Contests, Races

Haefeli’s Healthy Victory at Jemez Half

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La Sportiva Mountain Cup 2010After a nearly two month break, La Sportiva Mountain Cup competitors again hit the trails this past weekend near Los Alamos, New Mexico at the Jemez Half Marathon. The half marathon was the second race in this year’s Mountain Cup. Nearly 250 runners started the race, including many runners whose names will be familiar to mountain running fans.

As usual, we’ll begin our LSMC race coverage by giving you the scoop on how the race went. Next, we’ll give you an update on the Mountain Cup standings. We’ll then move on to our giveaway contest (Crosslites this time around) before calling for your comments and finishing up with the full La Sportiva Mountain Cup schedule.

Before we move on to the half marathon, we want to acknowledge Petra McDowell (6:08:43) and Sean O’Rourke (5:29:11) for their wins in the Jemez 50k as well as Nick Clark (8:26:13) and Diana Finkel (10:32:02) for their wins at the Jemez 50 miler! (Read Nick Clark’s race report) The half marathon, 50k (full results), and 50 mile (full results) together make up the Jemez Mountain Trail Runs.

The Race
After a benign first two miles, the half marathon course turns upwards bringing runners from a low point near 7,200′ straight up to 8,800′ in four and a half miles before returning runners to the finish on an elevation profile that’s a near mirror image of the first half despite being on different trails. The day before the race saw highs in the upper 80s under a clear New Mexico sky. Even with an early 8 a.m. start, La Sportiva runner Michael Selig of Lakewood, Colorado thought the temps and open course through large tracts of 10-year old wildfire scar warranted cutting his hair before the gun went off. In the end, the newly shorn Selig was one of the La Sportiva runners who placed second through sixth.

Michael Selig Hair Jemez

Michael Selig cutting his hair just before the Jemez Half Marathon.

Women’s Race
Laura Haefeli Jemez HalfWhen we learned that a woman had placed sixth overall, 2009 Mountain Cup competitors Megan Kimmell and Caitlin Smith came to mind. While Kimmell was in the race, it was Laura Haefeli (right) of Del Norte, Colorado who took sixth. This 41-year old mother of three is the only American woman to win an individual medal at the World Mountain Running Championships. At the Jemez Half, Haefeli had a significant lead over the other women by the first aid station four miles into the race. By the finish, she’d built more than a 6 minute margin of victory. Her time of 1:51:38 was a mere 10 seconds off the course record. [Shameless plug, support one of your own by buying Haefeli Honey straight from the heart of the Colorado Rockies.]

Local Rachel Earley from Albuquerque ran well to capture second just ahead of Megan Kimmell in 1:58:14. Kimmell, the reigning Mountain Cup champ and winner of this year’s inaugural LSMC race at the Mount Penn Mudfest (iRF coverage), has had a long month of travel. On May 8th, she won the Vertical Kilometer on Mount Elbrus in Russia before heading to Spain where she took seventh in the Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri, the second 2010 Skyrunner® World Series race. Kimmell ended up in third at Jemez with a time of 1:59:17.

Newton runner and LSMC regular Rachel Cieslewicz had an off day. She didn’t find her legs until an hour into the race and ended up fourth in 2:05:52. Exactly two minutes behind Cieslewicz was Allison Bryant, who earned fifth in 2:07:52.

Men’s Race
Ryan Woods 2010 Jemez Half MarathonOur reporters on the course noted that the order of the men’s top five was set early in the race. For what it’s worth, the race for the win could have been a continuation of the Mount Penn Mudfest. Ryan Woods (right) of Boone, North Carolina went out in front and held on for the win. Ryan did take a big fall in the second half of the race that helped La Sportiva’s Matt Byrne shrink Ryan’s lead; however, it wasn’t enough. Woods won his second straight Mountain Cup race in 1:36:47. Less than a minute back, Byrne (1:37:24) claimed second just as he had at the Mudfest.

