Press and Media Center

East Championship Maui Qualifiers

THIS WEEK:  We see who qualified for the XTERRA World Championship in Maui at Sunday’s East Championship in Richmond, hear about two heroic racers, preview this weekend’s XTERRA Points Series races, and take a look at the weekend’s TV schedule.

UPCOMING RACES:

6/23 – XTERRA Dawg Dayz (North Little Rock, AR)

6/23 – XTERRA Solstice (La Grande, OR)

6/23 – XTERRA Tahoe City (Tahoe City, CA)

6/24 – XTERRA Garnet Hill (North River, NY)

6/24 – XTERRA Torn Shirt (Brighton, MI)

6/30 – XTERRA Wildwood Romp Trail Run (St. Louis, MO)

6/30 – XTERRA I.C. King of Trails Race (Knoxville, TN)

MAUI QUALIFIERS FROM RICHMOND: 

By virtue of their performance at the XTERRA East Championship in Richmond, Virginia on Sunday the following 34 age group athletes representing 15 states earned their spot on the starting line of the 2007 XTERRA World Championship on October 28 in Makena, Maui.

Women 

Division
Name | Hometown

15 - 19
Becca Finley | Johnston, Iowa

20 - 24
Sara Hanson | Blacksburg, Virginia

25 - 29
Marion Summerer | Honolulu, Hawaii

25 - 29
Amy Bennett | Kailua, Hawaii

30 - 34
Allison Hardy | Arden, North Carolina

30 - 34
Denelle Grant | Charlottesville, Virginia

35 - 39
Kate Lucas | Richmond, Virginia

35 - 39
Traci Rodosta | Morgantown, W. Virginia

40 - 44
Mara Fronhofer | Argyle, New York

40 - 44
Melissa Gelineau | Mills River, North Carolina

45 - 49
Andrea Wagner | Richmond, Virginia

45 - 49
Heather McNamara | Brighton, Michigan

50 - 54
Annette Macniven | Wainscott, New York

55 - 59
Vicky Carter | Satellite Beach, Florida

Men 

Division
Name | Hometown

15 - 19
Karl Kahsar | Richmond, Virginia

20 - 24
Ian Sullivan | Jericho, Vermont

25 - 29
James Walsh | Carlsbad, California

25 - 29
Paul Fronhofer | Argyle, New York

30 - 34
Justin Riddle | King George, Virginia

30 - 34
Craig Ames | Laguna Niguel, California

30 - 34
Bob Horn | Brick, New Jersey

35 - 39
Matt Boobar | Plymouth, New Hampshire

35 - 39
Eric Sorensen | Falls Church, Virginia

35 - 39
Konrad Heller | Fredericksburg, Virginia

40 - 44
Mark Junkermann | Richmond, Virginia

40 - 44
Stirling Thomas | Concord, Massachusetts

40 - 44
Jan Kriska | Mount Airy, North Carolina

45 - 49
Arcadio Ramirez | Ann Arbor, Michigan

45 - 49
Ken Robins | Cutchogue, New York

50 - 54
Scott Ewing | Destin, Florida

55 - 59
Don Morrison | W. Brandywine, Pennsylvania

60 - 64
Peter Lilley | Charlotte, North Carolina

65+
John Deeter | Richmond, Virginia

PC
Richard Ingram |Dawsonville, Georgia

OPERATION REBOUND:

In Richmond on Sunday there were a couple of heroic athletes among the crowd, Rich Ingram from Dawsonville, Georgia and Andy Hatcher from Burke, Virginia.

On July 20, 2005, while serving on combat patrol near Yusufiyah, Iraq, U.S. Army Spc. Rich Ingram lost his left arm below the elbow after the Humvee he was traveling in was struck by an IED and rolled several times.  Ingram has returned to school at North Georgia College & State University, and has excelled as an athlete.  He is an avid biker is and is the reigning USA Triathlon Physically Challenged Champion in the below-elbow amputee division. On Sunday in his first-ever XTERRA Rich gave “One-Arm Willie Stewart” a run for his money, finishing in 3:14:47 (to Willie’s 3:06:15).

