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Mountain bikers line up at the Firecracker 50 mountain bike event at Carter Park in Breckenridge on Thursday, July 4.
Elaine Collins / Special to The Daily
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Ross Herr pedals out of a tight turn with David Gross closely behind during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 mountain bike race in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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Dan McMahon rides his mountain bike with several competitors hot on his heels during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 mountain bike race in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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Kids watch as Ross Delaplane pedals during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 mountain bike race in Breckenridge. Delaplane finished in fourth place of 23 riders in the expert men 45-49 division.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A member of the Konecny-Yackle men’s duo team rides during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 mountain bike race in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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Mountain bikers pedal at the Firecracker 50 mountain bike event at Carter Park in Breckenridge on Thursday.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A mountain biker pedals past crowds at the Firecracker 50 mountain bike event at Carter Park in Breckenridge on Thursday.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A member of the Asleson-Matheny Team 101 Duo Relay rides during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 mountain bike event in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A mountain biker rides during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A member of the Odron-Ash men’s relay duo takes a tight turn with a fellow mountain biker close in tow during Thursday’s Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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A mountain biker taking part in the Firecracker 50 holds his front wheel in the air.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
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Mountain bikers convene in Carter Park in Breckenride as part of the 2019 Firecracker 50 festivities.
Elaine Collins / Special to the Daily
BRECKENRIDGE — More than 1,300 athletes converged on Breckenridge’s trails on Thursday for a pair of annual Fourth of July holiday races: The Firecracker 50 mountain bike race and the Independence Day 10K Trail Run.
More than 860 mountain bikers took part in the Firecracker 50 across 29 race divisions. The two-lap course began with its traditional start in downtown Breckenridge, at the intersection of Lincoln and Main Street, with each division beginning during a rolling start between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Each year, the start of the Firecracker 50 also serves as the beginning of Breckenridge’s Fourth of July parade.
This year’s Firecracker 50 course rolled riders up and into the mountains east of Breckenridge, beginning with a climb out of Breckenridge on the old narrow-gauge railroad grade before sending riders into the backcountry. Each rider — or teams of two riders — lapped a 24.48-mile course, including 3,951 feet of total elevation gain and a high point over 11,000 feet, before reaching the finish line at Carter Park in Breckenridge.
In the end, Ryan Standish won his first Firecracker pro/open men’s championship with a time of 3 hours, 35 minutes and 25 seconds, 38 seconds ahead of runner-up Howard Grotts.
On the women’s side, Marlee Dixon won her third Firecracker pro/open women’s race in four years after Larissa Connors won the event last year. Dixon’s time of 04:30:06 was just under 90 seconds ahead of runner-up Lydia Tanner (04:31:33).
2019 FIRECRACKER 50 BRECKENRIDGE MOUNTAIN BIKE RACES
Division podium placers
Pro/open men
1. Ryan Standish, 03:33:25, 2. Howard Grotts, 03:34:03, 3. Todd Wells, 03:36:38
Pro/open women
1. Marlee Dixon, 04:30:06, 2. Lydia Tanner, 04:31:33, 3. Jennifer Smith, 04:35:52
Expert men 19-29
1. John Wiygul, 04:11:42, 2. Ryan Catron, 04:34:03, 3. Mark Schroeder, 04:40:45
Expert men 30-34
