Big Tesuque Results - 2017

BigT Race Results from Saturday's run. Dustin Martin continues his string of dominance at the front, clocking a swift 1hr 20:26 finish. Arlene Espinoza-Armijo crushes the field for her first crown in 1hr 43:32. 112 finishers on the day. Terrific work to all that came out for the climb. 

Overall Results:

Age Group Results:

Big Tesuque Results - 2016

Terrific morning up on the mountain. Albuquerque's Dustin Martin runs away with another title - he's now a five-time champion on Big Tesuque and has the most titles of any runner on the course. Sophia Torres of Cordova claimed her first title, five minutes clear of the field. 

Hi-fives to all who came out and ran with us today. Preliminary results are uploaded and linked to below. We will clean up spelling and any other necessary corrections in the next few days.

RESULTS:
  - Full Results - Big T 2016
Dustin Martin, 1hr 20min 22sec (PR and 5th straight title), Logan Ott of Los Alamos, 1:26:41 (2nd straight podium finish), and Sean O'Rourke of Santa Fe, 1:27:29 - are the big three on this year's men's podium; Women's Overall: Sophia Torres of Cordova races to her first BigT crown, 1:34:15; Karri Craddock of Santa Fe, 1:39:00; and Danielle Melton of Abq, 1:40:01 - makeup the big three on this year's women's podium. 

- Age Group Results - Big T 2016


Related Links:
 - 2015 Results
 - 2014 Results and Analysis
 - 2013 Results
 - 2012 Results and Analysis

Race Day Details - Oct 1, 2016

BigT, October 1, 2016
Twenty-seven hrs...

The final race preparations are in various states of completion for this year's 32nd annual event. Weather looks first-rate for this Saturday and the aspen colors have set. Carpool and/or arrive early to minimize the inevitable parking congestion!

As always, there will be race day registration from 8-845am. All of you last minute fence-stradlers should make the drive up to Aspen Vista and join the race. Striders Club Members will pay the full registration fee on Saturday morning (discounts ended with online registration Thursday evening). As a result of several requests, there will be a walking/hiking division again this year. The start time for this group will be moved back to 8am. Expect race morning to be busy and if there are any lingering questions of what to expect, please refer to our helpful primer on this topic:
 - What to Prepare for on Race Day - Big Tesuque Trail Run.

This year's event includes runners from several nearby states, including; Tulsa OK, Window Rock AZ, El Paso TX, Paonia CO; and over a dozen cities and towns here in New Mexico, including; Socorro, Las Cruces, Taos, Dulce, Sapello, Montezuma, El Rito, as well as several nearby locales (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Edgewood, Sandia Park, Placitas, Los Alamos, Las Vegas, Espanola, Los Ranchos, Tesuque Pueblo). Will see you all at the trailhead this Saturday morning.


Related Links:
 - Video Flyover of the Course
 - Big Tesuque TR 2015 - Results
 - What to Prepare for on Race Day

Most Career Finishes - Big Tesuque

BigT, October 1, 2016
Three Weeks, Zero Days...


Hope folks have been getting their running in, stretching the legs, maybe a bit of both up high where the air is thin. 

We were reviewing the BigT results database, now fully updated with 2015 marks (<-- see sidebar, at left). Felt the need to recognize several of the top climbers in the area who've notched 10 or more career race-day summits up the Big Tesuque course (and back). We count 16, with three at 20(!) or more. I'd note that we're missing two years of results and have only partial results for a couple of the other early events so totals for these exceptional runners may be approximates, but wow, what a collection of finishes, eh?

I'd think most know the top 3 listed here: Peter Fant being our fearless race director for the last 20 years, a top 10 finisher seven times. Chris, a legend in his own right particularly at both the Pikes Peak and Duke City marathons, has twelve top 10 finishes at BigT. Jim will race anyone in any endurance event, and has dedicated himself to doing so over much of the last 30yrs - Jim's the 1990 BigT Champ and a top 10 finisher at least eleven times. 

Keep running.

#BigTesuqueTR
#RunNM

BigT Approaches - Trails, Training, & Virtual Training

BigT Oct 1, 2016
Three Weeks, Two Days...

There are several fall trail races coming up in addition to BigT, many of which can be great training runs, race prep, scoping out the age-group comp, simply enjoying the trails with friends, etc. A few of this week's events are helpfully noted and linked to below (from the Striders FB page).


But say, maybe your weekends are busy and/or your preference is to train alone. If so, consider tracking other BigT runners on Strava (you don't use Strava? you should) and matching your weekly totals side-by-side to get an idea of the type of work people are putting in, out and above and around town. We've got a BigT Strava Group setup just for this purpose - join the group and train virtually with some of us other adventurous, peculiar, and pain-tolerant people.

