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Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series
Overall Winter Series Winners
Men Long Course: Peter Maksimow
Women Long Course: Stephanie Meredith
Men Short Course: Michael Weiss
Women Short Course: Amanda Ewing
Click on the Finish Line Index logo at right for results from today's race AND a list of all of your local results. Click and enter your name. It's easy!
PHOTOS: Winter Series No. 4: Weiss, Ewing, Meredith and Maksimow win overall titles
PHOTOS: Winter Series runners battle wind and hills in Black Forest
PHOTOS: 10K Gallery 1
PHOTOS: 10K Gallery 2
PHOTOS: 10K Gallery 3
PHOTOS: 10K Gallery 4
PHOTOS: 20K Gallery 1
PHOTOS: 20K Gallery 2
PHOTOS: 20K Gallery 3
VIDEO: Winter Series Long-Course women's champ Stephanie Meredith
VIDEO: Winter Series Short-Course men's champ Michael Weiss
VIDEO: Start of 10K race
VIDEO: Start of 20K race
Winter Series short-course age-group final standings
Winter Series long-course age-group final standings
Peter Maksimow isn't an angry man. But he did have some frustration to blow off at the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series finale.
Maksimow, who runs for Team Inov8 and the Colorado Running Company, had traveled to Texas last week in search of a 2-hour, 25-minute marathon finish. It didn't work out that way. A combination of warm temperatures, high humidity, hills, and who knows what else, left him with dead legs and a finish time of 2:39.
But he put that Texas nonsense behind him on a windy 20K course Saturday in the Black Forest.
"I didn't know how my legs would feel after last week," he said. "But I came here mentally ready to run fast.
Maksimow, 32, of Manitou Springs, hit the finish line in 1:17:47 to take the victory - his third of the four Winter Series Races - and capture the series' long-course championship.
Joe McDaniel, 28, of Colorado Springs, was second in 1:18:24 and placed second in the series. Maksimow said McDaniel stuck with him for much of the race.
"Joe and I ran together for about nine miles," Maksimow said. "Then I pushed it on the hills and in the wind. I kind of turned it on the last four miles."
Stephanie Meredith (Runner's Roost, 28, Colorado Springs) finished third in the long-course final (1:36:20) but won the series championship. She said the wind, which gusted to 40 miles an hour, was the most difficult part of the day.
"Oh my gosh, it was like running in place half the time," she said. "It was a tough race, awesome course and a good challenge, but the wind was brutal."
Meredith has now claimed two series titles in a row. She won the Grand Prix of Running last year.
Leah Thorvilson of Little Rock, Ark., won the final long-course race in 1:23:11. Amelia Evans, 16, of Colorado Springs, was second in 1:34:28.
In the 10K short course race, Boulder Running Company runner and pro triathlete Michael Weiss, 29, of Colorado Springs, won with a time of 33:59. He also sewed up the Winter Series title. Pat McGuire was second on Saturday with a time of 36:29.
In the women's short-course race, the Colorado Running Company's Amanda Ewing, 29, Colorado Springs, completed the sweep, winning in 42:18. She was followed by Ruth Waller of Lake Charles, La., who crossed in 44:18.
"It means a lot to win the series," Ewing said. "Starting out, I had no expectations, but I kept winning and, especially with this last race, I wanted to finish strong."
Ewing won the Winter Series long course last year.
WINTER SERIES NO. 3, SANTA FE TRAIL
PHOTO: Three-time Olympic steeplechase competitor Justin Chaston, 42, of Colorado Springs, won the men's 5-mile race at the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series No. 3 race Saturday on the Santa Fe Trail in Monument. Chaston, running in his first Winter Series race this year, finished in 28 minutes, 21 seconds. Connilee Walter (below right) won the women's 10-mile race in 1:14:35.
Click on the Finish Line Index logo at right for results from all the Winter Series Races AND a list of all of your local results. Click and enter your name. It's easy!
VIDEO: Start of the 10-mile race
VIDEO: Start of the 5-mile race
VIDEO: Race director Mike Shafai talks about the course
PHOTO GALLERY: A great day to play in the snow (start and finish line)
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 1
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 2
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 3
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 4
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 5
PHOTOS: Winter Series 3, Gallery 6
Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series race director Mike Shafai may have said it best: "There is a reason we call it the Winter Series."
While the temperatures had warmed to about 50 degrees, the remnant's of last week's snow storm turned the course for the Winter Series No. 3 5- and 10-mile runs into an something that would have been better suited for dog sleds.
The out-and-back course had about eight inches of snow at its northern turnaround points.
