Anchorage Daily News

Neither Holly Brooks or Patrick Stinson had won a local footrace of note until Tuesday night, when they blazed under blue skies and stamped their names along some of the area's most noteworthy trail- and mountain-running champions.

Brooks and Stinson seized the women's and men's victories, respectively, in the eight-mile division of the Turnagain Arm Trail Run, which kick-starts the season's off-road racing.

Brooks covered the undulating dirt, mud and rock- and root-strewn trail along the Seward Highway from Rainbow to Potter in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 56 seconds, to hold off friend Gretchen Flora and place herself in an elite group.

Past women's champions in the eight-miler include last year's winner, Cedar Bourgeois, the four-time winner of both the storied Mount Marathon race in Seward on the Fourth of July and the Bob Spurr Memorial Hill Climb.

Past Turnagain Arm winners also include Nora Tobin, a past champion of the Crow Pass Crossing backcountry marathon, and Najeeby Quinn, who is wicked tough on roads, trails or mountains.

Stinson clocked 56:16 to join a group of Turnagain Arm men's champs that include six-time Mount Marathon king Brad Precosky; four-time Mount Marathon champ Todd Boonstra; trail wizard Brandon Newbould; elite triathlete and mountain runner Jens Beck; and Eric Strabel and Sam Hill, battlers on both roads and trails.

Brooks, 26, a coach at the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, is best known for her skiing -- she won the prestigious 50-kilometer freestyle crown in the Tour of Anchorage in March.

But she also generated a couple of strong results in mountain races last summer. She finished fourth in the Government Peak Climb and fifth in the Bob Spurr, commonly referred to as Bird Ridge.

Brooks picked those races because of their uphill-only journeys, which saved her downhill pounding on the torn knee ligament she suffered six years ago. Her knee is feeling stronger this season, so she raced Tuesday and hopes to race at Mount Marathon -- she gained entry into that limited-entry race by virtue of winning a spot in the annual lottery.

"This year, my knee's feeling much better and I've done some lifting and exercises, and I'm hoping it hangs around for a while,'' Brooks said. "It's kind of a chronic thing, but half my friends here have knee problems.''

Stinson, 28, a computer programmer who writes music software, like Brooks is a strong skier. He said he began to get more serious about his running last summer, and appears to be hitting his stride.

"I've always been into it, but never really, I guess, found the center,'' Stinson said. "I was always doing too much or too little.

"But now I've got some friends who help coach me, so that's nice.''

Stinson said he led from the outset and was somewhat surprised to find himself leading when he reached the top of the long switchback climb that opens the eight-miler. He couldn't remember leading a race, so he told himself to stay relaxed.

" 'Don't think about, don't think about it,' " Stinson said he told himself. " 'Focus. Don't trip.' "

Todd List won the men's four-mile race from McHugh Creek to Potter, clocking 22:10. Esther Jurasek, the two-time Mayor's Marathon champ, won the women's division in 25:50.

From the debut of the Turnagain Arm Trail Run in 1999 through 2005, both the four-miler and eight-miler that serve as benefits for the UAA ski team began at Potter and traveled south. The last three Trail Runs have started at Rainbow (eight-miler) and McHugh Creek (four-miler) and traveled north.

Race director Trond Flagstad said the event will use the southern route next year, then begin alternating routes in subsequent years.

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Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.

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2008 Turnagain Arm Trail Run

8-miler, Rainbow to Potter

For complete 8-miler results, check goseawolves.com

Men -- Top 3

1) Patrick Stinson 56:16; 2) John Collins 56:22; 3) Patrick Conway 58:59.