Andy Hatcher grew up in Fayetteville, NC, and joined the Marine Corps straight out of High School.  He was wounded in November 2004 while serving with 2nd Recon Battalion in Al Anbar Province during the second invasion of Al Fallujah.  As a result of his injuries, he lost his right leg below the knee.  Andy was an accomplished athlete before he was injured – finishing his first marathon shortly before being deployed to Iraq – and is determined to be one again.  After a speedy recovery from his amputation, Andy joined Soldier Ride in 2005 and biked with other wounded veterans from Washington, DC to New York City.  Andy now works for Immigrations Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, and attends school at Northern Virginia Community College where he is pursuing a degree in Architecture.  Aside from participating in triathlons, Andy has become a proficient skier and hopes to ski competitively one day.  While his raceday didn’t go as planned (a bunch of crashes on the bike course resulted in a badly sprained ankle and left him unable to finish the run) he says he got the XTERRA fever and can’t wait to try it again.

Both Rich and Andy raced as part of the Challenged Athletes Foundation Operation Rebound program, which helps injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts “get back in the game.”

XTERRA Garnet Hill:

Located in the Gore Mt. Area of the Central Adirondacks about 35 miles West of Lake George, and a little more than an hour South of Lake Placid, Garnet Hill has been around since 1936 as a resort lodge built by Frank Hooper, the original mine developer in the area.  That’s right he mined garnet – and they still do at nearby Barton’s mine.  Garnet Hill’s recent claim to fame has been as an award winning cross-country ski center in existence since the 1970’s and now skiing on over 35 miles of groomed trails.  It was a natural that mountain biking would eventually find Garnet Hill in the 1990’s.  With the addition of a network of single-track trails – the bike scene was complete, and the trails system for biking and running is the cornerstone of the XTERRA course for 2007.

The ski and bike center at Garnet Hill is the center of activity for XTERRA, but the race begins a mile away on the beach on Thirteenth Lake.  The Garnet Hill beach is surrounded by State designated wilderness – the 100,000-acre tract of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area.  The scenery is spectacular!  The swim leg of XTERRA Garnet Hill is just about across the lake and back, 1K.  Bikers are then directed to the Wilderness ski trail – mostly descending on ski trail and single track arriving at Harvey’s Tailings (an open gravel area) with a wide cruising turn and the big climb up Solitude, almost 500 ft. elevation gain to near the main lodge at Garnet Hill.  A quick ski trail descent brings riders back to the ski/bike shop for the second lap.  The XTERRA Garnet Hill run course is wide mowed grass ski trails, gravel roads and eventually some tricky single track.  

XTERRA Tahoe City:

Defined by both the incredible beauty of Lake Tahoe and the towering peaks of the High Sierra, Lake Tahoe is one of the world’s most famous sporting playgrounds. The region has an almost endless variety of spectacular mountain biking trails, adventurous hikes and, of course, waterborne activities on the “Big Blue” - Lake Tahoe - one of the largest, deepest and purest alpine lakes on earth.

XTERRA Tahoe City is and off-road triathlon that will celebrate the natural environment of the North Shores excellent terrain, trails and blue water

XTERRA Dawg Dayz:

You'll love the mountain biking on this course in North Little Rock, Arkansas. With 80% single track and 20% double, this thing has it all.  Some sections are tight and twisty, others are big chain ring, a couple of knurly downhill's, climbing, rocks roots and trees.  The run is a combination of single track, dirt road and a little Pavement.  A small cliff, a few obstacles and undulating terrain.

XTERRA Solstice:

For a challenging event in a beautiful setting, try the Solstice. Many competitors camp for free right up at Morgan Lake - one of the most primo, pristine areas you’ll ever see.

The course begins with a 1K swim at 4100 ft.  The water is COLD. Wet/dry suits are recommended, as are neoprene hats and earplugs. The 25-30K mountain bike and 10K run terrain are fire roads, trails, mud, rocks, single track and beautiful scenery.  The 10K run is a rocky, hilly course with great vistas. The course is challenging, difficult and not for the “feint of heart.”  Go to solsticetri.com for a good course description.

XTERRA Torn Shirt:

Held at Bishop Lake in the Brighton Recreation Area in Brighton, Michigan.  The swim is in Bishop Lake, the bike course traverses rolling hills surrounding lake roads, and the run is on the race’s namesake – the Torn Shirt trail.