Peak form

HATCHER PASS — Sam Hill disappeared into the fog.

The next time anyone saw him again, the 30-year-old Anchorage mountain runner was crossing the finish line at the top of Government Peak Saturday, winning the second annual Government Peak Hill Climb by more than two minutes over a field that included six-time Mount Marathon champion Brad Precosky.

“He is just on it right now,” Precosky, 41, said of Hill’s performance over the 3.25-mile course, which takes runners from Mountain Streams Bed and Breakfast to the top of the 4,781-foot mountain — which looms roughly 3,500 feet above the starting line.

Hill’s winning time of 46 minutes, 50.6 seconds shaved nearly two and a half minutes off Precosky’s winning time from last year in the uphill-only race. Precosky finished tied for third with 50-year-old Barney Griffith in a time of 50:56.3 (“We held hands across the finish line,” Precosky joked), while Trond Flagstad was second for the second year in a row, finishing in 48:54.9. Flagstad, a UAA ski coach, also bested Precosky’s time from last year’s race.

Women’s winner Holly Brooks, 26, improved on her sixth-place finish last year by more than seven minutes, winning in a time of 55:58. The Alaska Pacific University Nordic ski coach led the entire race, but said she didn’t plan on going to the front early.

“Out of the start, none of the girls wanted to lead, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll go,’” Brooks said.

Jane Senaga was second in 57:28.4; while Gail Taylor finished third in 1:02:12.0, while Kristina Eaton finished third in 1:02:30.

Both Hill and Brooks went wire-to-wire for their wins. Precosky said Hill — who Precosky caught from behind to win his sixth Mount Marathon last year — ran away from field in the flatter early stages of the race and never looked back.

“He waited about five minutes into it and then he kind of left us,” Precosky said.

Precosky said this year’s season-opening race in the Alaska Mountain Running Grand Prix shows that Hill’s time may have come as the best the sport has to offer.

“He’s got wheels, he’s got power, he’s just really strong,” Precosky said.

The race was run last year as a special event on the Alaska Mountain Running Grand Prix schedule, but was added as a regular event after runners raved about the long, challenging course and friendly backyard atmosphere.

“Everyone loved it so much last year, they said, ‘you have to make this an annual thing,’” Brooks said at the post-race barbecue, which featured lots of fresh watermelon and a hot dogs and burgers grilled out by Mountain Streams owner Ed Strabel.

A total of 122 adult runners and 11 children showed up for this year’s event, besting last year’s total and proving that mountain runners have decided to embrace the season-opening event.

“The mountain running community is just a wonderful group of people, everyone’s cheering for everyone,” Brooks said.

A group that doesn’t shy away from pain, athletes agreed that the steep, long course is part of the race’s appeal.

“Look at how far away that is,” Precosky said, pointing toward the cloud-covered peak in between bites of some post-race watermelon. “It’s devastating.”

In fact, one young runner, 12-year-old Lyon Kopsack of Palmer, said his favorite thing about the entire sport is “that it’s challenging.”

If Kopsack wanted a challenge, he got one Saturday. Last year’s junior race winner decided to skip that shorter race and go all the way to the top with the adults. The Colony Middle Schooler stood up admirably to the challenge, finishing in 1:05:54.2 — a little over five minutes back of his dad, Lance, and only three and a half minutes behind his uncle, Braun.

When asked how long it’ll take him to overtake his dad and uncle, Lyon wasn’t making any predictions.

“A long time,” he said.

Kopsack’s mom, Judy, was more sure of her son’s potential.

“He’s already almost there,” she said.

“I want to try to do my best at it,” Lyon added.

But while he may have a bright future as a mountain runner, young Kopsack is keeping his options open. After finishing the race, he was off to a soccer game — which isn’t even his favorite sport. What is?

“Football,” he answered quickly.

But the budding running back/linebacker did say he enjoys running mountain races because of the friendly nature of his adult competitors.

“It gives me a boost,” he said. “When they say, ‘good job,’ and ‘push it,’ it gives me a lot of support.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com