The age-defying Bernie Boettcher, 47, took third overall and the top masters spot in 1:40:53. Michael Selig bettered his fifth place showing at last year’s LSMC race at the Barr Trail Mountain Race with a fourth place showing at Jemez with a time of 1:41:26. Battling a bad back and a bum ankle, Mountain Cup competitor Jason Bryant will return to North Carolina with a fifth place finish. He ran 1:44:00.

Full Results
Full unofficial results of the Jemez Half Marathon are posted.

La Sportiva Mountain Cup Standings
Below are the overall LSMC standings through two races per our reckoning. We’ve purposely left out the master’s results this week as we’re suggesting some scoring revisions to La Sportiva. Yeah, we’re big trail running dorks.

Women
Megan Kimmell Jemez HalfMegan Kimmell (right) and Rachel Cieslewicz are the only two women to earn big points in each of the first two races in this year’s Mountain Cup, so it’s no surprise that they top the overall standings. As bonus points for beating Top 10 overall Mountain Cup runners were awarded at Jemez and not at the Mudfest, single race competitors who ran at Jemez have an advantage in the Overall Standings. Here are iRunFar’s Unofficial Standings:

  1. Megan Kimmell – 37 pts in 2 races (17 pts at Jemez for 3rd including 2 bonus pts for beating Cieslewicz)
  2. Rachel Cieslewicz – 28 pts in 2 races (13 pts at Jemez for 4th)
  3. Laura Haefeli – 24 pts in 1 race (24 pts at Jemez for 1st including 4 bonus pts for beating Kimmell and Cieslewicz)
  4. Rachel Earley – 21 pts in 1 race (21 pts at Jemez for 2nd including 4 bonus pts for beating Kimmell and Cieslewicz)
  5. Mendy Taylor – 17 pts in 1 race (Did not race Jemez)

Men
Three elite men – Ryan Woods, Matt Byrne, and Jason Bryant – returned for LSMC race number two and lead the standings just like the returning ladies.

  1. Ryan Woods – 44 pts in 2 races (24 pts at Jemez for 1st including 4 bonus pts for beating Byrne and Bryant)
  2. Matt Byrne – 36 pts in 2 races (19 pts at Jemez for 2nd including 2 bonus pts for beating Bryant)
  3. Jason Bryant – 24 pts in 2 races (11 pts at Jemez for 5th)
  4. Bernie Boettcher – 17 pts in 1 race (17 pts at Jemez for 3rd including 2 bonus pts for beating Bryant)
  5. Tie Karl Savage and Michael Selig – 15 pts in 1 race apiece

Official Standings
The official LSMC standings will be available here (pdf). In case you are interested, here’s a link to the official scoring rules.

iRunFar.com La Sportiva Mountain Cup Contest
La Sportiva logoSeven weeks ago we promised a reader a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites. We haven’t forgotten and will delay no longer. Mike from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, you’ve got yourself a new pair of Crosslites!

Don’t fret if you had your heart set on a new pair of Crosslites. Many of the La Sportiva Mountain Runners at the Jemez Half donned Crosslites, so we’re giving away another pair! (iRF Crosslite review) These neutral, lightweight shoes are heavily nubbed giving you sick traction on loose dirt. Want a pair for some summer racing? Simply leave your name and town (in the US or Canada) in a comment before we write about the Rock2Rock Trail Run held near Asheville, North Carolina on Friday, May 28th. As a reminder, if you enter to win the Crosslite you’ll also automatically be eligible to win the grand prize at the end of August. Read up on the iRunFar.com La Sportiva Mountain Cup giveaway grand prize.

Call for Comments
If you ran the Jemez Half Marathon or any of the Jemez Mountain Trail Races, please leave a comment letting everyone know how you did and what you think about the race. Past racers are invited to comment, too!

The La Sportiva Mountain Cup

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  2. Krar and Kimmel Clean Sweep the Jemez Trail Half Marathon Results from the 2012 Jemez Trail Half Marathon....
  3. Twists and Turns at the Jemez Half Marathon iRunFar covers the Jemez Half Marathon, the sixth race in the 2011 La Sportiva Mountain Cup....
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There are 71 comments

  2. Tobias

    Yet another awesome report from the LSMC races. This makes me even more excited about running in the Rock2Rock trail run this Friday! I can't wait. 'Course, it's too late to receive that pair of Crosslites for this weekend's Rock2Rock race. But, they'd still come in handy for other trail races!