Keep running.

#BigTesuqueTR
#RunNM

Registration is Now Open - Big T 2016

This year's race date is scheduled for Saturday October 1st. Online registration is now active over at Newmexicosportsonline as well as Active.com (we prefer the local guys). Race flyers will also be available at The Running Hub or Alpine Sports here in Santa Fe or can be downloaded via the little icon to the left there (<<<<) and mailed in to the club P.O. Box. Completed registrations can also be dropped off with either of our friends over at The Hub or Alpine Sports. The run benefits WINGS of America, which received $2,000 from the the Striders via the Big Tesuque Trail Run in each of the last two years. 

Registration fees are $30 this year, early registrations from Striders club members are $25 before race day (with promo code). Shirt designs haven't been finalized, but we'll post an image when it comes together. 

Time to get out and get your paces in, stretch those legs out, and get comfortable with a HR of 165 bpm. Fall is just around the corner. 

Big Tesuque Results - 2015

Terrific morning up on the mountain. Not too cool, not too warm. Dustin Martin became the very first four time champion on Big Tesuque. Whitney Spivey claimed her first title. 

Hi-fives to all who came out and ran with us today. Preliminary results are uploaded and linked to below. We will clean up spelling and any other necessary corrections in the next few days.

RESULTS:
 - Full Results  Dustin Martin (4th straight title), Logan Ott, and Dwight Rabe are this year's men's podium; Women's Overall  Whitney Spivey races to her first BigT crown, Hannah Kligman, and Natalie Ellsworth complete this year's women's podium. 

 - Age Group Results
 - Walking Results
 - Race Photos to be posted at a later date (courtesy of Max Mujynya)



#BigTesuqueTR Tweets
Related Links:
 - 2014 Results and Analysis
 - 2013 Results
 - 2012 Results and Analysis

Race Day Details - Oct 3, 2015

The final race preparations are in various states of completion for this year's 31st annual event. Weather looks first-rate for this Saturday and the smoke from this week's forest service prescribed burns has dissipated.

Registration has been strong once again for this weekend's event, we hope to exceed last year's total of 151 finishers. As always, there will be race day registration from 8-845am. All of you last minute fence-stradlers should make the drive up to Aspen Vista and join the race. Striders Club Members will pay the full registration fee on Saturday morning (so register today!). As a result of several requests, there will be a walking/hiking division this year. The start time for this group will be moved back to 8am. Expect race morning to be busy and if there are any lingering questions of what to expect, please refer to our helpful primer on this topic:
 - What to Prepare for on Race Day - Big Tesuque Trail Run.

Seems entirely appropriate to announce that we have two runners traveling from New Zealand to make this year's event. They will not be disappointed. We will also have representation from four other states, with runners from; Seattle WA, Window Rock AZ, Midland TX, Fort Collins CO; and over a dozen cities and towns here in New Mexico, including; Clovis, Socorro, Roswell, Las Cruces, Taos, Montezuma, El Rito, as well as several nearby locales (Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Edgewood, Sandia Park, Placitas, Los Alamos, Las Vegas, Guadalupita, Espanola, Tesuque Pueblo). Will see you all this Saturday morning.


Related Links:
 - Video Flyover of the Course
 - Big Tesuque TR 2014 - Results and Analysis
 - What to Prepare for on Race Day

Registration is Now Open - Big T 2015

This year's race date is scheduled for Saturday October 3rd. Online registration is now active over at Newmexicosportsonline and Active.com. Race flyers are also available at The Running Hub or Alpine Sports here in Santa Fe or can be downloaded via the little icon to the left there (<<<<) and mailed in to the club P.O. Box or dropped off with either of our friends over at The Hub or Alpine Sports. The run benefits WINGS of America, which received $2,000 in each of the last two years. 

Registration fees are $30, early registrations from Striders club members are $25 before October 2nd (with promo code). Shirt designs haven't been finalized, but we'll post an image when it comes together. 

Time to get out and get your paces in, stretch those legs out, and get comfortable with a HR of 165 bpm. Fall is just around the corner. 

Big Tesuque 2014 - Race Analysis and Statistics

Alright now! We have several highlights from this year's race we wanted to get out. We'll start with a couple easy ones and get into more detail over the next week. 

To begin, we had a total of 151 finishers at this year's Big Tesuque Trail Run. Our results database is now updated and complete. As can be seen in our profesh looking table below, the 151 tally is the largest field in the event's 30yr history. As is generally the case, more than 50% of this year's runners were first time Big T racers. 

