Subject: FW: Results - Red Rock Fat Ass 50K Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 08:50:52 -0800 From: "Ian Torrence" To: "List Ultra \(E-mail\)" -----Original Message----- From: Furtaw.Ed@epamail.epa.gov [mailto:Furtaw.Ed@epamail.epa.gov] Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 8:12 AM To: editor@ultrarunning.com; dblaikie@fox.nstn.ca; Itorrence; richard3hsd@earthlink.net; Recumbentslug@aol.com; ANKENBRAND@aol.com Cc: markd@utep.edu; 4suzi@ix.netcom.com; gkilgariff@yahoo.com; dorsai@aristotle.net; drystoneman@hotmail.com; streetb@ehnt4.e-hps.net Subject: Results - Red Rock Fat Ass 50K Here are the results of the Red Rock Fat Ass 50-Kilometer Run that was held on Saturday, January 6, 2001. Submitted by Ed Furtaw, Run Director furtaw.ed@epa.gov Red Rock Fat Ass 50K (31.1 miles) Las Vegas, Nevada January 6, 2001 Trails 1. Ian Torrence, 28, WA 4:33 2. Eric Bard, 35, CA 4:37 3. Randy Calvert, 47 5:42 4. Rich Fisher, 51 6:04 5. Steve Keith, 45 6:23 6. John Eugster, 50 6:25 7. Ed Furtaw, 52 6:31 8. Jim Rapp, 43 6:48 9. Jurgen Ankenbrand, 59, CA 7:07 10. Dennis Jensen, 52 7:32 11. Robin Stevens, 51 9:07 12. Mel Koplin, 58 9:19 14 Starters We again had near-perfect winter desert running weather for the sixth annual Red Rock Fat Ass 50K. We ran under cloudless blue skies and brilliant sunshine, with temperatures from about 40 F at the 8 AM start to about 60 F during the afternoon. This no-fee, no-frills event is held in the scenic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just a few miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The main attraction of the event is the picturesque course that meanders amid the colorful sandstone mountains of the Calico Hills and White Rock Hills. Most of the route is on single-track trails that have been built and measured in the past few years by volunteers. Although the trails still have a few inevitably rocky places (living up to the area's name), their condition gets better every year with additional maintenance and usage. This is not to say that this is an easy run - there are about 5,400 feet of climb on the out-and-back course, and most runners agree that Red Rock is about an hour or more slower than most runs of the same distance. Most entrants were locals, with a few notable exceptions. Ian Torrence, who for the past several years lived in this area, had moved to Washington State last year. However, that didn't stop him from returning to this venue to defend his title. Ian had won all five of the previous editions of this event, and he was easily the favorite to win again. That is, until the middle of the run, when he was several minutes behind Eric Bard. However, Ian stayed within striking distance of Eric, and with his knowledge of the course and superb closing speed, Ian passed Eric in a particularly steep and rocky part of the course about two miles from the finish. Ian won by about 4 minutes, the closest margin of his six victories here. In only his second ultra, Eric had an impressive run, becoming only the third person to ever break 5 hours on this course. Randy Calvert finished third, again (for the third time) winning the Master's (over-40) age group. Rich Fisher finished fourth while lowering his over-50 course record by two minutes under his time of last year. Rich and Ian are the only runners to have finished all six of the Red Rock Fat Asses. Several other runners also had notable performances. Steve Keith made a return to ultrarunning after knee surgery. Jurgen Ankenbrand, who drove here from Southern California on the morning of the run, became the oldest-ever finisher at age 59. Dennis Jensen finished his first-ever ultra. Robin Stevens was the only woman finisher. Jim Rapp, John Eugster, and myself all sliced significant minutes off our finishing times from recent years. And last but not least, Mel Koplin finished his second-ever ultra and first in many years. Mel deserves special commendation, as he is one of the active volunteers who has been instrumental in building and wheel-measuring many of the beautiful hiking trails at Red Rock. Without the efforts of volunteers like Mel, we would not have these beautiful trails on which to run. Another individual without whom we could not have this small but fun event, is my wife Gail Furtaw. As usual, she operated the only aid station, which the runners passed through three times. Her friendly and helpful attitude and competent handling skills make the run possible and enjoyable. We runners all acknowledge her effort and thank her. Without her, this run simply would not exist. Ed Furtaw, RD