Stage 3 has come and gone, and with it, there has been some major changes in the relay standings! The H+P Masters men have shot up into 1st OA on the shoulders of Dave Rutherford. H+P still holds the top 4 positions and has 7 of the top 10 teams. Nick built on his strong position in 2nd OA, while Vicki and Val both built on their leads sitting 1st and 3rd OA for women!
RELAY
What a battle this is turning out to be among H+P’s 4 fastest teams! The masters men took the lead from the millennials after Dave Rutherford’s very strong 2:13. They now sit 2:37 ahead of the Millenials and 12:26 ahead of the In-Betweeners. Vicki Z dropped an outstanding 2:23 Bechtel result with launched the Women’s A Team to 4th overall, and only 5 seconds off the podium! The masters men are now a whopping 23:40 ahead of event record pace, while the Women’s A team have pulled to 1:44 ahead of last year’s record pace!
In the Mixed-1 vs. Mixed-2 battle, Reza dropped a very solid 2:29 vs. Janice’s strong 2:47. These teams are now only 6 minutes apart with 4 stages to go. Tracey ran a strong 3:01 for the Masters Women, as they now sit only 4:35 behind Mixed 2. This 3 team race is going to be a battle right to the wire!
With Nate crushing a 2:57, the Funatics-1 now hold a massive 49 minute lead over the Funatics-2…BUT…Funatics-2 have their best runners still to come!
ULTIMATE
Nick proved definitively that he is here to stay! He had the fastest time out of all H+P athletes, posting a 2:09 and solidifying his spot in 2nd OA. He also holds a strong 9:18 lead over 2012 Dave. Thaddeus had H+P’s 3rd fastest time on the day, running 2:22, and INSANELY consistent splits (including 23:45, 23:45, 23:34, 23:44) to creep up the standings to 6th OA. Can H+P get 3 runners in the top 5? He also is crushing his former self, with a now seemingly insurmountable 25:44 lead.
Vicki posted a stellar 30K Bechtel PB of 2:23, building on her OA lead and now sits 4th OA! Val Hobson continues to prove she is fitter then ever, posting a 2:30 stage PB and growing on her lead over 2015 Val. She now sits 3rd OA, and only 3 mins back of 2nd! Will continues to battle with 2013 Will, and vows to try to take him down to the bitter end!
Up next…running up and down the brutal hills of Wilmot line…for…..fun?
