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Trail Mix Complete for 2017!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2017 series!

Will be updating standings when Raven Rocks results are official in a couple of days and doing a recap of the series.

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Five races down – One Left: Raven Rocks Run 2017!

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There are currently 29 women and 82 men who are eligible to complete the Trail Mix Series for 2017. Already 19 of those women and 36 of the men have the necessary 4 races in the series for automatic selection upon their entry into the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery 2017.

There’s one more race to go for the series: Raven Rocks Run!

Kirby Mosenthal crossing the river at Leatherman’s Loop 2017 (photo by Keith Realander) – click for larger version

Kirby Mosenthal leads the women’s 2017 series with four races complete to date for 2017. With her overall wins in A Mild Sprain and Where the Pavement Ends, she has a 0.4 point lead over second place. If Kirby finishes high up in Raven Rocks she can claim the 2017 Trail Mix women’s title. Kelsey Crawford is leading the F13 category and is a strong second in the women’s series with 3 races completed. With a strong showing at Raven Rocks, she can improve her average score and be within striking distance of an overall title. Kelsey has the F13 title locked up as long as she runs Raven Rocks.

Teren Block has a solid hold on third position and is leading the F50 category. Kathy Jackson is close behind Teren in the F50 category. Sydney Bieber (F13) is second in her category but she already has the 4 required races to complete the series. Eleanor Fosnot has the  F40 category locked up. Maria Ilyukhina leads in the F20 category with three races completed and one more needed to seal the category victory.

Laura Cyran and Samantha Schierle are neck and neck in the F30 category. A strong showing by Samantha could make up the 0.4 point difference in their standings. On the other hand, if Laura competes at Raven Rocks and does well, she could drop her lowest scoring race and her average would benefit. Zoe Wegener has sealed her victory in the F18 category. A run at Raven Rocks would be a victory lap for Zoe!

Luis Francisco crossing Splashdown at the 2017 Leatherman’s Loop (photo by Deb Burman) – click for larger view

Luis Francisco has won two of his four Trail Mix race entries in 2017A Mild Sprain and Sarah Bishop Bushwhack, and he finished second in Leatherman’s Loop and Run The Farm. Benjamin Hopkins has run in all five Trail Mix races to date. He was first overall in Where the Pavement Ends and right behind Luis in the other races. He leads the M30 category. The gap between Luis and Benjamin is a minuscule 0.15 points!

Virgil Bretz in 3rd place overall and leads the M40 category. He’s just 0.4 points behind Benjamin. Aleksei Chernov and John McElroy are 4th and 5th respectively. Bill Bradsell has the M50 category sewn up for the 3rd straight year. The same is true for Joe Mokszycki who has the M60 category in hand as long as he completes Raven Rocks.

Justin Pufahl leads the M18 category with four races under his belt. Rob Fryer has four races complete and the M70 category in hand. Jackson Bieber needs only to complete Raven Rocks Run to seal his M13 category win. Edward Bricker leads the M20 category but needs one more race to complete the series. Michael Curra is hot on his heels and already has the four races for the series. Any improvement in his point scores will drop his lowest race and elevate his standings.

Congratulations to all of the early winners – the final race, Raven Rocks Run, will be a victory lap for you! And congratulations to all of those runners who have four or more races — or will hit their goal with the next race. It is no easy feat and the rewards will be yours!

One woman (Teren Block) has completed all five of the Trail Mix races to date in 2017. Twelve men have completed all 5 races to date!

Charles Vaccaro remains the only runner to complete ALL of the Trail Mix races from 2014-present. That’s a whopping 19 races to date! Eric Foxhall has run in 17 of the 19 races to date. Jerre Skeats has 16 of the 19 completed. We appreciate and admire their commitment and dedication to trail running!

If you notice an error or an omission in the standings, please contact us at trailmixseries@gmail.com.

raven_rocks_logo-with-text-below-200wWe hope to see you all at the sixth and final race in the series on November 12th, 2017: the Raven Rocks Run.

After the 2017 Trail Mix series is complete, we continue our Sunday Runs throughout the winter and into the spring. Highlights will include the Looper Bowl and Raven Lunatic group runs as well as some night runs that will open your eyes to new trail possibilities. Sign up with Sundayruns.org to get the weekly run location emails.

And sign up with Mixed Up Trail Notes for updates on Trail Mix race activity including notification of the Leatherman’s Loop 2018 Lottery – opening in early January.

