Fernie women athletes dominated the Fernie Ultra and Enduro on July 29th and 30th, and the men didn’t fare that badly!
Saturday kicked off with the Ultra, a 84km trail run, and to say the least, everybody was impressed. The runners pushed through the heat conquering what may quickly become known as one of the most challenging Ultra routes around. Over 3000 metres of climbing led to a long day for many with the final finisher crossing the line just before midnight. Andy Reed of Canmore clocked the fastest time of the day, 9:20:08, overtaking Mike Moore of Fernie in the last km to win by a mere 37 seconds. Bob Maudie of Fernie came third with a time of 9:44:40. The fastest lady of the day was Fernie’s Terry Paterson with a 10 hour and 22 minute effort. Lucy Eykamp of Fernie came in third, 39:23 behind Terry and Heather Mong came 6th with a time of 14:06:17. In the women’s relay category Fernie’s Valley Vixens and Happy Feet came 1st and ins with times of 9:26:54 and 9:28:34. (All results at bottom of post)
On Sunday a field of 170 mountain bikers lined up at FAR for the Fernie Enduro, composed of four timed descents. There’s nothing like cruising to the top of a climb with your buddies, bombing down, and seeing who has earned bragging rights for the riding the fastest line. If the number of grinning riders at the bottom of each descent were any indication, the downhills were thoroughly enjoyed by all. In the Open Men category, David Harder of Calgary had the quickest cumulative time on the descents with a time of 19 minutes and 16 seconds. Lucie Richer of Fernie, 40+ Women, clocked the fastest female time of the day in 24:30.9. Chris George of Fernie came out on top among the 40+ men with a time of 21:39.3. Other Fernie riders included Luke Nelson, Ross Roseingrave and Conrad Spring coming 5th, 6th and 7th in men’s open and Marty Hafke came 3rd in men’s 40+.
Not to be forgotten were the riders red lining it from start to finish. The cross country field flew up the climbs in addition to navigating the descents as quickly and safely as possible. Congrats to Devin Erfle (Open Men), Kate Aardal (Open Women), Geoff Clarke (40+ Men), and Pam Pearson (40+ Women) for reaching the top spot on the podium. Angela Etheridge came 2nd in women’s open, Heidi Berry came 9th and Scott Gerecke came 3rd in mens 40+.
A portion of each entry and a fee for volunteering support went to the Fernie Trail Alliance. The 2013 event raised over $4500 that will be invested in the maintenance of existing trails and the construction of new trails. The Fernie Trails Alliance is a registered charity and relies on fundraising, grants, and donations to help maintain the spectacular trail network in Fernie.
A big thanks to our partners who make these events possibe: City of Fernie, Fernie Alpine Resort, Island Lake Lodge, Fernie Getaways, Red Tree Lodge, Stanford Resorts, Raging Elk Hostel, Fernie Central Reservations, The Fernie Hotel and Pub, Fernie Slopeside Hotel, and Fernie Brewing.
Detailed results:
