Middleton, Montague win XTERRA Richmond 21K while Dowdy and Englund capture the XTERRA Fugitive 10K

XTERRA Photo Gallery | XTERRA Fugitive 10k Results | XTERRA Richmond 21k Results 

(Richmond, VA) - Ryan Middleton, 25, of Glen Allen, Virginia, and Yardley Montague, 22, from Charlottesville, Virginia, both turned third-place finishes in 2011 into victories last weekend at the XTERRA Richmond Trail Run at Brown's Island in Richmond, Virginia.

Middleton (pictured right) took the lead early in the men's 21-kilometer race, then surged during the climbs at the eight-mile mark to pull away -- outlasting runner-up Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat by more than a minute in 1:25:21.

"Love the climbs, love to suffer and had to make the other guys hurt so I could pull away," said Middleton, who is working towards his masters degree.  "I really enjoy Richmond and what it has to offer.  You think it's flat here, but it's not."

Montague (pictured left) was overjoyed when she crossed the finish line, saying: "It feels awesome. I'm so excited. I took the lead on the bridge early, and then felt like I was being chased the whole time in my head.  I really, really wanted to get first.  I love this course; third time I've done this, and it's my favorite race of the year. It's the only trail race I do, I just love it."

Her winning time was 1:42:44, just 38-seconds ahead of second-place finisher Abigail Stiles from Norfolk, Virginia.

The following runners won their respective age groups: Denton Woodward (10-younger male), Rosemary O'Hagan (15-19 female), Grayson Reid (15-19 male), Yardley Montague (20-24 female), Stephen Trammell (20-24 male), Elizabeth Guise (25-29 female), Ryan Middleton (25-29 male),Abigail Stiles (30-34 female), Owen Speer (30-34 male), Kristin Budden (35-39 female), Wes Radetsky (35-39 male),Margaret Amidon (40-44 female),  Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat (40-44 male), Monika Bachmann (45-49 female), Daniel McDowell (45-49 male), Danna Middleton (50-54 female), Gregg Whisler (50-54 male), Clark Jackson (55-59 male),Debbie Trainer (60-64 female), Mark Willis (60-64 male), John Walenten (65-69 male).

Each of those age-group winners from the 21K race at Richmond earned a free entry to the 2012 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship at Hawaii in December.

CLICK HERE to view complete results from the 21K race.

In the XTERRA Fugitive 10K race, Richmond native Jason Dowdy left off where he started 10 years ago ... with a victory (he won the 2002 XTERRA 10K here in Richmond).  Last year he took on the 21K course at Richmond and was in a fierce two-man duel with Ryan Witt, before ultimately finishing second just 33 seconds back.  Dowdy opted for the 10K this year, and it was all his. He had a winning time of 38:02, which was nearly a minute ahead of runner-up Mark Hannagan from Delaware.

"This race is fun, adventurous.  It has a little technical running on trails plus a little city, certainly not your ordinary road race," said Dowdy, who ran at Virginia Tech until 1999 and has been running ever since.

Nina Englund, a gymnast from Stockholm, Sweden, didn't start running until three years ago, but you'd never know it from her performance.  She worked her way through the field and took the lead about halfway in, finishing more than a minute ahead of Richmond's Kiernan Delaurier to take top female honors in the 10K.

"Loved this course, loved the rocks, the hills, the up-and-downs.  I heard about it from some other runners in Virginia Beach.  We were talking about being bored with the flat courses out there and this was certainly not flat," said Englund, who finished with winning time of 45:37.

Indeed, visitors and locals alike laughed and gasped their way through the myriad of man-made and natural obstacles of the Richmond course, no doubt why it was named among the top 32 trail runs in America by Runner's World Magazine.

Team X-T.R.E.M.E. also tackled the 10K course in gas masks in honor of wounded Marine Sgt. John Peck.  Sgt. Jonathan Mozingo, a below the knee amputee, led the charge and inspired everyone in attendance.

CLICK HERE to view complete results from the 10K race.

To view a photo album from the race, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/xterrarun (and don't forget to click on the Like button).

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