A record field at the last three races

This year's race also had representation from 29 towns/cities in 7 states, highwater marks for both statistics. Dustin Martin's finishing time was the speediest since 2007. Give yourself a solid pat on the back if you pushed yourself up and down the mountain this year. 

The Striders are contributing $2,000 to WINGS of America, the race's sole charitable beneficiary. The contribution used to be structured strictly as proceeds from the race, we now kick in a larger sum that includes general Club funds. One not-so-insignificant factor in this change was the recent involvement of WINGS program director (Martin), in the race. He also happens to have collected three straight titles. 

Lastly, we had two runners this year that competed in the inaugural 'Run to the Towers' in 1985; our own Chris Chavez and Jack Lippincott who now runs his miles in Houston. As it happens, both men have long marathon streaks to their name - Chris has run every Duke City Marathon (31 straight years); Jack has reeled off 40 straight at the Houston Marathon. A tip of our cap to both these gentlemen for bringing honor to the race over the last three decades. 

Related Posts:

 - Further Results Big T - 2012

 - Big Tesuque Live Results - 2013

Big Tesuque Results and Live-Blogging - 2014

Aspen Vista looking north - 2008 - courtesy of Max Mujynya

Big day tomorrow. We had a very large number of pre-registrants - including 86 year old Otto Appenzeller and 15 y.o. Caleb Farrar. We also have Chris Chavez, a tough-as-nails runner who competed in the very first 'Run to the Towers' race back in October 1985, registered to give it a go. Give Chris a hi-five if you see him. He's a badass and he's an important thread of living history with this race at its 30 yr measure.

Hard to call a race favorite without either double-returning champion Dustin Martin or Katie Gillen on the pre-registration ledger. Heavyweights Joachim Marjon and Andrew Hahn are two runners that draw attention on the men's side; Olympic marathon trials qualifier Heather McNiff is a heavy favorite in the women's field.

We'll source an embedded Twitter feed of race highlights, commentary, and photos tagged with the hashtag #BigT14. Post your tally at days end and it will feed through.

UPDATE: 
 - Full results   Dustin Martin (3rd straight title), Ott, Richard claim the men's podium
 - Womens' overall  Heather McNiff, Lopez, Spivey top the podium places
 - Age Group results
 - Race photo album here (courtesy Max Mujynya)


#BigT14 Tweets

Related Posts:
 - Big T Results Live Blog - 2013
 - Big T Results 2012

Video Flyover of the Course Start

The Aspen Vista Trail and surrounding mountains have begun their late September turn. Going to be beautiful up there this Saturday. Below is a few minutes of embedded video that Max shot last weekend. It includes running, dogs, some hikers, and roughly the first mile of trail.

The weather reports call for slightly warmer temps this weekend, and I imagine the puddles will all have dried up by then. Online registration will close Thursday night at 8pm. Registration will be available on race day, 815-845am.




Related Posts:
 - Pacing Strategies on Big Tesuque
 - What to Prepare for on Race Day



View Aspen Vista Trail (Big Tesuque Trail) - Santa Fe, NM in a larger map

Race Planning for Big T 2014

Our race date of Saturday October 4th has been set and permitted by the good folks at the Santa Fe National Forest.

Online registration at NewMexicoSportsOnline.com ought to be going live later today is now live, manual registration is available via flyers currently being distributed around town, (or download here). $25 general registration, $22 for Striders club members.

Get fired up.

Big Tesuque Live Results Blog

We'll be posting photos and live results through Twitter this morning. If you have pics or thoughts of your own use the #BigTesuque tag and they should be picked up in the widget below. Cheers to all the folks lining up this morning, and happy running!


Tweets about "#bigtesuque"

Terrific run folks. We believe it was a record day with ~140 finishers. This is up from last year's record turnout of 129 finishers. Both of our champions from prior year successfully held their titles, congratulations to Dustin and Katie. We had a large number of first time runners, congrats for braving the unknown and sending Big T.

*Official* overall results are now posted here, and at santafestriders.org
*Official* age-group results can be found here

There's at least 12 runners missing from these results, it's possible there is an error or two in there. If you've already spoken with the timers about it the errors should be corrected in the official list to be posted later.

Saturday's a Go! - Government or no Government

We've been fielding a few questions about the Government shutdown and how it affects the National Forests, in particular the Santa Fe National Forest. In a general sense we really don't know, but specific to this weekend's race our only casualties are the permanent bathrooms at the trailhead. They'll be locked, so we've made plans to truck a couple portables up there for everyone. Problem solved.

