In This Issue - Michigan Runner

XTERRA Torn Shirt Trail Off-Road Triathlon/Duathlon, Brighton
Record Field Rips It Up at Torn Shirt
Michigan
Runner
Race Series
2007
• St. Patrick’s Day Races 8K,
Bay City - March 18
• Road Ends 5 Mile Trail,
Pinckney - April 28
• Fifth Third River Bank
Run 25K, Grand Rapids -
May 12
• Great Race 10K Beyond
Michigan, Elkhart,
Indiana - May 28
• Plymouth Fathers’ Day
10K, Plymouth - June 17
• Pictured Rocks Half
Marathon, Munising -
June 24
• Volkslaufe 20K,
Frankenmuth - July 4
• Apple Run 5K, Sparta -
July 14
• The Crim Festival of Races
10 Mile, Flint -
August 25
• John Rogucki Kensington
Challenge 15K, Milford -
September 22
• Detroit Free Press /
Flagstar Marathon,
Detroit, October 21
• Great Turtle Half
Marathon Wild Card,
Mackinac Island,
October 27
By Charles Douglas McEwen
BRIGHTON (6/24/07) - They tore their shirts,
skinned their elbows and punctured their tires.
And when they finished, they vowed to do it
again next year.
A record 215 participants tackled the
XTERRA Torn Shirt Trail Off-Road
Triathlon/Duathlon at Brighton Recreation Area.
“This is one of the best XTERRA races,”
said Jim James. “It's one of biggest too.”
James, 46, and Marne Smiley, 25, ripped up
the triathlon course, which included a half-mile
swim, 15-mile mountain bike on the Murray Lake
Trail and six-mile run on the Torn Shirt Trail.
James won the men's tri in 2:02:48, with
Brandon Jessop second (2:06:09) and Yaro
Middaugh third (2:08:14).
Smiley was top woman with a 2:32:22
clocking. Next came Lori Whitmore (2:41:11)
and Lisa Chaps (2:41:44).
James, eighth coming out of the water, transitioned
quickly into his specialty, mountain biking.
He took the lead two miles into the bike,
then held it with a strong run.
Smiley also took charge on the bike leg,
then extended her margin on the run. It marked
her first-ever triathlon win.
“I loved it!” she said afterward. “The run,
with its ups and downs, was especially challenging.
But as far as I'm concerned, the harder, the better.”
In the duathlon - a two-mile trail run, 15-
Photo by Charles Douglas McEwen
Jim James won the men's
triathlon in 2:02:48.
Photo by Charles Douglas McEwen
Christina Noble won her
third-straight duathlon.
mile mountain bike and six-mile trail run -
Justin Schumacher, 26, of Berkley, led the men in
2:16:19, topping runner-up Ed Broadbear
(2:30:07).
Schumacher, who pared four minutes off his
runner-up time from last year, was not surprised
by his triumph this year. “I got into great shape
and knew I was going to do well,” he said.
Christina Noble, 33, of Brighton, captured
her third-straight women's du in 2:22:09. Krys
Brish, 44, of Milford, was a distant second in
2:50:13.
“Having a winning streak is a lot of pressure,
because you want to do better every year,”
Noble said.
“Running on the Torn Shirt Trail challenges
your quads, hamstrings, calves ... everything,”
she added. “On some of the downhills, you pray
you make it to the end without wiping out. And
you constantly try to use your momentum,
because you know that what comes down, must
go up."
Jim and Joyce Donaldson organized the
growing event. “We couldn't have asked for
more perfect weather,” Joyce said. “Everything
went great.”
John Stover, 66, who has run more than
100 triathlons, said XTERRA races are a blast.
“They're a lot of fun,” he said. “They are
low-key and have lots of variables. They're
never monotonous.”
For complete results, go to www.eliteendeavors.com.
MR
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