Valley man wins 100-mile race

WASILLA — Competitors in the annual Resurrection Pass 100 couldn’t ask for much better racing conditions. The sun was out and the temperatures were comfortable.

But for David Johnston, there was a storm — in his stomach.

Despite battling sickness throughout, Johnston muscled his way to his second straight Resurrection Pass 100. The 41-year-old Willow runner completed the race that sends participants from Hope to Cooper Landing via Resurrection Pass, and back, in 19 hours and 22 minutes.

Even though he was ill, Johnston also managed to shave about two hours off his personal best.

“I picked up a bug and was hoping I’d get rid of it before the race,” Johnston said Monday, as he was still recuperating from the long-distance endeavor. “That didn’t happen.”

Johnston is no stranger to finishing these long races. He’s run in more than 45 marathons, and has a handful of 50- and 100-mile treks under his belt. But there was no guaranteed finish this time around.

Johnston reached the finish line in Hope about 10:20 a.m. to win the race. He needed a surge into the second-half of the race to get to that point after nearly calling it quits at the halfway mark.

Visibility ill, Johnston wasn’t taking in nearly as much as he would typically, he said.

“I ate about a third of the calories I usually eat during races,” Johnston said. “It was just tough.”

The 50-mile mark is really the only place on the course competitors can bow out. He sat in the aid station in front of a warm bowl of soup contemplating what he was going to do.

“I sucked down two bowls, mainly broth. I drank a Red Bull. I’ve never had a Red Bull, but I thought I gotta get something down,” Johnston said.

Ultimately, he decided to push through. But as he left Mile 50, Johnston said he felt like he was headed for a 50-mile hike, and not back on the run.

“I told someone, ‘See ya at Mile 88, it’s not going to be pretty,’” Johnston said.

The course greets competitors with a 4-mile hike after the halfway mark, Johnston said. He hiked that portion, but after the trail leveled off, he decided to run.

“It didn’t hurt any worse, so I never stopped running after that,” Johnston said.

Johnston stood in third place for about 28 miles past the halfway mark. Johnston’s training partner Jeff Arndt, a Palmer man, led until about Mile 78. Johnston was able to first pass second-place Eliseo Marquez, a three-time Resurrection Pass 100 champion, at about Mile 77. About a mile later, Johnston was able to catch Arndt, the 2007 race champion.

Johnston said once runners hit about Mile 70, there’s about 20 miles of downhill running as the trail heads back into Hope. That was key, he said.

“I love downhill running. I flew as fast as I could,” Johnston said.

This is Johnston’s third run in the race. In 2008, he had to bail out before the finish. After dropping from the race, he vowed to finish one day.

Last season, he finished strong with his time of 21:12. This year, despite illness, he managed to improve.

Johnston said conditions are the big reason for the improvement.

“Last year it was 35 (degrees) and pouring rain,” Johnston said. “(This year) there were perfect conditions. The sun was shining; it was 65 and the sun stayed out the whole way. It didn’t get dark until 11:30 (p.m.) and got light again at about 4 a.m.”

The race started Friday at 3 p.m. in Hope.

Arndt finished second in the race, with a time of 20:37. Marquez, who last won in 2009, finished third at 21:21.

There was also a repeat winner in the women’s class. Laura McDonough won her sixth straight with a record-breaking mark of 21:51.

Speaking of records, Johnston has set another Resurrection Pass 100 goal. He’d like a shot at the record of 17:33, a mark set by Geoff Roes in 2008.

“I’ll keep at it until I get that course record,” Johnston said.

In addition to the nine who finished the Resurrection Pass 100, nearly 30 completed the Resurrection Pass 50, a race that heads across the pass from the Cooper Landing Trailhead into Hope.

Greg Veltkamp was the overall winner, finishing with a time of 8:21. Crystal Hudak won the women’s class with a mark of 8:35. She finished eight minutes ahead of Danelle Winn.

Resurrection Pass 100

Men:

1. David Johnston19 hours, 22 minutes; 2. Jeff Arndt 20:37; 3. Eliseo Marquez 21:21; 4. Kevin Vig 25:22; 5. Peter Mitchell 26:45; 7. Graham Melvin 27:51.

Women:

1. Laura McDonough 21:51; 2. Greta Melvin 27:51.

Resurrection Pass 50

Men:

1. Greg Veltkamp 8 hours, 21 minutes; 2. Chris Zerger 8:50; 3. Marty Evarts 8:53; 4. Louis Maurer 9:14; 5. James Southam 10:36; 6. Aaron Brillhart 10:43; 7. Jay Liggett 10:57; 8. David Olewiler 10:58; 9. Mike Morganson 11:50; 10. Scott Moon 12:14; 11. Joel Cusick 13:29.

Women:

1.Crystal Hudak 8:35; 2. Danelle Winn 8:43; 3. Ginny Kinnebrew 8:56; 4. Kari Lovett 9:15; 5. Diana Burbank 9:23; 6. Sarah Duffy 9:48; 7. Anne Southam 10:36; 8. Christine Bennett 10:43; 9. Sarah Thomas 10:54; 10. Angie Meeham 11:05; 11. Annie Williams 11:16; 12. Andrea Hambach 11:31; 13. Yvonne Leutwyler 11:31; 14. Janet Tune 12:15; 15. Beryl Anderson 12:33; 16. Heather Dean 12:36; 17. Jacqueline Carney 13:29; 18. Dot Helm 17:15.

