Not the Toughest Thing He’s Ever Done

Chris Miller (Alexandria, VA) headed to Central Virginia on December 13 with a daunting task ahead.  Not only was he nervous about the upcoming Hellgate 100K in Natural Bridge, VA—his longest race so far, but he had been seeded at #56, which he wasn’t happy with.  So he was out to perform well, but also make a point to those who didn’t give him the credit he thought he deserved.  Throughout the freezing cold night (the race begins at midnight) and treacherous terrain, Chris stuck to his race plan which was to not go out too aggressively and to maintain his intake of fluid and fuel.  While being passed early by many anxious athletes, Chris kept stayed focused and remained steady.  At one point a large group went by on a downhill section, using the ease of the gradient to pull themselves along, but beating their legs up at the same time.  Again, Chris maintained his cool, dead set on finishing steady and strong.  At the next aid station, Chris passed the entire group back and never saw them again.

Chris ended up finishing 6^th overall in 13:19:51.  So he finished just a little bit better (50 POSITIONS) than his seed.

Chris apparently rarely backs away from a challenge.  As a veteran of the U.S. Special Forces, he’d come face to face with tough going before.  So, Hellgate 100K wasn’t the toughest thing Chris has ever done, but he said it was close…

She’s Multi-Talented

Just four weeks after placing 10^th at the IAU 100Km World Cup, Devon Crosby-Helms (Seattle, WA) was back at it again, this time pounding the pavement in Sacramento, CA in the California International Marathon.  Devon ran a 2:49:52 for 11^th place female and 6^th American female overall.  Her time was a new PR, which is incredible having just raced 4 weeks previous.  The range of events Devon excels at is amazing, having dominated the Vermont 100 Mile this past summer to nearly achieving an Olympic Marathon Trials standard in the marathon. 

She Didn’t Want Her Season to End

After winning the state championship in cross country, Dalton Kuhar (Fuqua School, Farmville, VA) wanted another chance to show her fitness before she called an end to her season.  So, on Thanksgiving Day (November 27) she took one more chance to mix it up at the 27^th Annual Fleet Feet Sports Cleveland Turkey Trot in Cleveland, Ohio.  The distance of 5 miles was a bit longer than her typical races, but Dalton wasn’t worried as she attacked the course and her competitors young and old alike (but mostly older).  Dalton finished in 34:38 to place 5^th in the 15-19 age category and 182^nd overall. 

Dalton said she felt strong all the way to the finish and couldn’t wait to get to race again soon.