Robinson and Hash Take Top Honors at The Claw

Close to 400 runners participate in Florida Series finale

Andy Robinson made the most of his first XTERRA trail race, and Liza Hash capped an undefeated season to highlight the XTERRA The Claw Trail Run last weekend.

Close to 400 runners participated in the event, which was held at Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Fla., on Sunday (May 1).

Robinson (pictured courtesy www.tamparaces.com), who is 27 and resides in Gainesville, Fla., dominated the field and finished first overall. He completed the 10-mile course in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 11 seconds. Robinson (pictured at right) mostly competes in road races, and this was his first experience in an XTERRA trail run.

"That was the craziest thing I've ever done in my life," he said of the course conditions. "There were fell trees, brush and debris to crawl under or over, knee- to waist-high grass and water, roots, rocks, brash downhills, breakneck turns, and bluffs you literally had to climb up.

"Despite the sometimes rough terrain and obstacles, there were some places so beautiful you wanted to stop and stare. This is by far the most fun I've ever had running a race."

Robinson took the lead in the first mile and then ran away from the rest of the field. He said he maintained the lead by "pretending to be a wild animal evading predators."

Rick Brown of Valrico placed second with a time of 1:12:51, and Pedro Meraz of Wesley Chapel was a close third in 1:12:54.

Liza Hash of Inglis placed 18th overall and was the first female with a time of 1:23:57. It was the second time this season that Hash took top female honors in an XTERRA race.

"The course was crazy," said Hash, 34. "Lots of NO trail running, a river crossing and soft sand … it was a lot of fun."

Hash led the women's field from start to finish. Emily Egan of Bradenton placed second in 1:25:43, and Kandis Dunn of Odessa was third in 1:26:18.

The Claw Trail Run was also the third, and final, event of the 2011 XTERRA Florida Trail Run Series. Hash was one of just two runners to complete the season undefeated in her age group.

Sarah Ransom (50-54 female) of Tampa was the only other runner to win her age group at all three races in the series.

For complete results and more information on the XTERRA Florida Series, please visit www.tamparaces.com or www.xterratrailrun.com.

© 2013 TEAM Unlimited LLC