1. Spencer Whittier, 04:07:50, 2. Todd Gearhart, 04:20:57, 3. Eric Poore, 04:33:56
Expert men 35-39
1. Will Wilson, 04:20:47, 2. John Smec, 04:25:13, 3. Jeremy Ostrowski, 04:35:45
Expert men 40-44
1. Hadji Corona, 04:12:46, 2. Kenneth O’Donnell, 04:17:32, 3. James Meyer, 04:25: 33
Expert men 45-49
1. Dustin Holcomb, 04:16:01, 2. Todd Johnson, 04:18:55, 3. Michael Brothers, 04:19:15
Expert men 50-59
1. Tim Faia, 04:21:20, 2. Craig Hofer, 04:39:03, 3. Brian Radle, 04:39:05
Expert men 60+
1. Mark Kuithe, 04:57:30, 2. Anthony Mannina, 05:05:50, 3. Larry DeWitt, 05:18:39
Expert women 19-39
1. Ro Mayberry, 05:22:24, 2. Janel Klug, 05:32:35, 3. Foley Armknecht, 05:33:27
Expert women 40-49
1. Tracy Paradise, 05:06:22, 2. Stacy Moller, 05:58:22, 3. Rebecca Batizy, 06:06:28
Expert women 50+
1. Sharon McDowell-Larsen, 05:24:52
Singlespeed open men
1. Mark Johnson, 04:11:19, 2. Benjamin Torvik, 04:14:43, 3. Connor Houtchens, 04:17:09
Singlespeed open women
1. Veronika Hewitt, 05:23:17
Sport men 19-29
1. Joshua Ernst, 04:33:36, 2. Jack Bettcher, 04:35:03, 3. Austin Kuithe, 04:47:22
Sport men 30-34
1. Brett Waxler, 05:06:53, 2. Kyle German, 05:13:23, 3. Travis Johnson, 05:13:44
Sport men 35-39
1. Joel White, 05:05:51, 2. Darren Riethmiller, 05:07:08, 3. David Sedelnick, 05:23:38
Sport men 40-44
1. Josh Metzl, 05:26:19, 2. Bob Hufnagel, 05:39:21, 3. Adam Williams, 05:50:32
Sport men 45-49
1. Scott Eckstrom, 04:49:53, 2. David Altschuld, 05:18:14
Sport men 50+
1. Xavier Melendez, 04:43:34, 2. Bill Marcoux, 04:52:33, 3. Nick Starkey, 05:00:39
Clydesdale (200 lbs+)
1. Ken Kreidl, 05:19:37, 2. Ryan Knoche, 05:37:19, 3. Matt Hunt, 05:43:11
Sport women 19-39
1. Jaclyn Roberson, 05:38:44, 2. Leslie Pechta, 06:41:46, 3. Laura Engguist, 06:51:26
Sport women 40+
1. Patricia Bursnall, 05:42:23, 2. Terri Ruddell, 05:51:40
Men duo team relay
1. Waite-Campell, 03:40:17, 2. Jenkins-Jenkins, 03:45:15, 3. Konecny-Yackle, 03:54:08
Women duo team relay
1. Holcomb-Holcomb, 04:37:29, 2. Razee-McCurdy, 04:41:16, 3. Telander-Carron, 04:55:07
Coed duo team relay
1. Forney-Campbell, 04:03:06, 2. Vacura-Beisel, 04:06:04, 3. Davis-Gross, 04:19:41
Team 101 duo relay
1. Asleson-Matheny, 04:15:32, 2. Bonnenberger-Friel, 04:15:55, 3. Gruber-Glass, 04:32:03
Team 110 duo relay
1. Gogulski-Mann, 04:24:44, 2. Yule-Hagen, 04:45:25, 3. Goddbody-Talley, 04:53:56
Tandem
1. Kearley-Kearley, 02:58:31, 2. Hollanasworth-Hollanasworth, 03:04:53, 3. Hopton-Hopton, 03:17:58
2019 INDEPENDENCE DAY 10K TRAIL RUN
This year’s Independence Day trail run nearly reached its cap of 500 racers, with 454 runners signing up to race across a dozen divisions.
This year’s course featured 882 feet of total elevation gain, dipping to a minimim elevation of 9,634 feet and a peak elevation of 10,428 feet. The race began at the intersection of Washington and High streets before continuing onto the Carter Park Trail, Sunbeam Trail, Jack’s Cruel Joke Trail, Hermit Placer Trail, Moonstone Trail, Barney Ford Trail, Sally Barber Road, and Baldy Road before returning to a finish at Carter Park via some of the same trails and roads.
Top-3 men overall
1. Daniel Kraft, 40:20, 2. Ben Kadlec, 41:43, 3. Max Bonenberger, 42:00
Top-3 women overall
1. Sara Kadlec, 44:41, 2. Sandra Nypaver, 48:36, 3. Aaryn Munson-Price, 50:36
Division podium placers
Girls 17-and-under
1. Grace Staberg, 51:40, 2. Marisa Ban, 54:31, 3. Ingrid Halverson, 56:30
Women 18-29
1. Maggie Kraft, 50:52, 2. Brooke Steinkopf, 51:22, 3. Natalie Choy, 52:27
Women 30-39
1. Sara Kadlec, 44:41, 2. Sandra Nypaver, 48:36, 3. Aaryn Munson-Price, 50:36
Women 40-49
1. Amanda Durner, 56:27, 2. Kim Benedict, 01:00:42, 3. Dawn Carlson, 01:01:23
Women 50-59
1. Shannin Prince, 01:05:19, 2. Leslie Medley, 01:06:04, 3. Jean Kelly, 01:09:05
Women 60-and-over
1. Theresa Burst, 01:15:53, 2. Trish Reitlinger, 01:16:20, 3. Marcia McLean, 01:24:08
Boys 17-and-under
1. Max Bonenberger, 42:00, 2. Samuel Burke, 43:26, 3. Sam Wescott, 45:53
Men 18-29
1. Spencer McElwain, 42:58, 2. Mason Mitchell, 43:16, 3. Josh Raizner, 45:53
Men 30-39
1. Daniel Kraft, 40:20, 2. Ben Kadlec, 41:43, 3. Luke Price, 46:13
Men 40-49
1. Kevin Donoher, 44:24, 2. Mark Martin-Williams, 44:49, 3. Josh Henson, 48:25
Men 50-59
1. Stephen Ban, 54:52, 2. John McCray, 55:43, 3. Reid Storch, 56:26
Men 60-and-over
1. Tim Clarke, 01:04:25, 2. Keith Dahlstrom, 01:07:28, 3. Tim Anderson, 01:13:14