XTERRA Champions and New Racers Impress at Pedernales Trail Run

The XTERRA Texas Trail Run Series kicked off the spring season with the 2nd annual XTERRA Pedernales 10K and 25K Trail Run at Pedernales Falls State Park. Andy Lee won the 25K trail run with an impressive time of 1:51:51. A firefighter near Austin, Andy has numerous XTERRA National Trail Run Championships under his belt and several top finishes at XTERRA Off-Road Triathlon National Championships.

A true endurance athlete, Andy has competed in several back-to-back races less than 24 hours apart. In 2012 and 2013, Andy won the XTERRA EPIC Rustman Off-Road Triathlon and came back the next day to double up on victory in the XTERRA Gator Terra.

Thirteen-time, XTERRA Regional Off-Road Triathlon champion, Kyle Grieser, took second place overall, finishing with a time of 1:58:04. Rounding out the top three was Roeland Kemp of the Netherlands who finished in 1:59:07.

“It was great to have distance legends on the course today, but I was also surprised by talented newcomer Emma Kosciak.” said race director Joel Grimmett. “I can always count on Kyle and Andy to set the bar high, and Emma certainly matched their efforts by finishing twenty minutes ahead of second place.”

First-time XTERRA participant, Emma Kosciak, won the women’s title and placed fourth overall with a remarkable time of 1:59:26. Emma beat out second place finisher Lelis Gonzalez by more than twenty minutes. Lelis finished in a solid 2:20:51 on this rocky course. Third place finisher, Laura Gilmourk, crossed the line in 2:26:07.

Pedernales Falls State Park is considered to be the jewel in the Texas state park system. The trail run is highlighted by a steep canyon trail leading to the rocky shore of the Pedernales River. Runners navigate a technical trail through large rock outcroppings and deep crevices while making their way to the main attraction, Pedernales Falls.

The XTERRA Pedernales 10K and 25K Trail Run is the second of nine trail races in the XTERRA Texas Trail Race Series. Next up in the series are the ATX Trail Run on April 23,2017 and the Rock Dallas Trail Run on May 27, 2017. The Rock Dallas Trail Run is a night run, kicking off at 8:00 pm.

You can view the athlete standings in the XTERRA Texas Trail Race Series here for the 2016/2017 season.

Complete results for the 2nd annual XTERRA Pedernales 10K and 25K Trail Run can be found here.

Runners in all of XTERRA’s Trail Run Series are racing for points towards their regional championship and the complimentary entry into XTERRA Nationals that goes with it. The XTERRA Trail Run National Championship will be held September 17, 2017 at Snowbasin Resort up the hill from Ogden, Utah.

The post XTERRA Champions and New Racers Impress at Pedernales Trail Run appeared first on XTERRA.

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