Running

Young and old alike enjoy Ponderosa Ridge Run

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Dylan Alexander, 16, and his brother Ryan, 12, surge up a hill toward the end of the 9.5-mile Ponderosa Ridge Run trail race from Spooner Summit to Kingsbury on Saturday. The Alexanders finished together to win the race.

Most runners would describe a 9.5-mile race at high altitude as highly challenging. Throw in the fact that the course climbs nearly 2,000 vertical feet in the first 4-1/2 miles and it could be called downright grueling.

But how many would call it fun? At least three, if you ask brothers Dylan and Ryan Alexander or Elmer Sanborn, who represented the young and old in a field of 14 hearty runners who tackled the 35th annual Ponderosa Ridge Run mountain trail race from Spooner Summit to Kingsbury on Saturday.

The Alexander brothers from Palmdale, Calif. — 16-year-old Dylan and Ryan, 12 — finished together in a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes, 54 seconds as they became the youngest winners in the event's history. Ryan is the youngest runner to ever compete in the race and Sanborn, at 72, became the oldest when he crossed the finish line in 2:35:17.

A tough run? You bet, considering the start is located at an altitude of 7,300 and summits at just below 9,000 at a location near Genoa Peak (the course parallels the Tahoe Rim Trail). Nevertheless, the Alexanders had no complaints at the end of the longest race they've ever entered.

"Oh, yeah," Ryan said when asked if he enjoyed the course. "I want to do it again next year. I like hills."

Older brother Dylan brother quickly added, "He's a better hill runner than I am."

Their father, Jerry Alexander, a standout runner at Arizona State University in the 1970s, brings his family to Lake Tahoe for a month each summer to vacation, and to get in some mountain training. Never mind their size and age, Dylan and Ryan Alexander have impressive running credentials.

Dylan Alexander — all 5-foot-4 of him — ran 9:48 for 3,200 meters during a sophomore season at Highland High School that was hindered by an injury this spring. He was also an AAU Junior Olympic national cross country runner-up in his age group in 2006. Ryan, who stands 4-foot-7, has run 9:46 for 3,000 meters and won a gold medal in his midget age group at the Junior Olympic nationals last fall. Ryan was also a national runner-up finish in 2006.

On Saturday, both showed how well they run hills — or in this case mountains — because they led from the start en route to a split of 6:24 for the uphill first mile.

"I like a challenge and this course is challenging. We just started too fast. It wasn't too hard at the start but then it got real steep (after the opening quarter-mile)," Dylan said of the course. "It's pretty up there. It was a fun race."

Derrik Jenkins finished third in 1:25:08 and John Trent, a veteran of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, was fourth in 1:34:35.

"This is the first time I've run this race. It was fun, but tough. It may take 365 days for me to forget how tough it is," Trent said, flashing a wide grin.

Robin DeSoto finished fifth in 1:37:01, one second ahead of defending champion Sean Lehmann of Carson City, who ran a personal best time of 1:37:02 for the race. Craig Denney finished seventh in 1:39:57.

Like Lehman, DeSoto and Denney are previous Ridge Run champions.

Tiffany Good was the first woman to finish, as she finished in 1:57:30. Katie Trent was second among the women in 2:16:32 and Annie Trent was third in 2:17:17.

Even though Sanborn was the last runner to come in, he was merely thrilled to pick up one of the green "Survivor" ribbons distributed to all finishers. Those are the only awards presented since the first Ponderosa Ridge Run was held in 1975.

"I didn't know what to expect because I'm pretty out of shape," said Sanborn, a South Lake Tahoe resident. "But I'm real happy. I thought three hours would be a pretty good time. I just tried to use my experience and pace myself."

Sanborn had previously run the race in 1993, when he finished second overall in a time of 1:38:46, and again in 1994. By running on Saturday, he became the oldest Ridge Run participant, surpassing the previous age record set by 69-year-old Al Simmons in 2004.

"This was a good run today, probably the highlight of my summer," he said. "This will help jump start me into getting back into shape."

Results

Overa ll (9.5 miles):

1, Dylan Alexander and Ryan Alexander 1:16:54

3, Derrik Jenkins 1:25:08

4, John Trent 1:34:35

5, Robin DeSoto 1:37:01

6. Sean Lehmann 1:37:02

7, Craig Denney 1:39:57

8, Kevin Peterson 1:47:34

9, Doug Cichowicz 1:47:43

10, Alex Larson 1:53:43

11, Tiffany Good 1:57:30

12, Katie Trent 2:16:32

13, Annie Trent 2:17:17

14, Elmer Sanborn 2:35:17