Champ repeats

in Mat Peak

PALMER — Matias Saari won his second straight Matanuska Peak Challenge Saturday.

The Anchorage runner, who set the course record last year, finished first with a time of 3 hours and 6 minutes. He was about two minutes faster than Ben Marvin in the race that covers 14 miles and 9,100 feet of elevation gain.

Gail Taylor, who holds the course record in the women’s class, won another title with her time of 3:40.

Matanuska Peak Challenge

Men:

1. Matias Saari 3 hours, 6 minutes, 25 seconds; 2. Ben Marvin 3:08:54; 3. Erick Romig 3:11:44; 4. Matt Novakovich 3:19:34; 5. Lyon Kopsack 3:22:33; 6. Burt Dengel 3:22:59; 7. Darin Markwardt 3:23:48; 8. Karl Romig 3:30:01; 9. Andrew Stavich 3:34:16; 10. Clarence Ess 3:38:16; 11. Lance Kopsack 3:40:23; 12. Steven Brock 3:42:16; 13. John Collins 3:43:29; 14. Michael Vanderlugt 3:47:38; 15. Braun Kopsack 3:47:50; 16. Mark Brady 3:54:31; 17. Keegan Crow 3:55:37; 18. Brad Benter 3:57:38; 19. Jesse Peterson 4:12:25; 20. Michael Quimby 4:19:53; 21. Todd Fisher 4:27:53; 22. John Williams 4:39:55; 23. John Weddleton 4:40:57; 24. Jeremy Felson 4:41:12; 25. Jeff Kace 4:41:58; 26. Marc Johnson 4:45:35; 27. Dan Virgin 4:47:23; 28. Steve Gilles 4:56:22; 29. Weston Patrick 4:59:09; 30. Stephen Rideout 5:06:50; 31. Fred Moore 5:15:54; 32. Andy Schaffer 5:17:22; 33. Mark Prator 5:18:40; 34. Michael Stangel 5:26:41; 35. Andy Vainer 5:30:32; 36. Curt Holler 5:33:00; 37. Mark Hansen 5:40:15; 38. Duke Ruzicka 5:40:22; 39. Charlie Ess 6:05:39; 40. Heath McAnally 6:08:49; 41. Nick Brunger 6:10:57; 42. Sam Flora 6:15:18; 43. Sabo Demiran 6:28:06; 44. Dane Crowley 7:08:16; 45. Evan Steinhauser 7:21:09; 46. Dorian Gross 7:23:39; 47. Ron Nichols 7:26:57; 48. Ryan Mathias 7:29:18.

Women:

1. Gail Taylor 3:40:41; 2. Abby Rideout 3:47:54; 3. Meaghan Loughlin 4:17:43; 4. Wendy Sailors 4:33:43; 5. Trish Kopp 4:44:45; 6. Paula Hope 4:49:47; 7. Judi Kopsack 4:56:53; 8. Susan Casey 4:58:17; 9. Angela Brown 5:01:04; 10. Ellyn Brown 5:03:21; 11. Angelica Pollock 5:05:17; 12. Jocelyn Kopsack 5:08:28; 13. Cheryl Ess 5:14:16; 14. Stacy Schaffer 5:17:22; 15. Deseree Dietz 5:29:35; 16. Wendy Shaw 5:36:59; 17. Jennifer Uriarte 5:37:58; 18. Amy Haddow 6:39:37; 19. Karen Looney 6:51:30; 20. Susan Stone 7:11:56; 21. Linda Rao 7:23:59.

Anchorage runner

dominates Big Lake Tri

BIG LAKE — Anchorage’s Jens Beck was the lone runner to break an hour and won the Big Lake Triathlon in Big Lake Sunday.

Beck finished the race in 57 minutes and 57 seconds, about four minutes ahead of second-place Jason Lamoreaux.

Big Lake Triathlon

Individual results:

1. Jens Beck 57 minutes, 57.28 seconds; 2. Jason Lamoreaux 1:01:20.67; 3. Michael Bakker 1:05:47.95; 4. Brian Richardson 1:11:32.54; 5. Shannon Tizel 1:13:41.5; 6. Joseph Hunter 1:14:14.58; 7. Jeff Campbell 1:14:33.75; 8. Cory Lehl 1:18:32.88; 9. Michael Dietz 1:23:04.12; 10. Hugh Denny 1:23:36.96; 11. Jared Berberich 1:26:49.29; 12. Michelle Dietz 1:23:57.92; 13. Pam Winders 1:28:12.86; 14. Vanessa McDonald 1:31:28.01; 15. Carla Goldberg 1:33:57.61; 16. Donald Berberich 1:34:43.16; 17. Cheryl Campbell 1:36:27.54; 18. Susie Dietz 1:37:03.70; 19. Julie Denny 1:39:07.49; 20. Julie Denny 1:39:07.49; 22. Peter VanDyne 1:43:42.42.

Team results:

1. Die Tri’in (Jeromie Sandall, Ken Fitzgerald, John Sears) 1:19:42.35; 2. Rockin’ Ruthless (Yvonne Ruth, Brian Ruth, Aspen Ruth) 1:34:03; 3. HTB’s (Haylie Hellman, Tammy Oswald (Beck Hellman) 1:43:43.42.

Contact sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.