Riders and runners rally at Hartman Rocks

Locals knocked off of top spots

More than 750 athletes rolled into Gunnison Saturday through Monday, May 26-28, to participate in three days of lactic acid refluxation. The weekend has turned into a showcase of local, regional, some national and international talent on bike and foot with the Half Growler 32-mile bike race on Saturday, the original Growler 64-mile bike marathon on Sunday and the 25/50-kilometer Sage Burner running race on Monday. It makes for a very memorable Memorial Day individual sports marathon.

The Half Growler
Wind, wind and more wind pounded at the bikers on Saturday. Michael West from Boulder, Colo. took the men’s title, riding 32 miles of Hartman Rocks in a time of 2:58:11 while Sari Anderson of Carbondale won the women’s race with a time of 3:11:18. Team Alpine Orthopaedics riders Jon Brown and Amy Beisel were the highest local finishes, with both taking second place.
Brown opted to ride his singlespeed in the Half Growler and while he may have lost a little time on the “neutral” start from downtown Gunnison to Hartman Rocks, he made it all up once the race hit the singletrack.
“I got in a good spot once we hit the dirt and by mile five I was sitting in second place,” says Brown.
With only one gear to work with, Brown reeled in the leader in some sections and then lost him on others.
“We just kind of ‘accordioned’ the whole time,” says Brown. “It was a good battle, though.”
Brown eventually finished with a time of 2:58:21, just 10 seconds behind first place, though he attributes the close finish to the leader getting lost near the finish line.
Beisel took third place at last year’s Half Growler, so she came into this year gunning for the top spot.
Beisel settled into second place early and worked with some guys through the wind to help keep her strong.
“I felt really good out there,” says Beisel. “I sat in with some boys and they blocked the wind for me and I took some turns up front as well.”
Beisel felt the pressure from the woman in third place and despite a brutal crash coming down the Notch near the end of the race, held on to finish in second place with a time of 3:23:37.
“I came pretty close but I just didn’t have enough,” says Beisel. “You could have cut my arm off at the Notch—I needed to finish.”
One quick Sports Barrel shout out to Ian Kelly, who blew off his high school graduation to race in the Half Growler and take 15th place, beating his dad but not his high school bike team coach.
Original Growler
On Sunday, riders were met with temperatures in the 20s when they headed out from downtown Gunnison at 7 a.m., bound for a 64-mile tour of Hartman Rocks. They were spared the wind for the first 32 miles of the race but just as the field was turning back up the hill for lap two, the winds returned.
Smith came in with the intent of defending his 2011 title but knew it would be hard with the likes of Alex Grant from Salt Lake City in the race this year. Smith punched it early to set the tone and built an early gap.
“I was hoping to shake it up and get rid of some guys,” says Smith. “I knew Alex was going to be tough to beat.”
Grant and rider Kalan Beisel caught up with Smith and the three riders traded off the lead for the final stretch of the first lap. Things went awry for Smith at that point. As he shed some layers, grabbed some fresh bottles and tried to choke down a sandwich while riding, Beisel and Grant built a gap.
“I was chasing,” says Smith. “If I was able to get into my 39 I could have caught those guys but I couldn’t. I had to stay in my little ring up front.”
Smith resigned himself to third place but struggled nonetheless with blurred vision for most of the second lap.
“Cardiovascularly I felt great the last part of the second lap,” says Smith. “I just couldn’t see.”
Grant ultimately took the title with a time of 5:17:25. Beisel finished in second and Smith carried the local colors to the podium with a third-place finish.
Colorado Springs rider Kelli Emmett dominated the women’s field to defend her 2011 title with a time of 6:22:55. Team Alpine Orthopaedics athlete Jari Kirkland took second place, crossing 23 minutes later. Janae Pritchett returned to the fray to place third after a five-year hiatus from serious cross-country racing.

Sage Burner
The Sage Burner capped the three-day weekend as the trail runners took over Hartman Rocks for the 25- and 50-kilometer races. The local contingent of trail runners took three out of the four titles up for grabs with Tim Parr setting a new course record in the 25-kilometer men’s, posting a time of 1:51:30.
Stevie Kremer won the women’s 25-kilometer race, her fourth title in the past five years of the race, finishing third overall with a time of 2:08:44, her fastest time to date in the event.
In the big daddy, the 50-kilometer race, Diana Finkel out of South Fork, Colo. won the women’s race with a time of 5:07:17. Mary Mahoney cracked the podium, posting a time of 5:23:14 to place third.
Chris Dickey brought the Gunnison Valley its third of four Sage Burner titles up for grabs that day. Last year Dickey placed fourth with a time of 4:46:05. This year, he shaved a little over seven minutes off his time to move up three spots and take the 2012 title with a time of 4:38:42.
Dickey admits he was a bit shocked to take the title.

“I certainly didn’t enter the race with expectations of a place,” says Dickey.
Dickey ran for the first half of the race with Bryan Wickenhauser but with the fields of 25-kilometer and 50-kilometer racers mixed in, they had no idea where they stood overall.
It wasn’t until the halfway point aid station at Skull Pass that they realized what place they were in.
“We asked, ‘Where we at?’” explains Dickey. “Duncan Callahan was at the aid station and told us, ‘You’re three and four—the leader is two and half minutes ahead.’”
Dickey and Wickenhauser caught second-place runner Pat O’Neill soon after the aid station and the three runners eventually reeled in the leader and passed him.
“We could tell he hit a wall,” says Dickey.
The two stayed together to build a gap on O’Neill and groveled up the Powerline Road to another aid station, at which point Dickey took the lead.
“Bryan stopped at the aid station and I just kept going,” says Dickey.
Dickey resisted the initial urge to look back and just thought to himself, “This is unprecedented, I haven’t won a race since the third grade.”
He finally caved into the urge climbing out of Josho’s and when he looked back, he saw no one. By the time he crested the Notch, with the finish line in sight, it sunk in that the win was his.
“It was a blast running with Bryan,” says Dickey. “We talked about everything under the sun. It was a treat to run with two local athletes of that caliber.”
The local army of ultra runners now have their sights set on the next big event of the season, the San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run on June 23.
Meanwhile, the local bike contingent will be spreading out between the Mountain States Cup series races, including the Wildflower Rush and the Fat Tire 40 here in Crested Butte June 21-24.