麻豆社区

Team Scarecrow dominated the Klondike Trail of '98 International Road Relay on their way to a fourth straight victory, but it's still too early to label their recent string of victories a dynasty.

That, according to team captain Simon Lapointe.

Scarecrow won the 31st-annual road relay in a time of 11:12:24.

The team of top Yukon runners was originally formed in 2010 to oust the longtime champs Skinny Raven from Alaska, who had won the race seven consecutive times.

"That was the whole purpose,鈥� Lapointe said Saturday during an awards ceremony held at the Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre. "We just have to win one more year than them. Maybe then, then I think we'll have real bragging rights. We'll deserve it.鈥�

The group of 10 Yukon runners clocked the fastest times for each of the 10 legs in the 176.5-km relay stretching from Skagway to Whitehorse en route to another win.

"It's pretty awesome to take them all and run faster than last year,鈥� said Lapointe, 37.

"It's a good feeling.鈥�

The team finished 17 minutes quicker than last year. The team's finishing time also sets a new benchmark for the team, whose previous-best finish was 11:20:56 in 2010.

Former Scarecrow captain Rodney Hulstein ran the quickest leg for the team this year, averaging slightly more than 17 km per hour through the 21-km Leg 4.

Since Scarecrow was formed, Skinny Raven has not competed in the open category. Lapointe said until the former champs return, the members of Scarecrow will motivate themselves by beating their previous best times.

"It's all now about making sure we, as a team, run faster,鈥� he said. "I think that's what we will do now, try and beat the guy who ran that leg the year before, or try and beat your own time.鈥�

Last year, Lapointe recruited the members of the Yukon Elite Squad ski team, and for the first time, the team had enough runners for each leg.

"We had a full team, and we ran much faster than the year before,鈥� Lapointe said. "This year, we actually had too many runners, so Knute Johnsgaard decided to opt out.鈥�

With Hulstein returning to the squad and the emergence of Logan Boehmer as a solid long-distance threat, the team strung off its best performance to date.

Lapointe said he was most impressed by Dave Brook, who ran the 12.5-km Leg 3 after incurring a rib injury on the Chilkoot Trail last weekend.

"Dave is a legend,鈥� he said. "He ran with a broken rib today. Last week, he ran the Chilkoot, and fell and broke his rib. And he still won today, with an amazing time.鈥�

The 2013 edition of Scarecrow consisted of Colin Abbott, Karl Blattmann, Brook, Hulstein, Logan Roots, David Eikelboom, David Greer, Boehmer, Ray Sabo and Lapointe.

With staggered start times in effect, the team was the last to start the race in Skagway Friday night, but by the end of Leg 8, Boehmer had put the team in front for good, meaning Sabo and Lapointe ran alone.

"It was pretty lonely out there actually,鈥� Lapointe said.

The 2013 relay featured 147 teams 鈥� 75 from Alaska, 68 from the Yukon, three from British Columbia and one from Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

One race record fell this year, as 28-year-old Shannon Gress of Juneau's Team 8 set a new women's record for Leg 8, averaging 15.6 km per hour through the 19.8-km section.

She finished with a time of 1:16:35, and helped her team win the mixed division category.

"It was so fun,鈥� Gress said of her race, which marked her debut in the annual relay. "I was really fortunate to join a team that had a lot of experience here. I was lucky enough to run with them.鈥�

Gress said she was a late call-up after one of the team's original runners suffered an injury.

"I don't do races very often,鈥� she said. "My team was amazing, stopping so many times along the way cheering me on. There was so much energy, it just powered me right through it.鈥�

TOP RESULTS

Open

1. Scarecrow (11:12:44)

2. C.C. Striders (14:39:24)

3. BEER. (15:33:39)

Women

1. Ladies Worth Freezin' For (14:29:26)

2. Cougars...It's business time. (15:17:03)

3. Hard Women Are Good To Find (16:44:16)

Mixed

1. Team 8 (12:22:46)

2. Team Raven (14:19:55)

3. Rain Dogs (14:34:25)

Masters Open

1. Cabriolet Xcelerators (13:05:40)

Masters Women

1. Charlie's Angels (16:58:13)

2. Medicine Chest Pharmacy (17:33:00)

3. Crow's Feet (17:49:01)

Masters Mixed

1. The Classics (14:50:39)

2. The Nut Butter Runners (17:14:10)

3. Run DMC (17:48:41)

Corporate

1. Arctic Avengers (15:01:31)

2. Northwestel High Speed (15:59:32)

3. Super Horny Goats (16:04:52)

Walkers (Legs 7-10)

1. Chocolate Claim Walkers (8:50)

2. Slowly Heading North (8:55:11)

3. Chafing the Dream (10:21:08)

Ultra (Legs 7-10)

1. Keith Thaxter (6:33:26)

Youth (Legs 7-10)

1. The Blues (5:49:36)

2. Batteries Not Included (6:06:29)

3. Fast and Furious 8 (6:27:19)