Government Peak Hill Climb

Saturday

Mountain Streams Bed and Breakfast

Women

1. Holly Brooks, 56 minutes 17.2 seconds; 2. Jane Senaga, 57:28.4; 3. Gail Taylor, 1:02:12.0; 4. Kristina Eaton, 1:02:48.8; 5. Eeva Latosuo, 1:04:05.5; 6. Colleen Durnford, 1:04:25.2; 7. Najeeby Quinn, 1:04:34.6; 8. Danielle Pratt, 1:05:15.2; 9. Greta Lewanski, 1:05:19.4; 10. Chrissy May, 1:06:09.2; 11. Paige Brady, 1:10:06.5; 12. Kelsey Vrem, 1:10:30.7; 13. Suzanne Drinen, 1:10:54.9; 14. Erika Downs, 1:13:48.0; 15. Alina Rubeo, 1:14:01.9; 16. Rhianne Waggood, 1:14:35.2; 17. Wendy Shaw, 1:15:33.6; 18. Kimberly Riggs, 1:15:35.8; 19. Rachel Witty, 1:17:01.7; 20. Angelica Pollock, 1:19:06.0; 21. Amber McDonough, 1:19:40.5; 22. Emily dougherty, 1:20:24.4; 23. Cheryl Ess, 1:21:14.3; 24. Kate VanTomissen, 1:21:14.8; 25. Teresa Doyle, 1:21:25.7; 26. Jana Oztukgut, 1:21:45.1; 27. Barb Adams, 1:22:02.3; 28. Katie Fennell, 1:24:46.3; 29. Shamarre Coomter, 1:26:15.3; 30. Kelly Paldanius, 1:29:23.4; 31. Casey Randall, 1;29:49.5; 32. Meagan Lynn, 1:33:13.1; 33. Amara Liggett, 1:39:27.6; 34. Robin Morehouse, 1:42:00.7; 35. Sandy Johnson, 1:43:43.7; 36. Margaret Keene, 1:43:55.9; 37. Mary Hensel, 1:46:33.8; 38. Holly Peterson, 1:51:52.0; 39. Michelle McCann, 2:03:26.3; 40. Devon Thomas, 2:18:09.3

Men

1. Sam Hill, 46 minutes, 50.6 seconds; 2. Trond Flagstad, 48:59.4; 3. (tie) Brad Precosky and Barney Griffith, 50:56.3; 5. Erick Romig, 52:43.3; 6. Hugh Gren, 52:48.9; 7. Eric Strabel, 52:51.9; 8. Tony Slatonbarker, 52:57.6; 9. Patrick Stinson, 53:22.7; 10. John Collins, 53:45.2; 11. Tor Christopherson, 54:19.0; 12. Keith Weinhold, 54:38.4; 13. Ben Ward, 55:23.4; 14. Mark Brady, 55:51.9; 15. Seth Downs, 56:44.4; 16. Brandon Rinner, 58:20.7; 17. Robert Whitney, 58:31.9; 18. Roy Elie-Wolkoff, 58:54.3; 19. Karl Romig, 58:54.7; 20. Todd Ksateler, 59:42.0; 21. Andrew Stavich, 1:00:03.9; 22. Lance Kopsack, 1:00:17.9; 23. Alex Alonse, 1:00:31.8; 24. Rob Taylor, 1:00:40.2; 25. Sam Young, 1:02:00.1; 26. Forrest Mahlen, 1:02:29.1; 27. Jeffrey Johnson, 1:02:52.0; 28. Dave Gray, 1:03:16.5; 29. Timothy Blake, 1:03:44.5; 30. Matthew Kenney, 1:03:52.5; 31. Braun Kopsack, 1:03:57.6; 32. Bill Pearson, 1:04:24.3; 33. Paul Pletnikoff, 1:04:33.3; 34. Joe Magellan, 1:04:50.9; 35. Chris Wood, 1:05:01.6; 36. Jason Hlasny, 1:05:13.1; 37. Keelan McNulty, 1:05:36.0; 38. Lyon Kopsack, 1:05:54.2; 39. Davis Dunlap, 1:06:10.5; 40. Tom Smayda, 1:07:01.6; 41. Brian Stoecker, 1:07:37.8; 42. Rod Anderson, 1:08:59.4; 43. Luke Duffy, 1:09:12.4; 44. Les Takacs, 1:09:49.6; 45. Allen McLeod, 1:10:23.5; 46. Eric Johnson, 1:10:32.4; 47. Duke Ruzicka, 1:10:49.5; 48. William English, 1:10:56.3; 49. Matthew West, 1:11:25.5; 50. Aaron Christie, 1:11:32.5; 51. Dave Kochendorfer, 1:11:52.3; 52. Ryan Harrington, 1:12:21.0; 53. Scott Wheeler, 1:13:02.8; 54. Charlie Ess, 1:13:40.7; 55. Greg Brown, 1:14:13.1; 56. Chancie Hanson, 1:14:46.3; 57. Brian Senta, 1:15:17.1; 58. Brett Keene, 1:15:35.5; 59. James Murray, 1:15:42.6; 60. Darrin Marm, 1:16:25.2; 61. Norm Johnson, 1:16:37.7; 62. Sam Flora, 1:16:44.2; 63. David Rebischke, 1:16:56.3; 64. Joshua Allely, 1:17:09.6; 65. Curt Holler, 1:17:22.3; 66. Eric Skidmore, 1:17:57.4; 67. Jim McDonough, 1:19:04.4; 68. Jeff Bool, 1:20:58.8; 69. Brian Murphy, 1:21:16.2; 70. Jon Agosti, 1:21:31.0; 71. Matthew Randall, 1:21:59.8; 72. Evan Steinhauser, 1:22:17.0; 73. Russ Dunlap, 1:23:26.0; 74. John McMullen, 1:25:30.2; 75. Tom Corbin, 1:25:53.8; 76. Wyatt Peitier, 1:26:11.4; 77. Kevin Quinn, 1:26:36.7; 78. Chuck Paldanius, 1:27:50.6; 79. Pat Dougherty, 1:30:04.0; 80. Brad George, 1:30:49.1; 81. Bernard Sturgulewski, 1:30:57.6; 82. Corky Corthell, 1:41.45.6.