Strong Fields Expected at Edmund Fitzgerald, the USA 100K Championship

October 17, 2002

DULUTH, Minn.- The USA 100K Championship returns to northern Minnesota this Saturday morning, October 19 with a weather forecast  that is looking more like winter than fall. With temperatures expected to  peak out at around freezing, the competition along the North Shore of Lake  Superior will ultimately be a test of will, not only against the 62.1 mile  distance, but the elements that mother nature loves to throw at runners during times of seasonal change. 

The competition pits veterans of the 100K distance with speedy newcomers, 
yearning to master the difficult distance. Headlining the men's field is 
defending Fitz champion and multiple National 100K Team member, Mark Godale, 
32 of Streetsboro, Ohio. He will be challenged by fellow team members, Bob 
Sweeney, 35, Ryebrook, NY and Scott Eppleman, 35 of Coppell, TX. 

Though they are relative newcomers to the national championship and distance, 
the biggest challengers may come from two speedier ultra standouts in Chad 
Ricklefs, 35, Boulder, CO and Charles Hubbard, 40 of Minneapolis. Ricklefs is 
coming off a course record run at the mile-high Leadville 100 Mile Trail Run 
in Colorado this past August. He is also the defending champion of the 
countries largest and oldest ultramarathon in the country - the JFK 50 Miler 
in Boonsboro, Maryland. 

Charles Hubbard has been a dominating force at the 50K distance the past few 
years, with numerous course records over a variety of trails around the 
Midwest. Combine this with some speedier road credentials and it makes this 
Minnesota resident an interesting contender.

The women's field is as impressive and interesting as the men's. With three 
veterans of the World 100K team present and two very strong challengers, this 
is probably the strongest women's field in at least a decade at the Edmund 
Fitzgerald. 

Headlining the field is Ann Heaslett of Madison, Wisconsin, currently the top 
ultrarunner in the country. Coming off a pair of national titles this year, 
Heaslett is attempting a very difficult double; winning the 24 Hour Title in 
September and now the 100K event only five weeks later. If she manages to 
pull off a Fitz win, she will be ultrarunning's first three-time national 
champion in a single year. In July, she won the White River 50 Mile Trail 
Championship near Mount Rainier, Wash.

Two of Heaslett's top competitors will be Daniele Cherniak, 39 of Cohoes, NY, 
the senior women on our National 100K Team and Tania Pacev, 43 of Littleton, 
CO, the top American at this years World Cup in Belgium. Pacev is a 
multi-talented ultrarunner, having competed on roads, multi-day events, such 
as the Marathon des Sables in Morocco and the Sunmart Trail 50 Mile Run. 
Cherniak is purely a road specialist, usually running only the 50 mile and 
100K distance, but has more top finishes over the past decade at those distan
ces then any other American. 

Giving chase to this trio will be two-time JFK 50 Mile winner, Laura Nelson, 
36 of Waynesboro, Maryland and Connie Gardner, 38, of Medina, Ohio. Nelson 
has some "short speed" that allows her to stay in the hunt early. The 
challenge will be for her to stay patient and close to the lead group through 
the middle stages to make a run at the end. Gardner's strength is distance, 
versus speed. She will have to keep the front-runners in sight to give her 
"second half move," a chance. Gardner won April's, Umstead 100 Miler in North 
Carolina in a time of 17:21:38, just two weeks after finishing fourth at the 
GNC, USA 50K Championships in Pittsburgh.

The Edmund Fitzgerald is a great tradition, having hosted some of the most 
memorable ultra competitions in North America. In 1990, "The Fitz" hosted the 
annual 100K World Challenge, the only time the event has been held in North 
America. The rolling point-to-point course begins in Finland!....Minnesota, 
that is, and passes through the town of Two Harbors, where it hugs the shores 
of Lake Superior for the final 30 kilometers. Long time "Fitz" correspondent, 
Gary Cantrell often opined, that "The first to the lake will not win. To win 
the Fitz, you must run the first 70 kilometers with your head, the last 30 
with your heart."

For more information, visit the race website at: http://www.edmundfitz.com