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Eric Strabel passed Patrick Stinson with about one-half mile to go Saturday morning to win the marathon-length Crow Pass Crossing through the Chugach Mountains for the second time.
Strabel, 26, clocked 3 hours, 9 minutes, 2 seconds on the course from the Crow Pass Trailhead near Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center. Strabel won the race in 2006 in a course-record 3:05:18.Stinson, 28, slashed more than 23 minutes off his 2007 time and finished in 3:09:37. Max Treinen, 19, finished third in 3:13:15, and defending champion Geoff Roes, 32, claimed fourth in 3:17:53.Eeva Latosuo, 38, won the women’s division, trimming nine minutes from her 2007 time and crossing in 4:02:46. Rookie Jaime Bronga, 18, earned second place in 4:05:21, and Paige Brady, 23, finished third in 4:07:42.Strabel caught Stinson less than five miles from the finish, but Stinson later regained a lead of 20-25 seconds before Strabel pounced on a flat section before the last hill leading to the finish.“He crushed me and left me,’’ Stinson said.Strabel, who ran cross country at UAA, said he knew he had to make a decisive move.“If you have to pass a guy, you have to leave an impression,’’ he said. “It’s no time for half-measures.’’Latosuo was stunned by her victory.“I couldn’t believe it,’’ she said. “Total surprise.’’