Custer, Leva Take Top Honors at Magnolia Hill

Runners overcome the rain in Texas Series event

A downpour of rain was hardly enough to dampen the spirits of the runners in the XTERRA Magnolia Hill Trail Run last weekend.

More than 120 runners participated in the event, which was completed on Sunday, July 8, at the Magnolia Hill Ranch in Navasota, Texas.

James Custer traveled from Oklahoma City for the race, and finished first overall. He completed the 16-kilometer course in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 14 seconds.

"I was looking to do a trail run in July and couldn't find any in Oklahoma, so I have a buddy who lives in College Station (Texas) and I decided to stay with him and do this race," said Custer, 38. "I liked the course, although there were some sections where it got a little confusing so I ran with another guy just to make sure we were going the right way … the rain didn't bother me too much."

Chris Strait from Woodlands, Texas, placed second in 1:19:43, and Sam Labrie of Leander, Texas, was third in 1:23:14.

It was the first XTERRA Texas Trail Run race for Custer, but not his last. He said he will enter the next race, which is scheduled for August 18 at Waco.

The women's division featured a thrilling finish, as Meredith Leva from Austin won it with a final sprint. Leva, 25, finished with a time of 1:25:21, to edge Aimee Slepicka by one second.

"We started out with pouring rain, and carrying about five pounds of mud on our shoes, which was not the most pleasant experience," Leva said. "For me, it was even more challenging because for the entire race I had the second female on my tail. We ended up both sprinting to the finish. I pushed really hard and she didn't budge … what an awesome ending!"

It was the second time this year that Leva was the first overall female at an XTERRA Texas Series Trail Run (she also won at the XTERRA Bluebonnet Trail Run in April). She is an experienced XTERRA competitor, with previous races in California and Arizona.

"I feel that running XTERRA races in Texas is very different because of the humidity and they are usually in hiking/camping areas," she said. "California was awesome because they were next to big lakes and the ocean; Arizona was more dry and hilly ... I have truly enjoyed them all."

CLICK HERE to view the complete results.

The XTERRA Magnolia Hill Trail Run was the fourth of five races in the 2012 XTERRA Texas Trail Run Series. The season finale will be the XTERRA Cameron Park Trail Run on August 18 at Waco. To register for the race or learn more about it, please visit www.racerevolutions.com or www.xterratrailrun.com.

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