Friday, August 10, 2012

Crook County hosts world championship ride and tie


Libby Volk photo
Centraloregonian.com - Full Article

July 21 2012
by Lon Austin

Endurance athletes from around the world descend on Ochoco Mountains for event

Eleven-year-old Spencer Wilde held his hat high in the air.

As Wilde swung his hat toward the ground, 35 pairs of runners and horseback riders started out across an open meadow, beginning the 42nd annual Ride and Tie World Championship.

Dust swirled in the air as runners and riders hit a dusty trail starting the 33-mile endurance race high in the Ochoco Mountains.

“I thought it went pretty well,” said Ben Volk, Ride and Tie Association President, and part of the race’s winning team. “It was a good course. We like to have the winning team finish in between four and four and a half hours and we were about 4:20, so that’s about right.”

Teammates took turns running along marked trails, or riding on horseback as racers struggled with the heat along the trails near Bandit Springs.

Volk, 47, and his teammate, Dennis Summers, 53, along with their horse OMR Tsunami, surged to the lead midway through the race, and held on to win in a time of 4:22. Defending race champions Jim (57) and Sarah Howard (20), riding Magic Scirocco, came in second in a time of 4:32, while Mary Tiscornia (67) , and Mark Richtman (57) on Nero finished close behind in third place with a time of 4:36.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jennifer Nunoz (33), and Karen Perkins, (46), riding L.P. were the final team to finish with a time of 10:20. Perkins struggled the entire race, getting lost several times and even breaking a finger in the first mile of the race. She ended up covering an estimated 40 miles over...

Read more here:
http://www.centraloregonian.com/PCOSports7.shtml

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