Cool, California, March 13. Leor Pantilat of San Carlos, California successfully defended his championship at the Way Too Cool 50K when Geoff Roes missed a turn about 2.5 miles from the finish. Roes, who trailed Pantilat and Max King by four minutes at mile 20, had made a dramatic late-race surge to take the lead at mile 27. He was leading when he made a wrong turn while approaching the quarry below the Highway 49 aid station. Pantilat was gracious after the race, commenting, “Geoff showed he was the most fit runner out there today. He would have finished 3 or 4 minutes ahead of me had he not missed the turn.” King finished second and Roes, after a 14-minute detour, took third.
Joelle Vaught of Boise, Idaho was the women’s winner, besting Beverly Anderson-Abbs of Red Bluff, California. It was the third straight year that Anderson-Abbs has finished second here; she won in 2007. Pre-race favorite Kami Semick suffered from a flu bug and dropped from the race at mile 15. Vaught also won the race in 2006.
Although race day was sunny and mild, heavy spring rains left the course very muddy and times were slower than normal. There were 472 finishers.
Men
1. Leor Pantilat, 25, San Carlos, CA, 3:41:47
2. Max King, 30, Bend, OR, 3:47:39
3. Geoff Roes, 33, Douglas, AK, 3:51:51
4. Gary Gellin, 41, Menlo Park, CA, 3:54:51
5. John Anderson, 31, Boulder, CO, 3:57:18
Women
1. Joelle Vaught, 35, Boise, ID, 4:13:58
2. Beverly Anderson-Abbs, 45, Red Bluff, CA, 4:29:40
3. Darcy Africa, 35, Boulder, CO, 4:37:12
4. Kate Evans, 36, Pollock Pines, CA, 4:42:35
5. Helen Cospolich, 32, Breckenridge, CO, 4:43:02