Racers from twelve states and four countries took to the roads of Southern Utah September 13^th to 15^th, at the Second Annual Hoodoo 500 UltraMarathon Bicycle Race. The Hoodoo 500 follows a course starting in St. George, and traveling through Hurricane, Colorado City, Kanab, Carmel Junction, Bryce, Tropic, Escalante, Boulder, Torrey, Panguitch, Cedar City and back to St. George. While testing their mettle over 518 miles with 30,000+ feet of climbing over mountain passes above 10,000’, racers enjoyed awe-inspiring scenery which varies from  majestic cliffs, striking red rock hoodoos, aspen and pine forests and high mountain meadows.

It was a perfect weekend for racing in Southern Utah. Daytime temperatures ranged from the mid 80s to low 90s, winds were fairly calm, and not a drop of rain or hail or snow fell in the high mountains. As a bonus this year, the racers and their crews enjoyed the scenery at night as the nearly full moon illuminated the rocks through crystal clear skies. In addition to the great views, the clear skies also dropped the temperature into the thirties on Boulder Mountain Saturday night. 

Solo and 4-person relay team racers broke every record and new ones were set in the 2-person relay team division.

Kenneth Philbrick from Corvallis, Oregon, shattered the course record by nearly 6 hours with his very impressive 30:59 win! Also finishing under the prior course record time were Urs Koenig in 32:59, Jeremy Smith in 33:33 and Solo 50+ winner, Joel Sothern in 34:20 -which is also a new record for the Solo Mens 50+ division. There was a lot of head-to-head racing at the Hoodoo! The top 5 men really put on a great show! Kevin McNulty took the early lead, but by mile 375, Kenneth Philbrick had closed the gap and arrived at Time Station 5 just one minute ahead. Joel Sothern was less than an hour back. Urs Koenig and Jeremy Smith checked in at TS5 next, just one minute apart! By Time Station 6, McNulty had dropped, Philbrick took the lead and never looked back, Koenig was second followed by Sothern then Smith. In the last 80 miles, Smith put the hammer down, taking third by not only making up a 45 minute gap, but gaining another 50 minutes! A great effort by all!

In the Solo Voyager Division, Mike Sturgill and Ray Rupel dueled the entire weekend – trading the lead and fighting to stay less than hour apart for most of the 518 miles. In the end, Mike came from behind, and with less than sixty miles to the finish passed Ray and took the win, setting a course record of 42:32. Ray’s time of 43:55 is also a record, in the Solo Voyager 50+. Albert Kong finished unofficially in 50:53. All three finishes deserve serious kudos – as these guys raced without crew; entirely self-supporting – and were the only 3 (of 10) Voyager racers to cross the finish line.

Relay-Team records were smashed as well! 4-Man Team Road Rage smoked the course in 23:52 with their flawless high-speed rolling exchanges and perfect race strategy. Road Rage was a blast to watch!

New Relay Team Records also include 4-Man 50+ KeepandShare.com in 30:17, 4-mixed Team SLMF in 32:43, 2-Man Club Hypoxia in 31:57, 2-Man 50+ Team OTB in 36:54, and last but not least, 2-Mixed 60+ Old Spokes in 39:52. Team Old Spokes took the UMCA UltraCup Team Championship, having completed and set 60+ records in both the Hoodoo 500 and Race Across Oregon.

Solo winners Ken Philbrick and Mike Sturgill each received a personalized plaque with their name and finishing time and a VDO altimeter/computer. Prizes from Hammer Nutrition and Sparrow-Hawk Photography were awarded to second and third place solos and to record-setting relay teams. Racers, crew and Hoodoo staff all enjoyed the post-race banquet breakfast which included a full buffet of eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, French toast, oatmeal, fresh fruit and yogurt and, the most unusual peach cobbler; and nearly everyone won a raffle prize from VDO, Hammer Nutrition, DeTours Bags, Camelback, Planet Ultra or Bicycle John’s. A huge thanks to all of our sponsors for their continuing support.

To see for yourself how exciting and competitive the race was, you can view photos of the race and review all of the time station splits at http://www.HooDoo500.com. Check out a clip from the television news in St. George: http://www.kcsg.com/news/28429674.html. (Beneath the Hoodoo logo, click “watch video.)

We’re already looking forward to the next Hoodoo 500, taking place September 12-14, 2009!

SOLOS

VOYAGERS (Solo, self-supported)

RELAY TEAMS: 2-PERSON

RELAY TEAMS: 4-PERSON