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2016 Trail Mix Final Results

medallion-scan-mod-bw-2Women’s StandingsMen’s Standings

We wrapped up the 2016 Trail Mix Series with the Raven Rocks Run at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation last Sunday morning.

Note – ALL runners who completed the 2016 Trail Mix Series by running at least four of the six races in the series are eligible for automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery as long as they enter the Loop Lottery in January 2017. In 2016 there are 94 runners who qualify for the automatic selection. See links to Men’s and Women’s standings links above for listing of all runners eligible.

Series Leaderboard

Lindsay Obrig heading down Pell Hill at the 2016 Raven Rocks Run. (photo by Tom Casper)
Lindsay Obrig heading down Pell Hill at the 2016 Raven Rocks Run. (photo by Tom Casper)

For the Women’s Trail Mix SeriesLindsay Obrig took home the overall women’s series. Congratulations Lindsay! Teren Block finished second overall and first in the F50 category.

Anne Heinrichs had a strong final two races to secure third overall and the F30 category win. Chelsea Ellis took fourth overall and won the F20 category. Sydney Bieber was a very close fifth overall and first in the 13 & under category. Sydney is also the youngest female runner to complete the series ever.

Jerre Skeats took the F40 category while Asha Grossberndt took the 14-18 year old Juniors category.

Virgil Bretz crossing Splashdown at the Leathermans Loop 2016 photo by Deborah Burman)

For the Men’s Trail Mix Series, Virgil Bretz ran a strong early series. He was injured and volunteering at the last two Trail Mix races — but based on his strong early races he held off challengers through the end. Congratulations Virgil!

Matt Bedoukian was second overall in the Trail Mix, taking the M30 category. Josh Faust ran all six races and was third overall and took the M40 category.

John McElroy was 4th overall with Eamonn Sullivan just behind in 5th. Eamonn took the 13 & under category for the second straight year and was the youngest male runner to complete the series.

Longtime Loop runner Bill Bradsell ran all six races in the series and took the M50 category for the second year while Joseph Mokszycki (aka JoeMo) took the M60 category. Loop runner and patron Nick Ohnell ran away with the M70 category. Ryan Pufahl took the 14-18 year old Juniors category.

Some final highlights:

  • Four women, Hephzibah Grossberndt, Judi Demuro, Lisa Torregrossa, and Asha Grossberndt, completed all SIX 2016 Trail Mix Series races.
  • Twelve men competed in all SIX of the 2016 Trail Mix Series races: Gabriel Brecher, Edward Eigel, Josh Faust, Justin Puccio, Todd Henrich, Bill Bradsell, Charles Vaccaro, Chris Oberhammer, Paul Woolley, John Walsh, Justin Stanford, and Nick Ohnell.
  • 94 Runners finished the 2016 Trail Mix Series. This is a big increase over the 66 who finished in 2015 and almost quadruple the 25 who completed the 2014-2015 inaugural series.
  • Over 2,100 different runners (767 women and 1,301 men) competed in at least one race in the 2016 Trail Mix Series.
  • Jerre Skeats and Eric Foxhall have each participated in 13 of the 14 Trail Mix races.  When we establish a Trail Mix Hall of Fame your names will be on the first ballot!
  • Last but not least: There is ONE runner has run in ALL of the Trail Mix Series races since 2014! – That’s 14 for 14! Congrats to Charlie Vaccaro! 

Congratulations everyone on a series well run – and enjoy that well earned automatic selection in the Loop Lottery as you enter it in January 2017!

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List of Runners who completed the 2016 Trail Mix Series (and are eligible for automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop 2017 Lottery if they enter it.):

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How it looks after 5 races complete in Trail Mix Series

medallion-scan-mod-bw-2There are currently 32 women and 81 men eligible to complete the Trail Mix Series for 2016. Already 18 of those women and 42 of the men have the necessary 4 races in the series for automatic selection upon their entry into the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery 2017. That already exceeds the 2015 total for women completing the series, and it is just 10 shy of the men’s total for 2015. And there’s one more race to go: Raven Rocks!

Chelsea Ellis at Leatherman's Loop 2016 (photo by Carol Gordon)
Chelsea Ellis at Leatherman’s Loop 2016 (photo by Carol Gordon)

Chelsea Ellis leads the women’s 2016 series despite missing the past two races in the series. With her overall wins in A Mild Sprain and Where the Pavement Ends, she has a significant lead over second place. She needs to finish high up in Raven Rocks as her fourth race to claim the 2016 Trail Mix women’s title.

