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Show SPORTS The Park Record. Editor: Ben Ramsey sports@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.15704 Twitter: @ParkRecSports SPEED SKATING WORLD CUP QUALIFIER On Saturday and Sunday, the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns will host the U.S. Speedskating Short Track Fall World Cup Qualifier, in which skaters will compete for a spot on the U.S. national speed skating world cup team. Dozens of skaters are expected to compete for a spot on the World Cup team, including returning Olympians Maame Biney, Thomas Hong, Ryan Pivirotto and Aaron Tran. Saturday will feature the 1,500-meter and 500 qualifying rounds and finals. Sunday will feature the 1,000, ladies 3,000 relay, men’s 5000 relay qualifying rounds and finals. All events are free and open to the public. IKON AND EPIC PASS PRICE INCREASE On Oct. 10 the IKON and IKON BASE passes will increase in price by $50 each. After the increase, they will cost $1,049 and $749 dollars, respectively. The Epic Pass and Epic Local will increase on Sunday, The Epic Base is currently $689 while the Epic Pass is $929. HOMESCHOOL P.E. The PC MARC is hosting a weekly, one-hour homeschool physical education program meant to engage homeschooled students in physical activity while developing meaningful relationships with their peers. Starting Friday, Oct. 12, the Homeschool Tennis session runs from 10 to 11 a.m. and is open to kids ages 6-12. Visit parkcityrecreation.org to sign up or call 435-615-5400 for more information. Please see Sports briefs, B-4 BOYS GOLF COLLECTS ICE MINERS START THE 11TH CHAMPIONSHIP, B-2 SEASON WITH A WIN, B-3 www.parkrecord.com B-1 SAT/SUN/MON/TUES, OCTOBER 6-9, 2018 Mariash dominates competition from the Grand Canyon to Grand Staircase Park City ultrarunner was top woman and first among Americans BEN RAMSEY The Park Record North America, South America, Africa, Antarctica and Asia. These are the continents on which Jax Mariash has completed an ultramarathon stage race. The Parkite and professional runner most recently crossed North America off her list on Sept. 29, when she was the first female finisher and the top American in the Grand to Grand Ultra, a 171-mile weeklong stage race that runs from the Grand Canyon in Arizona, to the top of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The race was Mariash’s biggest goal of the year. She started eying the ultramarathon in January, and she also scheduled two other massive races. But along the way Mariash was dogged by a smattering of medical issues. Mariash aggravated a tendon in her ankle during the Leadville 100, in Leadville, Colorado, where she was the seventh woman to cross the line. “I kind of had a comeback race after struggling in the beginning,” she said. “I came back and crushed it in the end and passed 132 people, which gave me some confidence.” Mariash then traveled to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a single-day ultramarathon around Mont Blanc in France and Switzerland that attracts some of the world’s most elite ultramarathon runners. Mariash sprained her ankle two miles into the race, then the tendon she tweaked at Leadville started acting up. The combination of injuries made it painful for Mariash to go downhill, and she dropped out. “Mentally, I got crushed,” she said. “I went until mile 19, then I really fell apart.” Mariash had less than a month to heal her ankle and prepare for the Grand to Grand, so she got help from BStrong Training Systems and Lundstrom Chiropractic. The two organizations used a myriad of techniques to help Mariash prepare, including laser treatments, and the use of an anti-gravity treadmill, cryogenic therapy and strength training. “I feel like I owe everything to those guys,” Mariash said. “I don’t know how I healed so fast.” By the time Mariash arrived to the Grand Canyon, her ankles had healed. But she didn’t know if they would hold up. “I kind of walked into the Grand freaking out, because I was like, ‘Have I trained enough; am I fast enough; can I be the desert queen?’” she said. The first day proved her nervousness was unwarranted, when she put a 25-minute gap between her and the second female runner. On day two she extended her lead to over an hour. “I was kind of getting comfortable,” Mariash said. She settled into the routine of waking up early to the sound of the race’s morning call, blaring from a horn at the stage’s camp. She would rise with her tent mates — other racers, mainly from Europe — don the backpack that carried her food, clothes, navigation equipment and sleeping gear, and prepare for the day’s five- or six-hour run. The course traversed around mesas and dunes, stands of cacti and passed through towns. Mariash’s sleeping pad popped from a cactus spine on the first Please see Running, B-4 COURTESY OF THE GRAND TO GRAND ULTRA Jax Mariash, center, waits for the start of the Grand to Grand Ultra, in which she was the top female and top American finisher, taking seventh overall. PRESENTS THE SATURDAY, 10/13 9AM - 6PM SUNDAY, 10/14 9AM - 4:30PM $10 per person per day Cash preferred The Prospector, 2175 Sidewinder Dr. 50% OF TICKET SALES WILL BENEFIT THE PEACE HOUSE! Coffee & Food available for purchase 9am - 1pm each day by Hugo Coffee Roasters 2 DAYS OF EDUCATION, ENCOURAGEMENT, & COMMUNITY. A unique opportunity for women to come together to be empowered, inspired, and rejuvenated to grow in their personal lives & careers. No other event provides the ability to reach and support women in and around Park City. BE PART OF HERSTORY… PARK CITY WOMEN’S EXPO! For more information, contact Julie at 435.640.5119 or parkrecordevents9014@gmail.com The UPS Store Park City, Utah |