There were 258 six-member teams and five solo athletes finishing the 17th annual Sawtooth Relay between Stanley and Ketchum June 14.
It amounts to about 1,553 people, mostly from Idaho. They all have their stories about running that day.
Here is one of them:
"We met through races and through work," said Anne Jeffery of Bellevue, team captain of the oldest of all 258 teams in this year's relay.
It was called Women Wrunning Wild—Without Limits. The youngest team member was 51. The three oldest were 68, 62 and 59.
Jeffery said, "We've come together as a team because we enjoy running and each other's company. Racing for us is more about camaraderie than competing.
"And the Sawtooth Relay is perfect, combining gorgeous scenery, 10 hours together packed tightly in a support vehicle, good food at the finish and a race organization that creates a positive and fun atmosphere."
Besides Jeffery, team members were BB Hill from Eagle, Linda Roose from Boise, Susan Giannettino from Hailey, Dee Lamott from Boise and Sue Tholen from Eagle. In April, Hill placed second in her age group at the Race to Robie Creek, and Roose was third in her age group in the recent Boise Half Ironman.
In September, the women also run the St. Luke's Fitness Celebration Run in Boise as part of another team, called Women of Wildfire (WOW). But they enjoy the Sawtooth Relay.
Jeffery said, "This was our second Sawtooth Relay Race, although some of us have done the race before as members of other teams. Participants are all ages, but it's a great race for Masters. It's tough enough to be challenging, but not too terribly long and grueling.
"And we enjoy the early start (this year a more sleep fulfilling 5:30 a.m.) because it is incredibly invigorating to be out running as the sun begins to light up the Sawtooths."
Runners completed 12 legs beginning at Stanley Elementary School and ending 62 miles later at Hemingway Elementary School.
Duplicating their Master Women's (40-and-over) fourth-place finish from last year, Women Wrunning Wild finished in 11 hours, 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Their pace per mile was 10 minutes, 44 seconds.
Here are top class results:
Overall Men's Open (3 teams): 1—Grads n' Dads 5.52:03 (5:41 per mile).
Women's Open (52 teams): 1—Sawtooth's Most Wanted 7.21:28 (7:08 per mile). Men's Open (51 teams): 1—Seis Borrachos 6.52:30 (6:40). Masters Women (5 teams): 1—Gravity Sports of McCall 8.04:59 (7:50). Masters Men (7 teams): 1—Clyde's #2 7.43:35 (7:29).
Coed Open (110 teams): 1—Friends O'Clyde 7.07:43 (6:55). Masters Coed (5 teams): 1—Curro Ergo Sum II 8.58:47 (8:42). Corporate (18 teams): 1—Portneuf DNR/DNI #2 7.59:22 (7:45). Solo (5 athletes): 1—Joel Cannon 11.16:33 (10:56).
High School Boys (3 teams): 1—The Pulse 7.02:55 (6:50). High School Girls (1 team): 1—Runaway Brides 9.17:41 (9:01). High School Coed (3 teams): 1—Spirits of the Animal Kingdom 8.21:21 (8:06).
The Women Wrunning Wild’s real logo is W3 with the infinity sign. It’s a flexible team name that can be changed to match the occasion—such as when “Wonderfully Wacky Women,” might be more appropriate for an outing that included wine tasting, or “Willful Wild Women,” for a difficult backpack trip. You get the idea—the permutations of W3 are truly “without limits.” And here, drum roll, is W3 posing at the Atkinson Park finish June 14, from left, BB Hill from Eagle, Linda Roose from Boise, team captain Anne Jeffery from Bellevue, Susan Giannettino from Hailey, Dee Lamott from Boise and Sue Tholen from Eagle. Photo by David N. Seelig