Lindsay Obrig is a strong second in the women’s series and she has already completed 4 races in the series. With a strong showing at Raven Rocks, she can drop her lowest points total and improve her average score. Teren Block has a solid hold on third position and is leading the F50 category. Anne Heinrichs (F30) and Sydney Bieber (FKd) are #4 and #5 and lead their categories as well. Asha Grossberndt has the women’s 15-19 category locked up.

Nicholas Roosa followed closely by Luis Francisco at Run the Farm 2016 (photo by Tom Casper)
Nicholas Roosa followed closely by Luis Francisco at Run the Farm 2016 (photo by Tom Casper)

Nicholas Roosa came to the 2016 Trail Mix party late, but is feasting on the main courses! He has won Where the Pavement Ends, Sarah Bishop Bushwhack, and Run The Farm to find himself on the top position with a perfect 100 point average. He still must finish his fourth race – and high enough to fight off the close competition.

Speaking of close competition, Luis Francisco is in second by just 1/3 of a point behind Nicholas with 3 races complete as well. Luis won Raven Rocks last year and it will be quite a battle if Nicholas and Luis go head-to-head at Raven Rocks in a few weeks.

Both Nicholas and Luis have one more race to complete for the series, but Virgil Bretz in 3rd place has already completed his four races and can only improve his series average at this point. He’s just 1/3 of a point behind Luis and 2/3 of a point behind Nicholas. Matt Bedoukian and Josh Faust are 4th and 5th respectively. Both are guaranteed finishers of the Trail Mix series, and Josh has run in all five of the series races to date.

Eamonn Sullivan leads in the 14 & under male category. Ryan Pufahl has the male 15-19 category won. Bill Bradsell has the M50 category sewn up with 5 races completed and an insurmountable lead. The same is true for M60 and Joe Mokszycki as well as Nick Ohnell and the M70 category. Congratulations to all of the early winners – Raven Rocks will be a victory lap for you!

Four women have completed all five of the Trail Mix races to date in 2016. Fifteen men have done the same!

Charles Vaccaro is the only runner to complete ALL of the Trail Mix races from 2014-present. That’s a whopping 14 races to date! Eric Foxhall and Jerre Skeats have run in 13 of the 14 races to date. We appreciate and admire their commitment and dedication to trail running!

raven_rocks_logo-with-text-below-200wWe hope to see you all at the sixth and final race in the series on November 13th, 2016: the Raven Rocks Run.

After the 2016 Trail Mix series is complete, we continue our Sunday Runs throughout the winter and into the spring. Highlights will include the Looper Bowl and Raven Lunatic group runs as well as some night runs that will open your eyes to new trail possibilities. Sign up with Sundayruns.org to get the weekly run location emails.

And sign up with Mixed Up Trail Notes for updates on Trail Mix race activity including notification of the Leatherman’s Loop 2017 Lottery opening in early January.

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Standings Update – 3 of 6 Races Complete!

Three of the six Trail Mix Series races are complete for 2016. Three more remain – including the Sarah Bishop Bushwhack this Sunday 9/25.

The updated 2016 Trail Mix Standings are online now (Women’s | Men’s) Each column is sortable and the categories and runner names are searchable.

Remaining races in the 2016 Trail Mix Series are:

These races are ALL open for registration – sign up now using the links above.
Nearly 1,700 runners — 612 different women and 1,066 different men have participated in at least one of the first two Trail Mix Series events so far in 2016!

DSC_0469-1This is our 3rd Trail Mix series and we’re hoping to bring it to as many runners as possible!

If you ran in either the Leatherman’s Loop, A Mild Sprain, or Where the Pavement Ends then you are listed in the Trail Mix 2016 standings. If you did not run one of these 3 races unfortunately you can’t complete the Trail Mix Series for 2016 — but you can still register for the remaining races!

The benefits are multiple — even if you aren’t in the running to take your age category or the series: You get to hang out and race with some super (and modest) people. You get to visit and explore beautiful locations around Westchester and Fairfield Counties. And through trail racing you can connect back to nature in a way that road racing can’t match.

And if those reasons weren’t enough, there’s one more bonus: If you complete the series in 2016, you will get an automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery in January 2017 for the April 2017 Loop.

If you see a problem in the results or standings, please let us know ASAP. The most common problems are name differences between races (e.g. Liz and Elizabeth, Jim and James, etc.) Considering over 1,600 different runners are being tracked at this point it is not possible for us to automatically match names in the standings database with these minor differences (we need to fix them by hand). It will help immensely if you pick a “race name” and stick to it for the series races when you register. Your race series volunteers appreciate the help! 😉 If you have already registered using a different name, we can change it if you let us know.

