24 Hours of Aspen
Aleisha Cline won the women's division with a total time of 2:29.44 (two
hours, 29 minutes and 44 seconds). Cline took the lead on lap two and finished
38 seconds ahead of Asia Jenkins who finished the race with a time of 2.30.22
(two hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds). Third place was Canadian Wendy Lumby
with a time of 2:32.36 (two hours, 32 minutes and 36 seconds). Cline returns
to Aspen in January 2003 to race in the skiercross event at the ESPN Winter X
Games.
The race took a toll in the early morning hours. First to drop out was
Slovenian Ales Brezavscek due to back pain. Last year's champion Christian
Deissenboeck of Germany had a bad fall on the tough Kleenex Corner and dropped
out. With only two hours left in the race Canadian Anik Demers crashed at the
bottom of Spar Gulch, skied to the finish line and collapsed in pain.
To date, this event has raised close to $4 million for a number of different
charities. This year's beneficiaries are Challenge Aspen, one of the premier
non-profit organizations for people with disabilities in the United States;
Aspen Valley Ski/Snowboard Club which provides 1,500 kids in the valley with
skiing and snowboarding programs and scholarships; Jazz Aspen Snowmass:
In-Valley Music Initiatives Programs.
The 14th Annual Audi 24 Hours of Aspen race will air on ESPN on January 12,
2003 at 6:00 PM (EST).