XTERRA Trail Runs are Underway in 2011

Gara and Faulkner win Boney Mountain Trail Run in SoCal Series

Andrew Gara and Anissa Faulkner took top honors at the XTERRA Boney Mountain Trail Run on Sunday, Jan. 9, at Point Mugu State Park, California.

Gara was the overall winner, completing the 21-kilometer course in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 42 seconds. Faulkner was the first female finisher and set a women's course record of 1:43:53.

More than 400 runners participated in the race, and they were treated to cool temperatures (around 50 degrees) and a challenging course that featured several difficult climbs.

Gara pulled away from the rest of the field around halfway through the course for his first XTERRA Trail Run victory. Gara, 21, was the youngest runner on the 21-kilometer course (there was also a 6-mile course that featured younger runners).

Jason Brosseau stayed with Gara for a little while, and eventually took second with a time of 1:34:44. Thomas Worthington was third in 1:38:40.

"It was a great race - very challenging, which is exactly what you want," said Brosseau. "The climbs, they were tough. There was one that went up for about four miles. It was so tedious, you really had to push yourself."

Faulkner, 40, dominated the women's division. She placed ninth overall, and finished more than 17 minutes ahead of the runner-up female. Lindsey Young placed second in 2:01:15, and Catherine Lambert took third in 2:01:41.

The Boney Mountain Trail Run was the fourth of seven races in the 2010-11 XTERRA SoCal Trail Run Series. The next race in the series is the XTERRA Mission Gorge Trail Run, scheduled for Feb. 6 at San Diego, California.

For complete results from the Boney Mountain Trail Run, please visit www.trailrace.com. To register for an XTERRA Trail Run please visit www.xterratrailrun.com.

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