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Winter Series No. 1 in the books: Meredith, Maksimow, Ewing and Castaneda lead the way
PHOTO: The Colorado Running Company's Amanda Mountain won the 2011 Winter Series Race No. 1 women's 5K Saturday (Jan. 8) at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR INFO ON WINTER SERIES RACE NO. 2
VIDEO: Stephanie Meredith wins women's 10K race
VIDEO: Peter Maksimow wins men's 10K race
VIDEO: The 5K field in Cheyenne Mountain State Park
VIDEO: The 10K field gets a good start
PHOTO GALLERY: Start and finish line
Everybody knows that Stephanie Meredith, the 2010 Grand Prix of Running women's champion, can fly on the road courses.
But she surprised the field - and herself, a little - with a victory in the Winter Series No. 1 10K race on a hilly and icy trails course Saturday at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
"It's exciting," she said. "Actually, I'm really psyched ... this is a great start for me for the whole season."
About 745 entered the the races - there was also a 5K competition - which kicked off the four-date 2011 Winter Series. Meredith, a 28-year-old Runner's Roost runner from Colorado Springs, finished in 55 minutes, 7 seconds.
"It was a tough course," she said. "I'm not as good on the trails, but I might try a few more trail races this year, maybe the Pikes Peak Ascent."
Meredith said she is also aiming for the Steamboat Marathon and hopefully a personal-best marathon time in San Antonio, Texas, later this year.
Melissa Eichers-Bay (35, Colorado Springs, 55:26) was second in the women's race, followed by Women's Mountain Biking Association racer Kim Baugh (21, Colorado Springs, 58:23).
Peter Maksimow, a 32-year-old Colorado Running Company runner from Manitou Springs, is now two-for-two this year. He won the Rescue Run last week. On Saturday he made his move on the steepest part of the 10K course, tracking down hard-running Michael Cernoia, and cruised home in 44:07
"He (Cernoia) was working hard on one of the steepest climbs and I could see that he started to slow down a little, so I surged up the hill - since that is my strength."
In the 5K women's race, the Colorado Running Company's Amanda Ewing (27, Colorado Springs) won in 22:25.
"It was my first race of the year," she said. "I'm excited to win. I wanted to see where I was at. I can't complain. I think this is a tough course, so I'm pleased."
Nancy Hobbs (50, Colorado Springs, 25:53) was second in the women's 5K, followed by Bridget Kachel (39, Castle Rock, 25:54).
Daniel Castenada, 26, Colorado Springs, won the men's 5K in 19:08. An assistant track coach at Colorado College (his father, Ted Castenada, is the head coach and one of the Pikes Peak Region's all-time great distance runners) Daniel Castenada said he is excited to run the whole (short-course) Winter Series.
"I did the long series a while back, and that was a killer," Castaneda said. "The short series is great for me because the longest race is a 10K, that's the longest I can race competitively.
Michael Wise, 29, Colorado Springs, finished second in 19:12, followed by Mark VanderMeer (25, Colorado Springs, 19:35).
The lowdown on Winter Series Race No. 2
Date/Times: Saturday, Jan. 22th. 4-mile race begins at 10 a.m.; 8-mile race starts at 10:15 a.m.
Course: The start and finish lines are at El Pomar Youth Sports Park, 2212 Executive Circle.
This is an out-and-back course on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail, except for a short portion at the start and finish. The trail is mostly pavement. The trail runs parallel to Fountain Creek. The out portion heads north, going upstream. The back section heads south, going downstream. The entire course is mostly flat.
Registration: Click here to register.Registration for the whole series is closed, but you can still register for the remaining three races.
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