By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
More than 140 runners, along with their cheering contingents, gathered in the early morning hours at Valley of Fire State Park on Saturday to participate in the 2014 Valley of Fire Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races.
The athletes came from all over the world to participate in the race. The event included entries from Germany, Canada and all across the United States.
For Matthias Rossmanith of Heidelberg, Germany, it was his first time to Valley of Fire. He had learned about the race online and decided that he should participate this year. He ran in the half marathon race with a time of 2:13:53.
Dan Hille of Avon, Connecticut was impressed by the beauty of the area. Though he has visited the southwest region of the U.S. before, it was also his first time at Valley of Fire State Park.
“I wanted to do a run while I was here since it is one of my favorite parts of the country,” Hille said.
Hille ran the half marathon with a time of 2:23:08. .
Dale Vinzenz travelled from Commerce City, Colorado to participate. He said that the morning temperature, in the 40s, was a pleasant break from the weather back at his home near Denver.
“We have been having brutal cold temperatures this year already,” he said. “This is nice for me.”
Vinzenz ran the half marathon with a time of 2:08:04.
It was the second time at the annual event for Dan Battle of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Battle ran in the 5K race last year when he was enjoying a brief stay in Las Vegas to attend a nephew’s bachelor party.
“I don’t drink and I don’t gamble, so I had to find something to do while I was here,” Battle said.
He said he had loved the park and the race. But was unsatisfied because the 5K was too short and didn’t allow enough of a view of the park. This year he entered the longer 10K race and brought his wife Mary to cheer him on. After the race, the couple spent the day sightseeing in the park.
Battle ran the 10K race with a time of 1:10:35.
Moapa residents Josh and Tiffany Frederick participated in the 5K race. Tiffany said that she ran the half marathon a couple of years ago. It was a tough race, she said. With its long and steep inclines, the Valley of Fire course is notorious for its difficulty.
“I swore I’d never do it again,” Frederick said. “This year I decided I could manage the 5K, though. But now that I’ve got here and am remembering that first climb I’ve been wondering.”
The Fredericks completed the 5K race with times of 00:40:04 for Tiffany and 00:40:05 for Josh.
The race is a grueling ordeal for all the runners. It begins at the Visitor’s center and immediately hits an extreme uphill slope as it climbs up towards Mouse’s Tank. Half marathon runners wind their way all the way out to White Domes and then come back. In the 5K and 10K races, participants turn around early and return to the Visitor’s Center parking lot.
“This isn’t for the faint of heart,” said event organizer Deborah Bowling. “ It is not a course for runners to break their records on. This is one to really enjoy the experience of running through a breathtakingly beautiful area.”
Other Moapa Valley runners who participated in the events included Caylena Farley (5K- 00:43:49), Emily Wollenzein (5K -00:43:49), Haley Adams (Half Marathon – 2:14:59), Alivia Halverson (Half Marathon -2:14:59), and Nathaniel Brill (Half Marathon – time not reported).
When the results came in, the top runners were announced and were presented with their awards.
In the half marathon, the first place male finisher was Markus Lehr of Wetzlar, Germany who ran the race with a time of 1:25:49. The first place female finisher went to Karen Myhre of Eleva, Wisconsin who ran the course in 2:01:13.
The first place male runner in the 10K was Jay Balk of Riverton, Utah and Alessandro Zanazzi of Provo, Utah, both of whom put up a time of 00:49:49. The top female in the 10K was Melanie Cooper of Huntington Beach, California with a time of 00:51:40.
In the 5K race, the top male runner was Leon Durbin of Mesquite, Nevada with a time of 00:21:27. The top female 5K runner went to Grace McDermott of Las Vegas who had a time of 00:24:00 .
Full 2014 race results, photographs and information about next year’s race are available the Run Planet Ultra facebook page.
