Turkey Track Trail Race

Posted

By Kirsten Le Roux

Special to The SUN

GECKO’s first marquee race for the season came and went Saturday in brilliant summer sunshine. Between the four race distances (marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k), and the Kid’s Free Fun Race (hosted by GOAL Academy), approximately 300 people signed up to enjoy the spectacular Turkey Springs Trail network. Celebrating National Trails Day on June 7, race director Mike Le Roux took special care to create a course that was almost 100 percent single-track trail.

“I must have run, mountain biked and rode my horse a dozen times across these trails with my GPS, trying to find ways of avoiding even Jeep track and keeping to single track. It was my challenge for this race, and I was very happy with where we got to. It’s easier to send a race down a road than it is to weave through single track, but it’s always worth it; we had great feedback from the runners,” said Le Roux of the course. The course meandered through an emerald aspen grove, giant ponderosa and flower-filled alpine meadows, and, for an early season trail, it was a huge motivator for runners to kick off the trail-running season.

Runners from all over the country, some hailing from as far away as Washington state, California and Mississippi, participated in the Turkey Track Trail Race.

It took nearly 60 volunteers to stage the event and many other businesses, corporations and organizations helped to support the race, without which it wouldn’t have been possible.

Winners

Betsy Sutton (45) won the women’s Marathon in 3:57.

Molly Hummel (30) won the women’s Half Marathon in 1:47.

Brett Wilson (29) won the men’s Marathon in 3:36.

JD Kurz (37) won the men’s Half Marathon in 1:28.

Kelsey Crymble (17) won the women’s 5k in 25:33.140.

Mary Kate Jackson (27) won the women’s 10km in 45:51.

Hank Kasch (10) won the men’s 5k in 23:55.351.

Dylan Peterson (27) won the men’s 10km in 38:34.096.

For full results and a photo gallery of the day, go to the GECKO Facebook page or website, www.joingecko.org.

The next GECKO event is a Fourth of July fun run downtown (3k and 5k noncompetitive), with prizes for best dressed.