What else should be pondered and planned for as race day draws near? We just happen to have a handy list right here:

 - What to Prepare for on Race Day

Point of Recognition for our Financial Backers

We've updated our Race Sponsor page. Aside from our volunteers and race director these are the folks that make Big T tick, year after year, in many cases for the last twenty years - not a typo. Before we can recognize our new overall and age-group champions on Saturday let's recognize the businesses that lend their support in getting us to race day in good shape.

Cowbells and a big thanks to our sponsors below.

And of course to the race beneficiary, WINGS of America

Race Registration is Building Steadily

A quick report on registration:
Year-to-date we have registrants from 13 cities and 4 states. Only one country just yet (the US), but we do have an entry from outside the Continental US, and that would be Alaska. From the looks of it, we're ahead of last year's trends. The race generally fills a third of all entries in the final week of online registration, then another third in-person on race day.

Below is a nifty report from the backend of our results database that shows participation by city and state for the last thirteen races. In 2012 we had runners representing 23 different cities/towns and 5 states. The largest of course being Santa Fe and Albuquerque. We don't seem to draw well from Rio Rancho for some reason but this could be our year. Las Vegas and Taos are tough draws but they have more of a drive-time to overcome.

On a side note - one can just make out the small course extension on the summit that was instituted in 2010. Average times bump 3-4 minutes from 2009 and prior years. I've found that the added hundred meters on top that now stretch to summit edge (and back), takes me an extra 90sec to cover. It's worth it for the fine view.

Our tech cred on full display - Thirteen years of BigT participation and finishing time data

If you're a club member, sign up early and receive your club discount (only $22!). Get into The Running Hub and drop off your registration flyer (they have extras on hand), or register online at either Active.com or our new listing at newmexicosportsonline if you prefer the local business route.

Big Tesuque Training Run II - Sun. September 8, 8am

A second opportunity to join in a group training run for Big Tesuque. The Striders' Group Run for this coming Sunday will be along the Winsor Trail, through Puerto Nambe to Lake Katherine (just below SF Baldy). If you missed the first group training run then here's your second chance. Climbing, altitude, conversation. 

To carpool meet at Fort Marcy at 730am, or rocket-up to the Ski Area/Winsor Trail trailhead for an 8am-ish departure. Group runs tend to go at a conversational pace, the lead runners periodically circling back or breaking to allow the group to pull together. Cut the run short if you need to get back, or add a few miles if you don't mind the separation anxiety. The full run is approx. 12mi, with maybe 1,800ft of net climbing to the lake. 

Further details here.


View Santa Fe Baldy and Four Peaks, Trail Map - Santa Fe, NM in a larger map

Big Tesuque Training Run - Sun. September 1, 8am

The Striders Group Run for this coming Sunday will be Aspen Vista to the Tesuque Towers, otherwise known as the formidable BigT. Come out and get some climbing miles into those legs and get a feel for the varying levels of oxygen debt along the route.

To carpool meet at Fort Marcy at 730am, or rocket-up to the Aspen Vista Trailhead for an 8am-ish departure. Group runs tend to go at a conversational pace, the lead runners periodically circling back or breaking to allow the group to pull together. Cut the run short if you need to get back, or add a few miles if you don't mind the separation anxiety. The full run is 12mi, 2,000ft of climbing, elevation 10,000ft-12,003 at the towers.

View Aspen Vista Trail (Big Tesuque Trail) - Santa Fe, NM in a larger map

Prepping for October - Looking back at 2012

Vin Kelley - hot dogging on last year's descent,
courtesy of M. Mujynya and Smugmug.com

Organization for this year's race is well under way. We're sorting out a few stellar race-t options as I type this. It seems appropriate then to take a quick glance back at last year's race as October grows nearer.

We had fantastic weather for last year's run and an even better turnout of runners. The best in the twenty-eight year history of the race in fact. For this reason the annual donation to WINGS of America generated from the race was $1,000 - a highwater mark. What made this great confluence of events even more brilliant yet, was the overall victory by Dustin Martin, WINGS' current program director and first WINGS champion up at Big T.

More, you say? We've got more. We had 10 top-ten age group times put up last year, including a big new record in the W50-59 age group by Claudia Bergshon of Albuquerque. Vin Kelley (above) continued his assault on the M60-69 age group alltime list, and we had two new overall champions in Dustin Martin and Katie Gillen of Santa Fe.

Get excited about this fall's Big T. It's approach will be here quicker than a 2,000ft climb to the Sangre de Cristo ridgeline.

Related Information:
  - Prior year Big T results
  - Max's photos from last year's Big T