail Runs in the past year, and won two of them.

"I really loved the trail; it was incredible and very beautiful," said Timphony, who is from Pasadena, Calif. "The race was tough, and was a challenging one, especially with the other contenders. They started to catch me on the last miles."

(Timphony pictured at right, courtesy www.supersportsphoto.com)

Timphony led practically from start to finish, and completed the course more than a minute ahead of his closest competition.

Rickey Russell of Novato, Calif., placed second with a time of 1:15:43; Sean Kievning of Redondo Beach, Calif., was third in 1:16:16.

In the women's division, Victoria Fernandez of Oxnard, Calif., is apparently an even faster learner. She placed sixth overall and was first among the females. It was Fernandez's first XTERRA Trail Run.

She finished just seven seconds ahead of Anissa Faulkner, who was the runner-up female for the second consecutive year.

(Fernandez pictured below, courtesy www.supersportsphoto.com)

Close to 500 runners participated in the event, which featured two courses - the 18K long course and a shorter 11-kilometer course.

Bradley Marshall of Sandy, Utah, was the overall winner of the 11K, while 52-year-old Elizabeth Chait of Los Angeles was the top female.

The Point Mugu Trail Run was the first race of the 2011-12 season for the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series. There will be six more races during the season, and thousands of runners will participate in the series.

Every race in the XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series is open to runners of all ages and skill levels. The next race will be the XTERRA Topanga Turkey Trot on November 24 at Los Angeles.

SoCal is one of 12 regions that is hosting an XTERRA Trail Run Series for the 2011-12 season. The others are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Southern Ohio, Pocono, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The age-group champions from each region will earn free entries to the 2012 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship.

To register for a race in the SoCal series or to learn more about it, please visit www.trailrace.com or www.xterratrailrun.com.

To view more race photos, please visit www.supersportsphoto.com.

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