Tim Clement wins the Burning River 100; Connie Garden 1st woman, 2nd overall

Last night at 10:40 p.m., friend and fellow SERC member Tim Clement won the 2nd annual Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run with a time of 17:40.

I had the honor and privilege of pacing Tim the last 31 miles of the race. He is a former 50K, 50-mile, 100K, and 100-mile national champion. At 47 years old, he is now back on top of his game.

Without giving any too much info, there was a stretch from 81-85 when things for Tim got dicey, but he battled through it all like a champion, regrouped and won the BR100 by 41 minutes. Watching him run with so much mental and physical strength amid the challenge of 100 miles was astonishing.

Connie Garder, also one of the top ultra runners in the nation, finished second overall with an awesome time of 18:21. We knew Connie would do everything she could to chase us down--she's as tough as they come. But Tim never let up. The last 10 miles he kept going and going and going when most of us would have been at a jog/walk pace.

For me, this was an extraordinary opportunity to see and experience how a successful 100 is run. I've run two pretty good 100s, but watching Tim the last 31 miles of the BR100 I learned a few things that I plan to put into practice at my next 100. Most of what I learned isn't physical; it's mental.

Congratulations to other club members and/or running friends who finished the BR100:

• Dawn Malone (last year’s top woman) – 22:18
• Kim Martin – 23:04
• Roy Heger – 23:10
• Steve Hawthorne – 25:41 (first 100 finished – congrats, Steve!)
• Dave Peterman – 26:57 (3rd 100-miler this summer – Massanutten, then Mohican, and now the BR100 – Dave, you are the man!)
• Fred Davis III – 27:14
• Rich Henderson – 28:18

Results can be viewed by clicking here.