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PRESS RELEASE
Carrie McLane of the second-place Valley Girls squad at the bottom of the Sherburne Ski Trail at the base of Mount Washington April 16 in the 2011 Tuckerman Inferno Pentathlon, held by the non-profit Friends of Tuckerman Ravine.
(TOM EASTMAN PHOTO)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (APRIL 17, 2011)
CONTACT: Al Risch, executive director (603) 367-4417 or Tom Eastman, media (603) 662-6350
TEAM LAKE PLACID WINS FRIENDS OF TUCKERMAN RAVINE INFERNO APRIL 16
MOUNT WASHINGTON VALLEY, N.H. - Team Lake Placid won its second team title in three years at the demanding 2011 Tuckerman Inferno Pentathlon, held April 16 by the non-profit Friends of Tuckerman Ravine organization.
Frequent Inferno contender Ken Lubin of Milbury, Mass., a past runnerup, won his first solo TuckerMan competition in 4 hours, 11 minutes and 21.90 seconds. He was followed by James Kovacs in 4:14:19.71, and John Flanagan, who was third in 4:15:28.59.
Daniela Marquez won the solo women's TuckerWomen class in 5:26:00.08. Lisa Feleta was second in 6:34:53.59, and Sarah Katz was third in 6:56:50.70.
In the 20-team team class at the 11th annual event, Team Lake Placid had a top combined total team time of 3 hours, 29 minutes and 52.83 seconds in the five-part race, which consisted of a an 8.3-mile run, a 6-mile kayak race down the fast-running Saco River, an 18-mile bike race north through Pinkham Notch, a 3-mile run/hike up the Tuckerman Trail to the halfway point of Mount Washington's Hillman's Highway, and a 1-mile ski/hike giant slalom down Hillman's down the Sherburne Ski Trail to Pinkham Notch.
Placing second was Team AXA in 3:32:59.17, followed in third by the Iron Rangers in 3:48:01.13.
Top pairing in the six-team Inferno Dynamic Duo category was Water Acquity of milford, mass., in 4:22:38. The team consists of Dave Mingori and Marc Trahan.
Placing second in 4:58:56 was Live Free or Die, while Cold Zero was third in 5:20:38.
In the all-women's team class, Team Wildthings of North Conway repeated as champions in 4:22:32.30. The team consists of Kelsey Allen, Sarah Heidenis, Meredith Piotrow, Fabienne Pattison and Suzie Carrier.
They were followed in second in 4:27:39.51 by the Valley Girls, a fellow Mount Washington Valley team, consisting of Cathy Livingston, Amanda Wirling, Lynn Lyman, Sarah Learn and Carrie McLane.
Placing third in 4:55:49.98 in the all-women's team class were the Holy Hellraisers.
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Due to icy conditions in Tuckerman Ravine caused by the week's rain and cold temperatures leading up to race day, race officials and U.S. Forest Service snow rangers opted to change the final ski leg of the demanding five-part race.
The ski leg had originally been planned to have been held down Left Gully in Tuckerman Ravine. Hillman's Highway was selected as an alternate because it receives more direct sunlight and had softer snow, according to chief of race Ted Sutton of Lincoln and executive director Al Risch of Madison.
"We were able to run an exciting race where there were no injuries and everyone got down safely while having a great time. We're very pleased," said Sutton, an FIS delegate with more than 40 years experience in presenting ski races.
WILDCAT WILDFIRE RESULTS
In the concurrent Wildcat Wildfire Pentathlon, held an hour later on a similar but somewhat easier course, the West County Old Stars were tops in the team category in 3:18:11, followed by the Ski Dads in 3:33:37. Placing third was King's Point in 4:51:55.
John McCarthy won the solo Wildcat WildMan title in 3:25:55, followed by Dan Poirier in 3:45.00. Placing third was Geoff Heigh in 4:15:52.27.
Top solo WildWoman was Audra Lisselle in 5:14:33.
In the dynamic duo Wildcat Wildfire, the Memorial Hospital was tops in 3:49:13, followed by Waters Synapt in 4:24:13 in second and Waters H. Class in third in 4:26:54.
Tops in the Wildcat all-women class was Team Shake and Bake in 3:53:47, followed by Team Waters XERO in 4:36:41.
The Wildcat Wildfire consisted of a 6-mile run, 6-mile kayak, 16-mile bike, 2-mile hike/snowshoe halfway up the Polecat Trail and the Tomcat Trail at Wildcat, followed by a 1.5-mile ungated downhill ski race on the Lynx Trail.
ABOUT FRIENDS OF TUCKERMAN
Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, is a locally-based, member-supported, non-profit organization that seeks to preserve and protect the unique alpine and sub-alpine eastern slopes of Mount Washington and to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to sustain the traditional uses of the distinctive natural area.
Since its inception, the organization has helped create a potable water supply at Hermit Lake shelter, aided the USFS' communications system, resupplied first aid caches in Tuckerman Ravine, helped fund the erection of a foot bridge at the base of the mountain for skier and hiker traffic and recently helped replace three avalanche condition slat boards for Huntington and Tuckerman ravines.
The group also presents trail maintenance work days every fall. Memberships start at $35 per year.
For more information and results, log on to www.friendsoftuckerman.org ; call 9603) 367-4417 or e-mail to
info@friendsoftuckerman.org .
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