Honey Stinger, the leading manufacturer of honey-based nutritional products, wrapped up the fourth annual Steamboat Stinger races on Sunday, August 17. Over 600 riders took on a 50-mile mountain bike race on Saturday, August 16, which featured two laps of challenging single track on Emerald Mountain. The next day runners tackled the first lap of the same course in a trail marathon while others completed a half marathon on a portion of the same course.

Competitors in Saturday’s race had the option to ride the 50-mile race solo or as a duo team. In the pro men’s class, Colombian transplant Fernando Riveros Paez of Colorado Springs took first, finishing in 4:09:34, ahead of Henry Jay, Chris Baddick, Carter Shaver, Jakub Valigura and Nathan Miller. In the pro women’s class, 2013 second-place women’s finisher, Gretchen Reeves of Avon, Colo., won Saturday to beat out Meghan Sheridan, Deidre York, Blair Vajda, and Honey Stinger employee and team rider Hannah Williams. In the citizen’s class, Michael Ledger took first for the men, while Tess Amer won for the women. Honey Stinger/ Bontrager riders Samuel Chovan and Trevor Walz won for the men’s duo team, while Ksenia and Marina Lepikhina won for the women’s duo team and Rachel and Shawn Hadley of Aspen took first in the coed duo team race.

Jon Brown of Gunnison took first in Sunday’s trail marathon, finishing in 3:37:16 to beat his 2013 time by almost 10 minutes. Brown was crowned 2014 “King Sting” for finishing the 50-mile bike race and trail marathon in the fastest combined time.  Amber Young of Albuquerque took first in the trail marathon for the women, finishing in 4:15:24. Canadian Nicole Todosichuk was crowned 2014 “Queen Bee,” finishing in the fastest combined time for the women.

James Johnson finished first in Sunday’s half marathon for the fourth year in a row, shaving almost one minute off his 2013 time at 1:33:33. Steamboat’s Shannon Forbes won for the women, finishing in 1:57:26.

Proceeds from the 2014 Steamboat Stinger will benefit local non-profits, including youth mentoring organization Partners in Routt County and the local IMBA chapter, Routt County Riders.

Contact:

Mackenzie Carroll
Backbone Media
mackenzie.carroll@backbonemedia.net
970-963-4873 ext.142

Logo courtesy Honey Stinger