Top Runners Beat the Odds at Wolf's Hollow Trail Run

Hazeltine scores upset win; Grim dominates women's field

The XTERRA Wolf's Hollow Trail Run was all about beating the odds last weekend.

Mike Hazeltine pulled off an upset victory in the men's division, and 51-year-old Diane Grim refused to act her age in winning the women's division. They took top honors at the event, which was completed on June 19 at Wolf's Hollow County Park in Atglen, Pa.

Hazeltine completed the rugged 10-kilometer course in 34 minutes, 18 seconds, and led practically from start to finish. He took the lead on the first uphill climb, and never looked back. Hazeltine resides in nearby Newark, Delaware, and has been driving to compete in the XTERRA Philly Trail Run Series this year.

It also stopped the winning streak of Dan Dix, who had won the previous 10 XTERRA races he had entered, including the first three events in the Philly Series this year. "Mike Hazeltine was better than me on this course," Dix said. "The course was really hilly, but it was completely void of any rocks or technical sections, which is where I excel. He was able to pull away on a long hill at about three miles, and I wasn't able to connect with him after that."

Dix finished second with a time of 36:03, and Bob Rimkis was third in 38:12.

In the women's division, Grim ran away from the field, finishing with a time of 46:29. The runner-up female, Bonnie Stoeckl, finished in 51:33.

"It was hard to tell on this course who's in front or back of you," said Grim (pictured at left). "Fortunately when I crossed the finish line I found out there were no other women in front of me, but I had no idea until then."

It was the second time in four races this season that Grim placed first overall in the women's field at an XTERRA Philly Series race. "It's kind of cool to beat the younger girls," she said with a laugh. "I always get nervous right before the race, but once that gun goes off, I feel like I'm 10 years old running around out there."

It should be noted that the women's runner-up Stoeckl is 55 - four years older than Grim. "I don't know what it is, maybe we have more endurance," Grim said.

Grim also beat her husband, Tom, who finished with a time of 49:50 and placed second in the men's 60-older division. "Well, he's the one who got me into this trail running and he taught me a lot of the technique, so I have to give him a lot of credit," she said.

The course was a challenge for the entire field, as it was the first time the XTERRA Philly Series held a race at Wolf's Hollow County Park. The course featured two stream crossings and several hill climbs, including a grueling ascent toward the end of the course.

"That last climb was forever," Grim said. "It was on a singletrack and steep enough that you had to grab on to the little trees along the way up. It really made your quads burn."

There was also a 5-kilometer "short course." Winners of the 5K were Avery Scripture (overall) and Michelle Rodgers (women).

Complete results from the event can be found HERE.

The Wolf's Hollow Trail Run was the fourth of five races in the 2011 XTERRA Philly Trail Run Series. The final race in the series is the XTERRA Hibernia Park Burn Trail Run on July 24.

To register for a race in the XTERRA Philly Series or to learn more about it, please visit www.xterratrailrun.com or www.mid-atlanticevents.com.

(Race photos courtesy Derek Schultz)

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