Striding through the Sawtooths
Sawtooth Relay comes to Ketchum
By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer
Traffic was moving a little slower over
Galena Summit this weekend, as runners and walkers opted for their Nikes and New
Balances over Subarus and Suburbans.
On Saturday, runners, walkers and even two
ultra-marathoners raced 61.9 miles from Stanley to Ketchum during the 13th
annual Sawtooth Relay. Teams of six athletes raced the course that was divided
into twelve legs.
Sharma Walker-Thornton of the High Altitude Fitness team grinds through
the Sawtooth Relay. Express photo by Willy Cook
Teams from as far away as Washington D.C.
left from Stanley in stagger starts throughout the morning. The earliest left
Stanley Elementary School at 3 a.m. finishing later in the day at Hemingway
Elementary School in Ketchum.
This year the competition stepped up a
notch with 130 teams participating.
"This year there was 15 percent growth. We
were very pleased with that," co-race organizer Terry Hoebelheinrich of Boise
said.
Despite the number of racers a new course
record was set.
Team Bandanna finished with the new
record. The Boise team ran an average of five minutes and 45 seconds per mile,
even with the 1,331-foot elevation gain over Galena Summit. Bandanna won the
race in 5.56:10. Team Scalded Dawgs took second overall followed by third place
winners Bowl Cut Powers.
Team Bandanna’s record finish came despite
less than perfect weather.
"We had it all—rain, hail and humidity,"
said Ketchum’s Nicole Brown of the Foxy Flyers Too team.
But Mother Nature’s pallet of weather did
nothing to slow Brown’s determined squad.
Lauren Kulik of the Foxy Flyers Too takes off on her leg to the finish
with the support of (left to right) Angela Strickland, Bridget Creed and Nicole
Brown. Express photo by Willy Cook
The Flyers Too ran with a gaggle of women
from the Wood River Valley. Foxy Flyers Too consisted of Brown, Tricia Swartling,
Heidi Wilt, Bridget Creed, Lauren Kulik and Angela Strickland.
The team endured the unexpected weather
with magenta tails swaying from their running shorts.
The furry tails earned one of the speed
tickets on Highway 75.
Together the women captured third place in
the women’s division. They finished with a final time of 8.02:56—averaging seven
minutes and 48 seconds a mile.
The High Altitude Fitness women’s group
finished just behind the Flyers. The ladies from High Altitude Fitness raced to
fourth place finishing the course in 8.32:14.
Foxy Flyers Too and runners of High
Altitude Fitness ran amongst a large field of female teams.
"It was a different mix than years
before," Hoebelheinrich noted. "There were a lot more women’s teams this year."
Other women’s teams from the valley
finished strongly in the pack. Girls on the Run took 14th place and Running on
Empty finished 15th.
Friendly competition ensued among Wood
River Valley competitors.
The Foxy Flyers Too and fellow valley
runners from Marketron International both started from Stanley Elementary School
at 8 a.m. The two teams ran neck and neck for duration of the course.
In the end, Foxy Flyers Too nudged past
Marketron by 1 minute 53 seconds.
Lauren DuBois (left) passes the Sawtooth Relay on to Rachael Wolf (right)
as their team, Running on Empty team cheers on. Express photo by Willy Cook
Although Marketron lost the local duel,
the Hailey team finished second in the corporate division. Marketron ran in
8.04:49. The team has placed in the top three slots of the corporate division
the last two years.
Various other valley teams signed on to
the race including Blaine County Title, Ketchum If You Can and Ketchum Grill.
Two ultra-marathoners also joined the
pack. Leon Rothstein and Charles Francisco each ran the entire course on their
own.
With the friendly competition, team
camaraderie was forefront. Costumes in addition to attached tails included
runners clad in hot pink mini skirts, frog hats and cartooned muscle shirts.
The teams showed their allegiance
throughout the day, cruising in large support vehicles along the Highway.
RV’s to mini-vans sped slowly along the
highway with the resting runners cheering on athletes and offering water to
others. The eleven exchange sites were crowded with cheerleaders, race
volunteers and curious travelers.
The event benefited the Idaho Donor
Network and the PKD foundation.
Here are the final results:
Overall:
1—Team Bandanna 5.56:10. 2—Team Scalded Dawgs 6.04:36. 3—Bowl Cut Powers
6.07:06.
Corporate:
1—Dynamic Ramblers 6.24:20. 2—Marketron
8.04:49. 3—Plexus Boise 8.05:18.
High School:
1—Buttzeeks 6.38:54. 2—Quick Black II
7.13:12. 3—Runners For Life 7.52:28.
Masters:
1—Clydes Masters 7.20:48. 2—Tuesday Nighters
7.46:58. 3—Clydes 2 7.59:18.
Men:
1—Charlie Babbitt 6.45:15. 2—Mustangs (Team
2) 7.03:22. 3—Andulusians (Team 1) 7.22:56.
Women:
1—No Pain No Gain 7.32:20. 2—Like a Speeding
Mullet 7.58:36. 3—Foxy Flyers Too 8.02:56.
Mixed:
1—Bodacious Buckheit Babes 6.33:35.
2—Bandanna On The Run 7.18:22. 3—Team Weenie #3 7.36:06.
Solo:
1—Leon Rothstein 11.20:34. 2—Charles
Francisco 12.47:52.