EcoThon Trail Run Makes XTERRA Debut

Nearly 400 run alongside animals at "The Wilds"

It was a day of "Wilds" fun for nearly 400 runners last weekend at the XTERRA EcoThon Trail Run Presented by AEP.

The event featured 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer courses - both offering muddy trails and challenging hills through a wide-open field at "The Wilds" conservation center in Cumberland, Ohio, on Saturday (April 30).

Ryan Collins and Carrie King took top honors for the 10K course. Collins was the overall winner, completing the course in 39 minutes, 34.8 seconds; Randy Frame placed second, more than a minute behind Collins.

King was the first female, finishing with a time of 50:28.6; Lisa Douglass was second in 51:03.7.

Race director Gordy Haggard said the weather was "great" on the day of the race, but rainfall earlier in the week created a muddy course.

Veteran XTERRA trail runner Richard Burgunder, who placed sixth overall, said: "The course reminded me a lot of high school and college cross country, with it being almost entirely through open fields, that were extremely saturated, which made it very tough, along with multiple large climbs."

Dylon Graham won the 5K course with a time of 20:55.0; Bobbie Hardbarger-Crozier placed second overall in the 5K and was the first female with a time of 22:08.3.

The Wilds and the Columbus Zoo have an existing partnership, and several zoo animals were on display at the race for the runners to view. The winning runners got to take a photo with a baby cheetah.

(Pictured here is 5K winner Dylon Graham with the cheetah courtesy EcoThon at The Wilds)

A total of 377 runners completed the courses, which was the second-largest turnout in the 13-year history of the event. This was the first year that the EcoThon Trail Run was part of the XTERRA trail running national circuit.

The XTERRA EcoThon Trail Run Presented by AEP also served as a preview of sorts, as it will be one of the races in the new XTERRA Southern Ohio Trail Run Series in 2012.

For more information, including full results from the race, please visit www.xterraohio.com or www.xterratrailrun.com.

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