Results: The North Face Race to the Top of Vermont 2012
Under bluebird skies and with temperatures in the mid 80s, nearly 800 participants tested their strength at The North Face Race To The Top Of Vermont in Stowe on Sunday, August 26. Mountain biker Lea Davison of Jericho set a new overall women’s course record. Returning from an 11th place finish at the summer Olympic games, Lea road the 4.3-mile packed gravel course up the Mt. Mansfield Toll in 37:18.7, taking nearly two minutes off the previous women’s course record set by World Mountain Running Champion Kasie Enman of Huntington. Kristen Gohr of Reading, Massachusetts was the second fastest female mountain biker in 42.25.1, while three-year winner Marilyn Ruseckas of Waitsfield placed 3rd in 45:34.3. Not only did Davison set a female course record, she also garnered the 3rd fastest mountain bike time of the day for both men and women.
In a closely contested men’s mountain bike field, Joshua Dillon of Stowe outpaced Kip Roberts of Montpelier by 21 seconds to take first place in 35:35.4. Tyler Berliner of Richmond rounded out the top three with a time of 38:22.4.
The previous course record in the men’s run category (34:34.6) set by Andrew Gardiner in 2010, was broken by Josh Ferenc of Saxtons River with a time 33:53.4, leaving the overall fastest men’s record time still intact. The overall fastest time for both the run and mountain bike divisions was set by mountain biker Jamie Driscoll of Colorado in 2011 (31:51.6). Second and third place in the men’s run division went to Craftsbury Green Team racers Gordon Vermeer in 35:33.3 and Nils Koons in 36:56.5.
First place in the women’s run category went to Kasie Enman of Huntington with a time of 40:16.7. Enman’s record time of 39:17.7 still holds as the record for the fastest female runner up Mount Mansfield, which was set in 2011. Mirroring the men’s run results, 2nd and 3rd place went to Craftsbury Green Team athletes Caitlin Patterson in 42:31.6 and US Ski Team member Ida Sargent in 43:41.5.
A third course record of the day was set in the overall Team category with a time of 1:56.08 set by Team Hill-Toppers, made up of Craftsbury Green Team Members, Caitlin Patterson, Gordon Vermeer, and Dylan McGuffin.
The MVP Health Care Run For Fun, a one-kilometer hill climb, was held prior to the awards celebration and BBQ at the Stowe Mountain Resort’s Midway Base Lodge. Eighty young runners from ages 4 to 14 took part in this fun run with each participant receiving their own custom made race medal. The post race awards culminated with over $16,000 of raffle prizes, with race proceeds supporting the 300-mile Catamount Trail and the Vermont Land Trust in its effort to protect 1,161 acres of forested recreation land in Bolton Valley.
For full results, click here.