Still, there were some impressive times turned in by the top runners.And it was a good day for newcomers to the series.
Justin Chaston and Connilee Walter of Colorado Springs, and Kenyan born Augustus Maiyo all won in their first Winter Series races this year.
Chaston, 42, who came to the United States eight years ago from the United Kingdom, came away with the 5-mile victory, hitting the finish line in 28:21.
Though he finished with a smile on his face, Chaston said the snowy course conditions wore on him.
"It's rough out there," he said. "I haven't raced for a long time (New York City Marathon, Nov. 7). I needed a run. I'm just trying to stay fit."
Michael Weiss (29, Colorado Springs), a professional triathlete sponsored by the Boulder Running Company, placed second in 29:21. Weiss finished 13th in the Ironman World Championships pro division in 2010.
In the 10-mile run, Maiyo, a 27-year-old Fort Carson Soldier, blew away the field to win in 1:00:04
"I wanted to come out and guage myself to see where I am," he said.
Maiyo is attempting to earn on spot on the Army's World Class Athlete Program, which will allow him to train for bigger races, including the Olympic Games. Maiyo ran at the University of Alabama and specializes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He said he'll earn a spot in the World Class Athlete Program if he can hit an 8:32 in the steeple chase.
Air Force Academy cadet Brandon Hough, 20, was second in 1:03.
The Colorado Running Company's Walter (37, Colorado Springs) won the women's 10-miler in 1:14:35. Series leader Stephanie Meredith (28, Colorado Springs), who runs for Runner's Roost, finished second in 1:16:31.
In the women's short course, the Colorado Running Club's Amanda Ewing (27, Colorado Springs) kept her Winter Series streak alive, winning for the third time in three series races. Ewing finished in 36:23. Mattie Jesmain (17, Pueblo West) was second at 37:28.
WINTER SERIES NO. 2, PIKES PEAK GREENWAY TRAIL
PHOTO: Pueblo West High School Senior Mike Cernoia won the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series No. 2 long-course (8-mile) race on Saturday at El Pomar Youth Sports Park. Cernoia broke away from Joe McDaniel and Peter Maksimow with two miles to go, finishing in 45:40.
PHOTO ALBUM: Winter Series Race No. 2, El Pomar Youth Sports Park
VIDEO: Winter Series No. 2 short-course runners get a good start
VIDEO: Against the wind: Winter Series No. 2 long-course runners take on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail
RESULTS: Short-Course (4-mile) age-group results
RESULTS: Long-run (8-mile) age-group results
Robert Cheseret, 27, wants to qualify for the 2012 Olympic 5,000-meter run. Mike Cernoia, 18, just wants to win a gold medal at the state track meet.
Both were winners on Saturday at the Pikes Peak Road Runners Winter Series II races at El Pomar Youth Sports Park.
Cheseret's win - he finished the short-course (4-mile) in 19:58 - came as no surprise. He is the reigning National 5K Road Champion, training in the Army's World Class Athlete Program
But Cernoia, a senior at Pueblo West High School, surprised a few people - mostly Joe McDaniel and Peter Maksimow - in the 8-miler.
The trio surged to the lead and stayed together through Mile 6 on the flat but windy Pikes Peak Greenway Trail. Then the kid made his move.
"I took off and kind of pulled away," Cernoia said. "He (McDaniel) was right behind me and I thought he might catch me at the end, but I managed to stay ahead of him."
Cernoia finished in 45:40, with McDaniel 13 seconds behind in second. Maksimow, who won the same race last year, was third in 46:28.
High school track and field begins in about two months. Cernoia has his goals set - and they're all golden. Last spring he placed fourth in the 3,200 (9:39.28) and 1,600 (4:24.61), and seventh in the 800 (1:56.61) at the Class 4A state track meet. Saturday's race was all about conditioning and running hard against tough competition.
"This feels great to win," Cernoia said. "I like coming up here to race these colorado Springs runners, they're good guys."
Cheseret's Army teammate, John Mickowski, finshed second (20:48) in the 4-mile race, followed by the Boulder Running Company's Robby Young (21:22).
In the women's 4-mile race, the Colorado Running Company's Amanda Ewing claimed her second win in the series with a time of 25:29. Ruth Waller of Lake Charles, La., was second in 27:22, followed by Samantha Bauer (27:24.)
In the women's 8-miler, Stephanie Meredith, competing for Runner's Roost, claimed her second win of the Winter Series with a time of 55:52. Letitia Dusich was second in 57:28, followed by Cathi Webber (41, 59:32).
WINTER SERIES NO. 1, CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
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.
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).
© 2024 Created by Tim Bergsten.
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