Scott, Stockton win XTERRA Illinois Wilds

By Jen Marsh

Peoria Illinois is home to Wildlife Prairie State Park - there are bears, bobcats, snakes, and some awesome trails to bike and run on!  The afternoon before the race, the skies opened up and DUMPED.  There was thunder and lightning and lots of rain.  All night long there was rain.  But Saturday morning - it stopped and there was a nice cloud cover for the first annual XTERRA Illinois Wilds.

The swim was a unique one in its shape.  A funky kind of 'L' so you couldn't see the start from the middle and vice versa during this half mile swim.  With an in water start the race began at exactly 9am and the athletes were off.  You could jog across the field and see the middle portion of the swim if you wanted to - so it was very spectator friendly.  At the finish of the swim there was a steep incline to get out of the water so they even had a few park guys there to lend a hand if you needed it.  Then it was a steep but short jog up the hill to transition.

You would have though with all the rain the bike course would be a wreck.  But this trails drains amazingly!  I really was expecting mud monsters heading back into transition, but no more than a normal mountain bike race.  The athletes were on 10 miles of some awesome and fun new singletrack that some locals, including veteran XTERRA racer Bev Enslow, have helped build in the last year.  This place is going to be known for its mountain biking!

The run was 4 miles that took you across the street and into the actual park.  You ran on a little bit of everything - pavement, gravel, woodchips, mud, a metal bridge.  And you ran by the cages of bears and bobcats and owls!  Run fast!

At the end it was no surprise to those following XTERRA racers in the Midwest this year that Chris Scott, 38 from Morrison, IL, took the overall title in 1:33:23 - over 7 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor!  Wow!  Dean Hewson, 41 from Palatine, IL, was second in 1:42:48 followed by Sean Hyser, 19 from Normal, IL, who rounded out the top three in 1:43:15.  These young kids just can't keep up with the over 35 crowd anymore!

As for the women it was XTERRA Ambassador Mimi Stockton, 38 from Stevensville, MI, who took top honors in 1:49:41 - 8th overall!  Bev Enslow, 53 from Metamora, IL, was second in 1:57:43 - not bad considering she was out race morning resetting the buoys (where she dropped her phone in - don't try to call her now!), pre-riding the run course to ensure it was still marked after the rain and answering everyone's questions about the course.  Completing the podium for the ladies was local girl Rachel Furman, 27 from Peoria, IL, in 2:04:50.  Great job to all of you!

The overall champs, Chris and Mimi, received amazing deer antlers with a nice plaque on them for their award - pretty cool!  Congrats to the whole field of athletes - there were a lot that were completely new to XTERRA! Afterwards there was an amazing BBQ of hamburgers, hot dogs, or pork chops, complete with all the sides - and even some pretty cool XTERRA Cookies!  Thanks to RD Scott Carlson and the whole crew at Wildlife Prairie State Park for putting on such a great event!

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