The LUNA Team had a fantastic weekend!  Gary Erickson, co-owner of Clif Bar Inc., raised the bar with his 2nd place finish in his age group.  Katerina Nash teamed up with mountain bike World Champion Christophe Sauser and another friend to win the team competition.  Linda Gallo was the first woman out of the water, Danelle Kabush had the fastest run split, and Shonny took home the stars and stripes National Championship title.  It doesn't get much better than that!

 

Saturday morning, the amateur competitors woke to downright miserable conditions.  The weather in Tahoe was cold, raining, and windy, with snow at 8500ft.  The waves on Lake Tahoe were over 6ft high and the water temperature was dangerously low.  The race officials decided to cancel the swim portion of the event, and turn the race into a duathlon; run, bike, run.  Gary called it a day before things even got started.  He packed up his bike and started the long drive back home, knowing that he wasn't up for swimming in a 6ft swell.  Then Waldek called him on his phone and told him they cancelled the swim and that all he had to do was run and bike.  After a safely performed U-turn, Gary raced back to the venue and was suited up ready to race by the time the gun went off.  There's something to be said for adrenalin because Gary finished an impressive 2nd place. 

 

             

 

Katerina, out to get in some good cyclocross training, did the team race with fellow mountain biker and current World Champion Christophe Sauser, as well as another friend.  They also did the run, bike, run, decimating the team competition, and finished first. 

On Sunday the wind was gone, but the frigid temperatures remained.  The lake was a chilly 60 degrees and the air temperature was a smoking 45 degrees.  After racing all summer in sweltering conditions, the near artic temperatures wreaked havoc on everyones legs, making them feel like cement cinder blocks. 

 

Linda had a fantastic swim and was the first woman out of the water.  She had a strong run and a challenging bike leg.  After a nasty crash on the first decent, her confidence was a little shaky, making for a long day on the bike.  She finished with a smile (grimace) on her face, proudly wearing the LUNA colors.

 

          

 

Danelle followed suit in the run and had the fastest women's time on the technical trails around Tahoe.  She finished in 6th place, grabbing enough points to secure 4th place in the overall series.

 

           

 

Shonny had a strong race but not what she had hoped for.  The legs didn't cooperate in the frigid temperatures and she was off the pace of the leaders from the start.  (Shonny, we need to get some more fat on those bones!) She finished in 7th, but being the top American she was awarded the National Championship!  Congratulations champ!  She also gained enough points to secure 2nd in the series overall.  Not bad for a bad day.

 

           

 

           

 

For most of the pro racers, the event had an even deeper significance.  Jamie Whitmore, 3rd at last year's XTERRA World Championships and recently diagnosed with cancer, was at the event.  There was a silent auction to raise money for her fight against the deadly disease.  It was an emotional weekend having her there, with many of the top finishers dedicating their wins to her.  In the silent auction, Waldek Stepniowski, LUNA Team Manager, won a three day/three night trip to the Maui XTERRA World Championships with 2007 World Champ Julie Dibens.  Way to go Waldek!