Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level

NIWINSKI CAPTURES SECOND WIN AT GRIZZLY BIKE RACE

Noah NiwinskiGRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Close to 100 bikers geared up for the 4th annual Grizzly Bike Race, the second leg of the extreme athletic challenges held as part of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Grizzly bikers pedaled through 80 degree temperatures throughout the 65-mile mountainous course to reach the finish line in MacRae Meadows.

Despite the heat, Noah Niwinski of Boone N.C. won the race with a time of 3:19:44. This is the third Grizzly for the 25-year-old and his second first-place finish.

This fall Niwinski plans to begin racing professionally in Massachusetts. Currently he rides as much as he can to train for The Grizzly and other races.

"This is such a great event," said Niwinksi. "The crowd was great and really cheered me on near the finish line."

Drew Sharns, 29, from Boone, N.C. finished second in the race with a time of 3:24:58. Sharns has competed in the race all four years and has placed progressively higher each time.

"The heat didn't really affect me this year," said Sharns. "This is the coolest race you can find this time of year."

The third place award went to Baker Perry, 35, of Flat Springs, N.C. Perry, who was riding in the Grizzly for the first time, finished with a time of 3:32:12.

grizzly men's winners

"I trained for the event by going on Tuesday night rides and chasing Noah (Niwinski)," said Perry, a geography and planning professor at Appalachian State University.

Rebekah Nash, from Chapel Hill, N.C. finished first for the women with a time of 4:02:07. Nash, 28, is a graduate student and this was her first Grizzly race. The hardest part of the race for her was climbing up Beech Mountain.

Rebekah Nash"We don't have hills like these in Chapel Hill," said Nash. "While training there I kept trying to increase the length of my rides and find the courses with the most hills."

Finishing second in the women’s division was Beth Fazekas from Raleigh, N.C. Fazekas, 35, finished the race with a time of 4:23:29. The clinical researcher found the end of the race the most rewarding.

"The race was tough, but now that it is over it was great," said Fazekas.

Tara Wind, 32, from Cary, N.C. finished the race with a time of 4:30:15. The third place female is a personal trainer and sports nutritionist. Wind competed in The Bear footrace last night and plans to compete in the Grandfather Mountain Marathon Saturday.

The 2010 Grizzly riders represented ten states. The course ran 65-miles throughout Avery County.

This year, a 30-mile Grizzly ride took place for the first time. The race is a shorter version of the Grizzly, without the Beech Mountain climb. The ride is a beautiful and challenging route that includes the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The winner of the 30-mile race was Konrad Kosmala with a time of 1:35:46. Second place went to Garrett Jones with a time of 1:42:57 and Joshua Boyle captured third place at 1:44:28.

The first place finisher for the women was Susan Hel-Murtagh with a time of 1:58:35. The second place female was Kelly Matcher with a time of 2:06:36 and Denise Martz was third at 2:06:50.

The competitive spirit will continue on Saturday at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games with the Mountain Marathon, a contest that holds a reputation of being “America’s Toughest” marathon.

In addition to the Marathon, Saturday will also be filled with heavy-weight Scottish athletic competition, highland dancing, piping and drumming, track and field events, and sheep herding demonstrations.

For more information on the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games please visit www.gmhg.org or call 828-733-1333.

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