Granite Bay, Calif.- Folsom Lake set the stage as NorCal runners fought their way to the finish at yesterday’s XTERRA Chanoko Xduro Trail Run. Competitors ranged in age from 15 to 70, but when it came down to speed, Jeffrey Moreland and Sarah Raitter took the top prizes in the half-marathon distance challenge.
For the second year in a row, Jeffrey Moreland, 33, blew away the competition with an overwhelming win as he crossed the finish line in 1:22:24, almost seven minutes ahead of Kirk Ferris, 30. Jake McCain, 20, rounded out the men’s podium in 1:29:57.
Reno native Sarah Raitter, 38, won this race back in 2008 and regained her champion title this weekend with her leading time of 1:41:06. Almost six minutes back Sarah Beck, 34, claimed the runner up spot while Vicky Shea, 43, ran her way to third place in 1:56:57.
The XTERRA Chanoko Xduro marked the beginning of an entire weekend of non-stop sports adventure as the events continued with today’s XTERRA REAL off-road triathlon.
Yesterday’s event kicked off the 2010 XTERRA NorCal Trail Run Series leaving just two more races for area runners to accumulate points toward their season totals. Athletes with the highest scores after the third and final race will receive the crown of XTERRA Regional Champion and win free entry into the XTERRA Trail Running National Championship on September 18th in the trail running paradise of Bend, Oregon.
Then on December 5th, the Hawaiian island of Oahu’s Kualoa Ranch plays host to this year’s XTERRA Trail Running World Championship. Runners of every level are invited to race at the very location where major productions like Jurassic Park, Godzilla and LOST have been filmed, so this is one event that should not be missed.