Team Wild Mountain once again overtook the field at this past weekend’s Death Race, defending their 2009 title and improving their time by over a half an hour. 

The team, made up of Dave MacDowell, Wendy Niven, Mike D’Antonio, Richard Ireland and Todd Wolansky finished in 11:14:04, improving on their 2009 time by just over 34 minutes. 

MacDowell said every person on the team ran the same leg as last year and improved on their 2009 time.

“We were quite a bit quicker than last time,” MacDowell said. “A lot of us did really well.”

Before the race the team had set out to put all they had into each of their legs, and after the race it was clear they had been successful. 

“We all accomplished our goal of trashing ourselves,” MacDowell said. 

Out of the five members of the team, Ireland, MacDowell and Wolansky finished first in their legs, while D’Antonio finished third and Niven was 31st overall. 

The course varies slightly every year, and small alterations to course length are common. MacDowell’s leg three had an extra two kilometres added to it, he said. 

“My leg’s really fun,” he said. Leg three has a severe decline in elevation, making for a quick descent over rocks. “It was fun and hot and fast.”

After finishing the race first, Team Wild Mountain stuck around at the finish line to watch the rest of the teams come in. They watched their closest competitors finish 12 minutes later. 

A highlight for MacDowell was watching the five-kilometre kid’s Death Race. 

“The kid’s Death Race was really cool,” he said, adding that they ran a very muddy and fun course. 

One of the traditions associated with the Death Race is Death Fest, the after-party that greets the many race participants. This year it featured bands Great Big Sea and 54-40. MacDowell said they did get a chance to take in some of the music, but opted to stick by their fellow racers at the finish line for much of the celebrations. 

“You want to be at the end cheering people on,” he said, estimating that there were about 1,500 people at the event. 

Team Wild Mountain weren’t the only Jasperites to have success at the Grand Cache, Alta. race. 

Thea Mitchell and her team, Sheilas On The Run, placed second in the woman’s category, and 13th overall. Joining Mitchell on the team was Amanda Schultz, Dawn Glover, Kate Godsell and Kara Hagedorn. 

Mitchell said they realized by about the fourth leg that they were threatening a top finish, after heading into the race not planning to win. 

“We really didn’t have any expectations,” she said. 

Sheilas On The Run finished the Death Race in a time of 14:51:29. 

Mitchell credits each teammate for giving their all in their respective legs. 

“Everyone did really well on their legs,” she said, adding they all worked together for the finish. “Everything clicked in.”

MacDowell was ecstatic about the Sheilas On The Run team’s performance, commending the runners for their second place finish in their division. 

“They did great,” he said. 

Mitchell ended up being one of the fastest women to run leg five. “That was way better than I thought I would do,” she said. 

The team got together to discuss their legs at the finish line, and none of them reported any mishaps.

Mitchell was happy to be part of a Jasper crew that placed first and 13th overall.

“It’s great to see Jasper do so well,” she said. “It’s incredible.”

MacDowell agreed, pointing to locals’ results in the Death Race, and the 24 Hours of Adrenalin mountain biking race held the previous weekend. 

“I think it says a lot about Jasper,” he said. “We have so many people that really take advantage of everything Jasper has to offer.”

Mitchell said the Death Race tests each athlete’s ability to the fullest, and forces each runner to push past what they think they can do. 

“You think you’re at the limits of what you can do physically,” she said. 

After the gruelling 125-kilometre mountain course, Mitchell said she was too tired to take in the Death Fest celebrations.

Also participating in the Death Race was Raymond Blanchette-Dubé, who ran with a team of local school principals and other members of the school district. 

The team, called “Please Help Us Cross The Finish Line”, was made up of David Amiot, Robin Hengel, Hywell Phillips and Kurt Scobie. They finished in 17:19:22, 82nd overall.

With the Death Race over, MacDowell’s regular routine of running continues. He will be running the Tonquin Valley loop this weekend with a group of friends. Plans to defend the two-year title for next year are yet to be decided. 

Complete results of the 2010 Death Race can be found online at www.canadiandeathrace.com