Lonac, Douglas win XTERRA Beaver Creek 21km Trail Race

Coloradoans Marc Lonac, 26, of Fort Collins and McKenna Douglas, 36, of Edwards won the inaugural XTERRA Beaver Creek 21km trail race today at Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, Colorado.

Lonac is no stranger to XTERRA, having won the XTERRA Wheeler Canyon half-marathon at Snowbasin Resort last September and a 10km XTERRA Snowshoe race a year earlier.

The former UC Davis cross-country standout is part of "Team Horsecow" - a collection of fast Aggie alumni that win races from 5k's to marathons to XTERRA triathlons across the country.

Today, Lonac edged the reigning 25-29 XTERRA National Champion John Klish from Eagle, Colorado by just over one-minute with a winning time of 1:32:37.

"I really like these XTERRA races because they're held in great places and on great courses and today was no different.  This run had a little bit of everything - up, down, rolling singletrack through aspen forests and incredible views of the valley all around," said Lonac.

Douglas, who lives just down the road and is a regular on the local trail running scene, finished fourth overall in 1:45:10 and said she was thrilled that XTERRA offered a trail run alongside the Mountain Championship triathlon this year.

"This is so fun, such a great weekend.  My husband raced in the tri yesterday as part of the team and I watched the kids, and today was my day to have some fun.  This was a phenomenal race, I just love it here.  The trails are gorgeous and coming back along the village-to-village trail I felt like I was just soaring," said Douglas.

There was also a 10km race, and top honors went to Ryan Van Ness, 35, in 41:18 and Jessica D'Amato, 32, in 51:33.

D'Amato (pictured left), a graphic designer from New York now living in Boulder, Colorado, also raced in the Tri yesterday - finishing 5th in the highly competitive 30-34 division.  D'Amato, who is deaf, converted from road triathlons to off-road racing and said she couldn't be happier.

"I'm still new to XTERRA but the other competitors and people around the sport are so friendly and welcoming, and to run and ride and swim off-road is so more refreshing than being on the road.  This area in particular, Beaver Creek, is just beautiful and I love being up here," said D'Amato after the race.

More than 100 racers from 15 states took part in today's runs, and to a person you could hear them talk about the scenic vistas, challenging climbs, lack of oxygen, and the fun they had at Beaver Creek Resort.

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