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Chemistry Teacher Wins Sunmart 50K Trail Endurance Run
Submitted by Rickshaw :: Mon Dec 13, 2004 11:55 am
A chemistry teacher from Seattle has won the 2004 Sunmart 50K ultra-marathon, the largest ultra-marathon in the United States. 32-year-old Ulrich Steidl finished the challenging trail race in a record-setting time of 3:11:45, shaving 40 seconds off the course record. Steidl averaged a remarkable 6:10 per mile over the twisting trails of Texas' Huntsville State Park. Remarkably, it was his fifth-consecutive win at the 50 kilometer distance.
Steidl is a former member of the German national track and cross country team, but now works as a high school science teacher. He broke away from the field during the early miles of Saturday's race and never looked back. His closest competitor finished 22 minutes behind. Said Steidl, "During the last six miles of the race, I knew I was close to the record, but I did have to push hard to keep my record streak alive."
Sunmart's 50-mile event was won by noted Greek distance runner Yiannis Kouros, who normally specializes in much longer distance races. The women's titles in the 50K and 50-mile events went respectively to Chris Purslow and Connie Gardner.
This was the 15th running of the Sunmart Trail Endurance Run. With nearly 1000 athletes competing, it is the largest event of its kind in the country.
