Chase and Dejong Finish in Front at Forks of the River

(Knoxville, TN) - Knoxville local Chase Chase, 42, and Pelham, AL native Dave DeJong, 28, came out on top at the XTERRA Forks of the River 10k Trail Run this past Sunday.

DeJong had the best time of the day crossing the finish line in 38:44 with Sevierville, TN resident Jeremy Donahue, 26, right on his tail coming in just 12 seconds behind. At the last XTERRA Tennessee Series Race at Seven Islands, Donahue beat DeJong by two minutes, so competition is strong between these two outstanding runners. It will all come down to the final race in the 2008 series at the XTERRA Panther Creek Trail Run on August 2.

In the women's race, Chase came in with a time of 45:27, just one minute ahead of runner-up Tracy Brooks, 25, of Harrogate, TN. At Seven Islands, Brooks also took home the second place title displaying her trail running strength and consistency. 

After the race, director Kevin Mahan commented that "The race went very well and the weather was perfect. Everyone seemed to have a great time."

With an overwhelming local presence and runners ranging in age from 16-59, runners from 5 states lined up at the start to prove they had the determination to take on XTERRA.

XTERRA Forks of the River Trail Run was the second of three races in the XTERRA Tennessee Trail Run Series with only one more chance to earn points to their series scores. The top finishers in the series will earn free entry to the XTERRA National Trail Running Championship on September 27 in Bend, Oregon. From there, runners have the chance to compete at the first ever XTERRA Trail Running World Championship on December 7 at the magnificent Kualoa Ranch in Hawaii.

Complete results from Sunday's race are attached and more information can be found online at www.xterratrailrun.com. Media interested in photos from this event should contact emily@xterraplanet.com.

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