Some excellent photos have been posted by Shawn Snapp & Terry Fletcher w/SPORTZbizz. Terry is offering FREE full size downloads of his photos -- prints are available at a nominal fee. Links to videos have also been posted here.
With the devastating ice storm early in the week, this race could have easily have been postponed or cancelled. With the gritty determination of Cynthia Heady with Headfirst Performance & the Forest Service, the 11th running of LLTH is now history.
Photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher w/SPORTZbizz:
Those who braved the conditions were rewarded with a most memorable experience. First words out of most runners mouths was how beautiful the scenery was. The ice coated trees & snowy hillsides made for stunning views thruout the course.
Cynthia Heady w/pre-race instructions:
Photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher w/SPORTZbizz:
weather:
The race began under cloudy skies with a temp near 20 degrees. It would remain cloudy & in the 20's all day. Winds were calm in the morning with a very light breeze later in the day. There were a few light snow showers thruout the afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Terry Fletcher w/SPORTZbizz:
a cold day:
There was a lot of ducking, weaving & climbing intermixed with the running on the entire course. The 1st section had the most obstacles. At times runners had to deal with near continuous ice laden branches & trees overhanging the trails. It was difficult to get into a running rhythm. Backups were not uncommon.
ducking:
Getting traction in the powdery snow was an issue for most. Only areas easily accessible to the public during the week around the Welcome Center & the 1st part of the Siltstone Trail were packed down fairly solid. There was ice on the course, but was limited to the start & end of the 1st section of the course. You could hardly tell there was a gravel road beneath the thick layer of ice.
glitches:
In going ahead with this race with so many adverse conditions, there were understandably a few issues. Hopefully these will not come up again:
2nd section: When entering Yost, there are no turns required to begin the loop section. The trail keeps straight & you begin the loop by keeping straight. There were no flags or signs to indicate a left turn, yet apparently there was confusion & some runners turned left running the small 1.25 mile counter-clockwise loop in a clockwise direction (resulting in confusion for others). This wasn't a critical error since the net elevation change & distance were the same in either direction.
The aid station at Bearcamp Rd became unattended & the spigots on the coolers froze.
The port-o-potties did not make it to the start location. The park road was snowy & icy during the week & was closed for extended periods Thursday & Friday so trees could be removed along the road & power restored to the Horine Center. One potty was eventually delivered too late & then dropped off a 1/4 mile from where it was needed. I would guess that the icy parking lot at the Scott's Gap aid station was the story there.
times:
Many runners chalked up a personal worst for their respective distances. The winning finish times were the slowest in the history of LLTH, yet they were quite impressive considering the conditions this day.
2014 winners 2013 winners
50k
Avery Collins 5:13:26 Scott Breeden 4:07:38
Michelle Bichsel 6:56:13 Andrea Ring 6:11:37
15m
Samuel Morgan 2:24:36 Ryan Althaus 1:53:55
Ashley Ruberg 2:37:52 Rebecca Boyle 2:07:53
6m
Gerry Emerson 58:05 Daniel Blandford 40:39
Alicia Heyne 1:02:53 Rella Faye Harmon 52:58
6 mile winners:
Photos courtesy of Terry Fletcher w/SPORTZbizz:
15m winners:
50k winners:
Congrats & Thanks to all runners who made 2014 LLTH a BIG success this year! Thanks also to the Headfirst Performance crew & all the volunteers. Special thanks to Cynthia Heady who made this race happen & once again provided some great homemade soups for everyone!
goodies:
If anyone has pictures they wish to share with others, post your link or send it to edibo@insightbb.com. Also, you can send any name spelling or results corrections to the same address. Thanks.
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