*** Ridge to River cancels ski legs ***

Wenatchee, Washington -- 03/17/2005
The Ridge to River Relay is on, but mountain biking and
trail running will replace the nordic and downhill ski legs,
organizers announced this morning.

With the lack of snow, the race committee was forced to get creative,
said Jennifer Korfiatis, race coordinator. The new course is planned
for this year only.

"I think this is going to be a popular change, but I really
don't see it as being a permanent change," Korfiatis said.

Instead of cross country skiing, competitors in the April 10
race will start by biking from the Mission Ridge Ski Area
parking lot to the top of Wayhut, a beginner ski run under
Chair 1.

There the bikers will hand off to runners, who will race
down the service road that ends back at the parking lot.

The trail runner will meet the second runner, who will race
down Squilchuck Road on the traditional running leg. From
there the race continues as usual.

Korfiatis said the race committee met Tuesday
night to decide what changes to make.

Several ideas were discussed, she said, such as starting
off by biking down Squilchuck and then running along the river.

But she said the committee wanted to keep part
of the race at Mission Ridge, a main sponsor of the event.

Besides, she said, the race is called Ridge to River.

Biking and trail running were seen as good options because
they don't involve a lot of technical skill. Cross country skiing
was one of the hardest positions for many teams to fill, Korfiatis
said.

"I'm hoping that this opens up the door for a whole lot
of people who have never really had a chance to do the
race," she said. "I'm actually quite optimistic about it."

Registration is down a third what it normally is at this time,
with about 30 teams signed up, Korfiatis said. But with the
changes announced, she hopes it will pick up.

"I'm completely convinced that the reason why is because
people were just waiting to hear what we were going to do,"
Korfiatis said.

The race usually draws 1,800 athletes
from around the Northwest each year.

This is the first time in the race's 25-year history that events
have been switched, Korfiatis said. There have been several
years when the downhill ski leg ended at the top of Chair 1
and the run started there for lack of snow, she said.

Korfiatis said this morning she wasn't sure how long the new legs
are, but she doesn't think they'll affect the overall time of the race.
"It's not like the race will be done half an hour sooner," she said.

This year's times will be put down separately in the record
books, since they won't be comparable to other years.

"That makes it kind of fun, I think, that the records set on our
25th anniversary will be a second set of course records that
will pretty much be a part of history," Korfiatis said.

It probably won't snow enough between now and the race to
affect the new plan, Korfiatis said. If it does, she said, the ski
area can plow the course. In case of rain or mud, she said, the
course can be lined with straw.

For more info see - http://www.r2r.org

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