Women -- Top 3

1) Holly Brooks 1:03:56; 2) Gretchen Flora 1:04:04; 3) Erica Madison 1:16:19

4-miler, McHugh Creek to Potter

Men

1) Todd List 22:10; 2) Lee Hall 22:23; 3) Seth Downs 23:44; 4) Forrest Mahlen 23:55; 5) Luke Duffy 24:02; 6) Jack Parker 24:05; 7) Bob Geri 24:50; 8) Jason Alward 25:11; 9) Blake Huppert 25:13; 10) Bill Pearson 25:17; 11) Andrew Stavic 25:18; 12) Edward Frank 25:42; 13) Gillean Szweda Mittelstadt 26:12; 14) Ben Rolfs 26:13; 15) Mark Carr 26:30; 16) Ray Wanders 26:33; 17) Christopher Scott 26:34; 18) Bill Chapmann 27:36; 19) Ben Schnell 28:55; 20) Robert Huppert 29:11; 21) Tad Dunham 29:15; 22) Chandler Hanson 29:18; 23) Matt Randall 29:30; 24) David Brown 29:31; 25) Brian Richardson 29:44; 26) Levi Robinson 29:45; 27) Adam Blontell 29:48; 28) Brett Keen 30:44; 29) Dave Rand 30:48; 30) Jason Hamlin 31:45; 31) Jason Moore 35:00; 32) Tim Wiepking 35:22; 33) Andrew Daoust 35:46; 34) Matt Smith 36:05; 35) Manny Costanini 36:41; 36) Chris Ledgerwood 36:48; 37) Sergio Aczna 38:05; 38) Mark Higgins 40:13; 39) S.J. Lee 43:42; 40) Brad George 48:19; 41) Al Pedersen 50:44; 42) Trevor Scott, time not reported.

Women

1) Esther Jurasek 25:50; 2) Rosalyn Singleton 27:59; 3) Julie Beatty 29:12; 4) Ericka Monanhan 29:32; 5) Heather Rolfs 29:50; 6) Colleen Peterson 30:00; 7) Sandy Ford 30:02; 8) Lisa Borowsky 30:59; 9) Chitna Haney 31:44; 10) Christina Mansfield 31:52; 11) Shelly Schwenn 32:39; 12) Jody Barton 32:44; 13) Liz Dunham 32:55; 14) Shirl Kendall 32:58; 15) Stephanie Dew 33:06; 16) Bonnie Dearmoun 34:20; 17) Casey Randall 34:22; 18) Sarah Ford 34:34; 19) Kelsey Lindberg 35:33; 20) Deb Winkelman 35:41; 21) Anna Marie Prestwick 35:45; 22) Ashlen Welch 36:57; 23) Andrea Fenanghly 37:05; 24) Margaret Keene 37:47; 25) Jean Funataka 39:12; 26) Amara Ligget 40:17; 27) Julie Owen 40:18; 28) Lisa Aquino 42:49; 29) DeAnne Rand 42:55; 30) Jenny Vorpahl 43:05; 31) Dot Helm 43:38; 32) Julie Perilla 43:39; 33) Shana Hysom 45:01; 34) Marian Lilley 45:17; 35) Trula Acera 46:51; 36) Joani Welch 47:00; 37) Diane Firmani 47:06; 38) Stephanie George 48:19.

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Turnagain Arm Trail Run

Race winners

8-Miler

Men

2008 -- Patrick Stinson, 56:16

2007 -- Brandon Newbould, 53:22

2006 -- Sam Hill, 52:50

2005 -- Brandon Newbould, 54:51

2004 -- Event canceled

2003 -- Eric Strabel, 52:20

2002 -- Jens Beck, 53:08

2001 -- Jens Beck, 53:34

2000 -- Brad Precosky, 55:57

1999 -- Todd Boonstra, 53:32

Women

2008 -- Holly Brooks, 1:03:56

2007 -- Cedar Bourgeois, 1:03:15

2006 -- Najeeby Quinn, 1:01:56

2005 -- Noelle Brassard, 1:07:21

2004 -- Event canceled

2003 -- Nora Tobin, 1:05:42

2002 -- Brandy Prosser, 1:09:28

2001 -- Nora Tobin, 1:03:37

2000 -- Teresa Brady, 1:04:16

1999 -- Teresa Brady, 1:10:48

4-miler

Men

2008 -- Todd List, 22:10

2007 -- Mason Wick, 21:40

2006 -- Mark Strabel, 22:15

2005 -- Andrew Lee, 26:00

2004 -- Event canceled

2003 -- Jake Moe, 23:36

2002 -- Grant Gephardt, 23:57

2001 -- Jeff Quickel, 24:40

2000 -- Mark Strabel, 22:51

Women

2008 -- Esther Jurasek, 25:50

2007 -- Monica Tibbetts, 24:41

2006 -- Monica Tibbetts, 24:24

2005 -- Monica Tibbetts, 27:48

2004 -- Event canceled

2003 -- Delia Luch, 27:59

2002 -- Stacy Edwards, 25:48

2001 -- Stacy Edwards, 27:18

2000 -- Kathy Sairns, 30:11

• 8-miler run from Potter to Rainbow through 2005; reverse course used since; 4-miler run from Potter to McHugh Creek through 2005; reverse course used since.

• 4-miler added in 2000.

• Event canceled in 2004 for safety reasons after sightings near trail of bears and moose with calves.

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