It would be difficult to imagine more challenging conditions that what runners encountered at the 

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course is demanding.  The heavily glaciated terrain presents runners with an abundance of hills on both the wide ski trails and on the winding single track.  This year Iola was also barely emerging from aharsh winter and parts of the course were still covered in snow.  Throw in a cold, windy rain that flew in from the western sky just before race start.  Collectively runners had to navigate hills, mud,snow and rain.  But this is what continually amazes me - trail runners embrace such conditions with a rare mix of calm and passion.   Watching the race I observed runners with smiles and runners with a Zen like focus.  In the 15K Steven Gromatka, a nordic skier from Green Bay, took it out fast and led for at least 9-10 km before being overtaken by Hortonville’s Wes Walsh and Ron Hayes of Oshkosh.  Walsh’s light, agile trail running technique allowed him to fly on the abundant, technical single track in the last 5K.  iotr140420-2 He crossed the line in 1:06:22.  Hayes, a leader in  frequent flyer miles at Great Lakes Endurance races, emerged from the pine forest for a strong final 100 meters, finishing in 1:07:45.  Gromatka, a bit fatigued, but still in good spirits, finished third overall in 1:10:22.  Jennifer Chaudoir, one the top endurance athletes in Northeast Wisconsin captured the top spot among the women.  Chaudoir climbed well, but really cranked it on the grassy stretches through the open field and prairie section.  Her time of 1:12:52 would have placed her 4th among the men.  Desiree Schmidt, also of Green Bay, ran a strong race to finish second (1:16:59) and Manawa’s Valerie Ingersoll displayed considerable toughness on the demanding course to finish third in 1:21:02. One of the most extraordinary performances of the day came from 9 year old Rachel Myhre of Collegeville, PA.  Competing in the 15K Rachel came through the 5K aid station looking strong and focused.  Volunteers initially thought she would turn off to the 5K finish line, but her yellow bib indicated that she, indeed, was racing the 5K. She remained strong for another 10K, finishing in an astounding 6th place among all the women in 1:30:19.  Ever so gracious, she thanked the race directors after the race and when the fourth grader was asked if she was looking forward to the day when she could run middle school cross county, she replied, “Cross country is OK, but I prefer longer distances.”  Rachel’s 10 year old brother Maxwell also ran the 15K and finished in an impressive 1:34:00.  Like his sister, Maxwell demonstrated true trail runner demeanor by expressing iotr140420-3thankfulness to race volunteers.  It turns out, Rachel and Maxwell were visiting Wisconsin to spend time with their Grandma who had been diagnosed with Cancer. The 5K measured out via GPS at 3.3 miles, but the extra distance was overshadowed by the relentless hills and tough terrain, including a technical descent 1.2 miles into the race that culminated in a Euro-Cross Country style jump over a massive white pine blown over in a winter storm.  Undeterred, David Slette flew through the course in 25:06 to capture first overall.  Bruce Scheller a tough-as-nails dairy farmer from Manawa, chased Slette the whole way to finish second in 25:42.  Neenah’s Justin Powell was only one minute back in 26:42 to round out the top three.  Annie Wetter of Steven’s Point welcomed the  adverse conditions, responding with an excellent race effort.  Her 28:13 earned her top honors among the women.  Emma Sloma, one of only two women to break 30 minutes, crossed the line in second place (29:46).  Kelsey Corrigan of nearby Amherst Junction demonstrated her familiarity with the challenging terrain finishing a strong third overall in 30:03. Overall winners in the 15K won new Patagonia trail running shoes.  Petzl headlamps were awarded to the 5K victors.  The top five finishers in each age group won their choice of one pound blocks of locally made Oak Grove Dairy cheese or Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Bars.  Complete results results are now available.