    Tobias

    Raleigh, NC

  3. Kevin

    Great report; definitely makes me with I could get up to Rothrock for the race this coming weekend, though I'll be there in 3 weeks for a mountain bike race if that counts for anything…

    I broke down early and bought a pair of crosslites about a month ago and I love them!. Did my first long run in them this weekend and they were great and I plan on wearing them for the NF Challenge 50k in DC in 2 weeks. Perfect for the course and hopefully for setting me to a crushing new 50k PR! A 2nd pair would be cool, though I'm in this for the long haul baby! I would like to give those skylites a try… :)

    Kevin

    Greenbelt

  4. Henry Bickerstaff

    I have worn my crosslites for 2 50K trail runs and love them. I also did a 30 mile long run of which 25 miles was on dirt roads after a good rain, i.e. lots of mud. They had a lot of traction and did not accumulate much of the red clay we have in OK. I need another pair.

    Henry Bickerstaff

    Alva, Oklahoma

  12. Shawn McCatney

    I love my La Sportiva Wildcats and would love to try out the crosslites. still not a strong runner but I am dedicated to working at it as I feel that it will help my rock climbing endurance!

    Shawn McCartney

    Richmond, VA

  14. Eddy - Los Angeles

    I would like to try a pair of crosslites. I'm from Italy….and I need to support the old country's home made products!

  21. Spencer King

    I was planning on running the Rothrock challenge, but suffered an unfortunate mountain bike accident this past Thursday. I would still love a pair of shoes!

    Spencer King

    Scranton Pa

  22. Tom

    I've always wanted to try out these shoes. Especially with Barr Trail and Nederland races already signed up for.

    Tom
    Canon City, CO

  31. Brad

    Great coverage!

    whether road or trail, I run in the wildcats or crosslites. Great shoes and could always use another pair!

    Brad

    Cherry Hill, NJ

  35. bk

    Tried a pair of these one day, but didn't buy and have wanted to give them a formal try on the trail. Seem like great shoes.

    Great report.

    Bret Kinsella

    Leesburg, va

  38. Christine Friesen

    Dog ate my shoes a couple weeks ago, would love to get a new pair of la sportivas.

    Christine Friesen

    Winnipeg, MB

  44. dan alroy

    Love sportiva… I have only climbed in their gear, and flipped in their flops… but I'd love to try their runners on my coastal domes of Cape Ann MA…

  52. Justin

    Knoxville TN

    I'm going to try and get to asheville this weekend. Would love to leave with a great pair of trail runners.

  55. Jason Halladay

    Hey, that mountain looks a lot like Mount Sopris and definitely is not in the Jemez Mountains. :-) I'd still run up it in crosslites if I had a pair.

    Jason

    Los Alamos, NM

    1. Bryon Powell

      Jason, it's been correctly. Oddly, that photo was in the LSMC Facebook photoset. Must have been taken by the LS crowd dropping someone off in BoneDale en route to Boulder.

  56. Mike

    I'll be camping and running near Asheville in June, definitely hope to run the Rock2Rock next year, and a pair of Crosslites would be of great assistance for training . . .

    Mike

    Charlotte, NC

  58. Mike Lang

    want try la sportivas, my asics gave me blisters on the 50k.

    (I don't blame the shoes as much as the downhills)

  63. Cheryl R

    Jemez was a great event!! Awesome course, participants and volunteers!

    I LOVED my Crosslites… wore them at HURT and religiously afterwards. Can't wear my last pair after the right one got stretched out from my brace after I broke my ankle last year. Need a new pair!! : )

  65. Ken

    I got a pair of Crosslites in March after having a bad fall wearing Brooks Cascadias on a very wet and slippery mountain bike trail. The Cascadias are great on dry stuff but can't grip enough when it's wet. The Crosslites are fantastic in the muck and they feel like a pair of slippers – light and oh so comfy!

    Thanks for the chance of winning a pair.

    Ken

    Smithers, B.C.

    Canada

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