January 7, 2012 - The Yeti Chase 5K/10K returns in 2012, with a larger prize purse, a bigger field, and the return of Summit Cove as the presenting sponsor!

It is also joined by the inaugural Ralston Creek Half-Marathon, just two weeks later, to offer a pair of great mid-winter events on the west side of the Denver metro area. Like the Yeti Chase, the Ralston Creek Half Marathon offers a cash prize purse, men's and women's tech-shirts and great post race food including home made banana chocolate chip bread, hot cocoa, and steaming ramen noodle cups. El Senor Sol Mexican restaurant will also be providing hot breakfast burritos as part of the Ralston Creek post-race spread! All finishers in the Ralston Creek Half Marathon will also take home a custom finisher's medal.

Both races are on pace to sell out, with the Yeti Chase approaching 70 percent full despite adding 250 additional runners to the 2012 race limit. The race is already beyond the 500 runners allowed in 2011. Ralston Creek is limited to just 500 runners, and is already more than half-full with 5 weeks to go before race day.

Part of the draw for the Yeti Chase has got to be the grand prize drawing for a $500 stay in one of the Summit Cove Keystone properties. Just get your photo taken with the Summit Cove Yeti on race morning - photos will be posted on the Summit Cove Facebook Page following the race. Tag your photo by noon on Thursday February 2nd, and you are entered in the drawing!!! You can choose your stay dates (between April 15 and October 15, 2012).

Another draw, for the top runners, is the $800 prize purse at the Yeti Chase and the $1,000 in prize money at the Ralston Creek Half Marathon. Age group awards will go three-deep, with Runners Roost Lakewood presenting a gift certificate to the first place finisher in each age group at the Yeti Chase, while Boyer's Coffee will be providing awards for all age group award winners at the Ralston Creek race.

Please visit www.YetiChase.com or www.RalstonCreekHalf.com for more info.

Mario Macias and Emily Potter were victorious in the windiest Mt. Evans Ascent in recent history. A brief snow squall just prior to the start was followed by a rare early morning rainbow at Echo Lake.

Race conditions were fairly calm for the opening 3 miles of America's Highest Road Race up the paved auto road that leads to the summit of 14,264 foot Mt. Evans. Once above treeline, however, the wind was fierce - often topping 50 miles per hour.

While aid station volunteers fought to keep their stockpiles of food and drinks from blowing away (a 30+ pound case of water actually blew down the road faster than the volunteers could run after it!), runners were heading straight into the wind until the first switchback just before mile-10.

Windchill temps at the summit were sub-zero on a day when nearby Denver was seeing 90 degrees on the thermometer. Still, more than 350 finishers reached the top, led by Macias in 1:50:14. Though his time as 13 minutes shy of the course record, many in the field believed that his effort would have dipped below the course record in better conditions.

Emily Potter led all women finishers to the summit with a 2:13:48 finish time. Emily was a repeat champion, also winning the race in 2007.

Following the race, runners enjoyed a nice post-race spread catered by Echo Lake Lodge.

The best weather of the year greeted the sold out field in Saturday's Barkin' Dog Duathlon at Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. Race temps in the 70's, a nice expo area, and a tasty post-race BBQ from Bennett's added to the fun of the unofficial season opener for Colorado's multisport crowd.

Alamosa's Josh Merrick continued his winning ways, and Whitney Henderson claimed her first Barkin' Dog Title against the strongest women's elite field to race the Barkin' Dog.

Merrick, the 4-time Mile High Duathlon Series points winner and recent 4th place finisher in the USAT Elite National Duathlon championship went head to head with Justin Hurd (3rd at Elite Nationals) from the gun. The race was thight following the opening 5K run and the 30K bike, but Merrick put the hammer down on the secong run to seal the win. Hurd ran a strong second, with Dan McIntosh taking third.

Henderson entered transition with a slight lead, but exited the bike in a virtual dead heat with fellow Boulder duathletes Lauren Chiodini and Courtenay Brown. Henderson popped the fastest women's bike split of the day to put herself out of striking distance. Chiodini grabbed second for the elite women, with Brown in third.

In the accompanying short course event, Neil Robichaux and Emily Dingman took home the first place awards.

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January 23, 2011 - Selling out just 7 weeks after it was announced, the inaugural Yeti Chase lived up to expectations as a fun winter event. The 5K and 10K run, held at Lakewood's Bear Creek Lake Park, hit its 500 entrant limit more than a week before race day.

Runners were treated to a perfect winter day, with sunshine, clear skies, and no wind as they cruised through the scenic 2,500 acre park on a mix of roads and bike paths. Pro triathlete Jordan Jones, shown in the photo above getting a finish line high-five from the Summit Cove Yeti, took home the $100 first place prize in the 10K, recording a speedy 34:17 over the hilly course. Heather Utrata took home the women's cash with her 39:11 winning time.

Paquito Lopez (17:53) and Lori Walker (18:37) took home $100 each for their win's in the flat and fast 5K event, while all age group winners in both the 5K and 10K received a gift certificate from Runners Roost Lakewood.

The big hit of the day, however, was the Summit Cove Yeti. Participants who had their photo taken with the Yeti are entered into a Facebook drawing for a free 5-night stay in Keystone, courtesy of presenting sponsor Summit Cove, a property management company with 260 properties in lovely Keystone, Colorado.

For more information on the Yeti Chase, please visit the race website at www.yetichase.com.

Despite a balmy weather forecast, participants in the January 15th Chilly Cheeks arrived to cloud cover and temperatures in the high 20's. That didn't dampen the enthusiasm, however, as 250 athletes raced in this unique run, bike, run, bike, sprint to the finish event!

As he did in the first series race in December, Lakewood's Brandon Jessop clocked the day's fastest time over snow covered running trails and a bike course that was mosly dry, with occasional ice patches to navigate.

Jennifer Higgins, of Fort Collins, claimed her first women's title as she recorded the fastest women's time of the day. Both Jessop and Higgins took home a chest warmer from Warm Front for their efforts, as well as valuable first place points in the series standings.

Photos from the event are available on the Racing Underground Facebook page courtesy of Julie Powell.

The final event in the series, a 10.8 mile bike ride followed by a 4 mile run, will take place on February 26th. Visit the series website at www.ChillyCheeksDu.com.