Bear Lake, Idaho, September 29. Christopher Kollar and Darcy Africa smashed the course records in winning the 14th annual Bear 100. Kollar ran with Hal Koerner for much of the first half of the race before Koerner withdrew at the 52 mile mark. He was unthreatened after that, finishing more than an hour ahead of runner-up Nick Pedatella.
Darcy Africa easily won the women’s race, completing the Rocky Mountain Slam (Bighorn, Hardrock, Leadville, Bear) in stellar fashion, winning three of the four events en route.
The rugged mountain course, which crosses the northern Wasatch Range from Logan, Utah to Bear Lake, Idaho, features 27,000 feet of climb at elevations ranging from 4800 to 9000 feet. Runners had generally ideal weather, with temperatures of about 70F during the afternoon, but dropping to below freezing at higher elevations during the night.
Of the 230 starters, 166 finished within the 36-hour time limit. The last official finisher was Errol “Rocket” Jones in 35:57:06; he also serves as Assistant Race Director. Four additional runners completed the course after the cutoff.
Men
1. Christopher Kollar, 27, Missoula, MT, 17:50 (course record, old record 18:34:09 by Mike Foote, 2010)
2. Nick Pedatella, 27, Boulder, CO, 19:00
3. Matt Hart, 37, Salt Lake City, UT, 19:29
4. Mick Jurynec, 34, Salt Lake City, UT, 20:15
5. Ty Draney, 38, Auburn, WY, 20:44
Women
1. Darcy Africa, 37, Boulder, CO, 22:11 (course record, old record 22:19:00 by Nikki Kimball, 2011)
2. Shawna Tompkins, 40, Mount Vernon, WA, 23:02
3. Sarah Evans, 40, Alta, UT, 23:32
4. Amie Blackham, 33, Draper, UT, 24:51
5. Meg Harnett, 27, Baltimore, MD, 25:07
Photo, at top: Christopher Kollar (courtesy montanacup.com)
Above: Darcy Africa at 2012 Hardrock (John Medinger photo