Come on out – We’d love to see you on the trails and in the Mix!

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Final Race Scenarios

Women’s StandingsMen’s Standings

There are some categories that are decided and there are a bunch of ways the results can go in the final race in other categories. The Raven Rocks Run will decide the fates of everyone still on the cusp.

Remember: ALL runners who complete the 2015 Trail Mix Series by running at least four of the six races in the series are eligible for automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery as long as they enter the Loop Lottery in January 2016. There are currently 66 runners with at least 3 races in the series under their belt.

Overall Series Leaders

Tiffany Carson on the Gazebo Hill at Run The Farm (photo by Dave Mann)
Tiffany Carson on the Gazebo Hill at Run The Farm (photo by Dave Mann)

For the Women’s Trail Mix Series, Kori Krichko has a narrow lead over Tiffany Carson. However, in talking with Kori at Run The Farm she let us know she was moving out of the area before Raven Rocks so would miss her chance to get her 4th race in the series. In this case the women’s series will be decided between Tiffany, Rachel Massa, Lindsay Obrig, Tracy Lawrence-Black, and Teren Block. Each of these women could potentially notch a victory at Raven Rocks and secure the Trail Mix 2015 title.

Gerry Sullivan in the home stretch (Photo by Tom Casper)
Gerry Sullivan in the home stretch (Photo by Tom Casper)

For the Men’s Trail Mix Series, Gerry Sullivan ran in all five Trail Mix races to date and has already locked up the overall Trail Mix #1 spot. He does not even need to run in Raven Rocks to take the prize since it is mathematically impossible for second overall runner Michael Diblasi to catch up with him, even with a perfect 100 point finishing score. Michael won A Mild Sprain outright and beat Gerry to the finish at Leatherman’s Loop. But Gerry won Where the Pavement Ends and Run The Farm outright when Michael did not compete. In their other head-to-head contest, Gerry (#2 finisher) beat Michael (#3 finisher) in the Sarah Bishop Bushwhack.

The Age Group Awards

We give out one age group prize for each gender and decade: for example, we have a prize for best Male 40-49 and another for best Female 40-49. If there’s only one eligible runner in a given category – then they win it! If there are no eligible runners in the category, there is no winner for 2015. Last year’s series winners are here for reference purposes.

For the Women’s age group categories, the races look as follows:

12 year old Sydney Bieber finishes strong in Run The Farm 2015.
12 year old Sydney Bieber finishes strong in Run The Farm 2015. (photo Tom Casper)

For the Female 13 & Under category, Sydney Bieber simply has to finish the Raven Rocks Run and she will win the age category for the 2015 Trail Mix. For the F20 category, assuming Kori Krichko either wins the overall title (still possible) or does not compete in Raven Rocks Run, then Erin Lindon would simply have to finish Raven Rocks to lock up the F20 age category.

The F30 category is a bit more involved. If Tiffany Carson wins the overall 2015 Trail Mix title, then Rachel Massa will be the F30 champ if she races like she has in her prior three Trail Mix events (which is a good bet). The dark horse in this category is Keely Cheslack-Postava who can take over the lead with an above par performance but only if Rachel stumbles — which she hasn’t done to date.

Lindsey Obrig (photo by Rob Cummings)
Lindsey Obrig (photo by Rob Cummings)

The F40 category is the most unpredictable. Lindsay Obrig has a 3/10 point lead over Teren Block. Lindsay edged out Teren in two of the three Trail Mix races they went head-t0-head in. Both runners have 4 races under their belts so this race is a chance to eliminate their lowest score. For Lindsay that is a 94.286 in the Sarah Bishop Bushwhack and for Teren her lowest is also in Sarah Bishop but is a slightly better 95.7145. Assuming both runners compete in Raven Rocks this means Teren has to finish not only higher but several spots higher than Lindsay to make up the gap. Last year’s overall Trail Mix Series winner Karen Haitoff is the dark horse in the F40 category. She would need two sub-par finishes from Lindsay and Teren as well as an excellent finish in her own race to have a hope of catching up.

The F50 category is owned by Tracy Lawrence-Black. She already has the 4 races needed under her belt. Even with a perfect 100 point finish, none of the other F50 runners could catch up to her 97.3468 average score. Kathy Jackson needs to finish Raven Rocks to qualify as a Trail Mix finisher. Mary Ann Cox and Judi DeMuro both have run in 5 of 5 races in the series to date and are guaranteed spots in the Loop Lottery if they choose to register for next year’s race.

