Quad champs defend titles
Ballengee, Middaugh favored to win solo divisions in Saturday's race

By Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer

GRANTS — Eight-time defending Quad female soloist champion Danelle Ballengee and defending Quad male soloist champion Josiah Middaugh will be among the favorites at Saturday's 22nd Annual Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.

Ballengee and Middaugh will be among the 560 contestants that will be competing at this year's Quad that will get under way Saturday at 9 a.m. for the soloist competition. A total of 163 male soloists along with 49 female soloists are expected to compete. In the other divisions there are 33 mixed teams, 29 male teams, nine female teams, 12 mixed pairs, 24 male pairs and two female pairs registered for the Quad.

The Quadrathlon consists of four separate legs, bicycling, running, cross country skiing and snowshoeing for 21 miles from the start at the intersection of High and Iron Streets in Grants to the top of the 11,300 foot Mt. Taylor and back down again for a total of grueling 42 miles.

Ballengee of Dillon, Colo. who was dominated the women's competition for the past decade with a total of eight female soloist titles in the past 10 years including the last five in a row, says she's a bit nervous about tomorrow's Quadrathlon.

"I'm a little nervous," Ballengee said during a telephone interview earlier this week from her home in Dillon, Colo. "The Quad will be my first hard race of the season. Usually the week before I run a marathon. I haven't run any marathons this year. I had a long, hard season with my adventure racing team that went through to December. I had to take a long break. I just started training a month ago."

But Ballengee said she did not want to miss her opportunity to continue her success at this year's Quad.

"I like it so much I didn't want to miss it," she said. "So if somebody wants to beat me this would be the year to do it. I'd like to keep my streak going. I'm hoping that my experience will come into play. I've been doing the Quad for a long time. I'll give it my best shot."

Middaugh of Vail, Colo., also is looking to defend his male soloist title.

"The Mt. Taylor Quad is the highlight of my winter season and I'm feeling good about my chances," Middaugh said in a phone interview from Vail. Colo. "It's an epic race and a great venue. It feels like the whole town gets involved."

Middaugh, who was the Quad runner-up two years ago before grabbing the top honor last year, said he's been training hard for this year's Quad.

"I just got down off Vail Mountain after a two-hour snowshoe. I am feeling very fit and am looking forward to the race. I've been injury-free so far this winter and my training is on course. I should have a strong showing in every leg of the race except the downhill ski which still has lots of room for improvement there."

Grants resident Jessica Rappleyea will be competing in the female soloist competition for the second time.

After competing in the female team competition for about six years, Rappleyea, who will be competing in the 35-39-year-old division, said she wanted to go back to going solo which she last did in the 2002 Quad with a time of 5 hours, 19 minutes.

Rappleyea said she has been training hard every weekend for the past three months.
"Every weekend I've been training," she said. "I'm trying to work all four legs (of the race)."

She said she is a bit concerned about the possible wet weather that might hinder the competition.

"I'm not looking forward to the weather. I'm nervous about it. The run bike portion will be a problem. I know that it's quite muddy up there which ill slow down the times. If it stays the way it is now it will take a little more reparation with the change of clothes and shoes."

Quad race director Karen Fletcher said she's excited about all the snow on Mt. Taylor.

"The snow is great," she said. "This is one of the better years for snow. It (the Quad) will be great. I'm excited about it. The run portion of the race will be muddy. But its doesn't matter what the weather is, the mountain is always challenging."

Fletcher said the Adventure Sports magazine will have a soloist competing for the first time at the Quad. The magazine will be doing an article on the race.

She added that the State Police considers the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon "the top winter activity in the state". "That's a compliment," she said.

The State Police will have 22 officers assisting with the race along with 36 officers from the Grants Police Department and 7 from the County Sheriff.