There are no other Women’s Trail Mix participants after F50.

For the Men’s Trail Mix age group categories, we have a few close races and a few that are already decided.

Eamonn Sullivan is #6 overall and has locked up the Men’s 13 & Under category with a current score of 97.3944. He has raced in all five of the Trail Mix races to date, even beating his Dad, Gerry Sullivan, in A Mild Sprain back in May.

Michael Diblasi at Sarah Bishop (photo by Rob Cummings)
Michael Diblasi at Sarah Bishop (photo by Rob Cummings)

Michael Diblasi just has to finish Raven Rocks to secure his Trail Mix M20 title and an automatic selection if he enters the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery in early 2016.

No M30 runner has more than 3 Trail Mix races completed. This means it is potentially anyone’s prize, depending on how many competitors in the age category race at Raven Rocks. Assuming he does race, Matthew Potenza has the best chance to take the M30 category with a 93.244 points per race average after 3 races. The next closest runner is Luke Albrecht who has a 90.2709/race average. Luke beat Matthew in the Leatherman’s Loop, but Matthew returned the favor at Run The Farm. Matthew has the advantage but race day can bring surprises. Michael Firer and Dave Lesser are dark horses in this race, and with the potential for a DNS or DNF out there, anything can happen.

Matthew Potenza (photo by Rob Cummings)
Matthew Potenza (photo by Rob Cummings)

The M40 category is the absolute most competitive one out there for the Trail Mix Series. With Gerry Sullivan removed from the M40 mix having already secured the Trail Mix title, we have two tough and worthy competitors, Charles Glass and Virgil Bretz duking it out. They are separated by only 8/100ths of a point after 5 and 4 Trail mix races completed, respectively. Virgil has his work cut out for him, needing around a 98.5 or better and to finish ahead of Charles to have a shot at taking the category. Charles just needs to beat Virgil to keep the category. It is worth mentioning that but for an injury just before Sarah Bishop, we would be talking about a three way race including David Hambleton who finished with a high 98+ average in his uninjured races. There isn’t even a dark horse in this race, as no other runner has the points or races to catch up to Virgil and Charles at this point.

Bill Bradsell (photo by Rob Cummings)
Bill Bradsell (photo by Rob Cummings)

The M50 is another potentially close race. Longtime Loop runner and mud aficionado Bill Bradsell is in the lead and just needs to finish ahead of or within a few places behind Peter Holland to take the category. Michael Destasio is standing by in 3rd place overall to take over if any of the top 2 stumble or don’t finish the race. And since the top 3 runners have each only run in three Trail Mix races, there is always the possibility of them not competing or not finishing and being knocked out of the standings altogether. In this albeit unlikely case, dark horse Lee Willett would take the category.

Tony Muffati has roared into the catbird seat in the M60 category with strong showings in the last three Trail Mix races. If he finishes ahead of the other two M60 competitors he will definitely take the category prize. Even if he finishes well behind them, he will still likely win the category. But since he only has three of the 5 races completed, he needs to complete Raven Rocks to be counted in the Trail Mix standings. This opens the possibility (in the case of a Tony Muffati DNS or DNF) of James McGough taking back first overall in the category. Both Jim and third overall runner Chris Cassone have run in all five of the 2015 Trail Mix races and are already eligible for automatic selection in the Loop Lottery 2016.

Tony Godino at Sarah Bishop Bushwhack (photo by Rob Cummings)
Tony Godino at Sarah Bishop Bushwhack (photo by Rob Cummings)

Last in the list — but most certainly not least — is Tony Godino, Leatherman’s Loop founder and race director. Tony is the owner of the 2015 Trail Mix M70 age category and he just needs a finish in the Raven Rocks Run to solidify this feat. He would be the first race director of a Trail Mix Series race to take any of the prizes.

Some final highlights:

  • Jerre Skeats, Judi DeMuro, and Mary Ann Cox completed all five 2015 Trail Mix Series races to date.
  • Eleven men have competed in all five of the 2015 Trail Mix Series races to date: Gerry Sullivan, Charles Glass, Todd Henrich, Eamonn Sullivan, Lee Willett, Charles Vaccaro, Alan Wegener, Jeff Thompson, James McGough, Eric Foxhall, and Chris Cassone.

Congratulations to those runners who have secured their prizes — and best of luck to all of the rest of the competitors, whether an age category prize is in your future or not, you can be congratulated on a series well run – and savor that automatic selection in the Loop Lottery as you enter it in January 2016!