Tioga Run goes to Eric Lynch, Rebecca Sopp

September 14, 2012

It is not a particularly hard run, at least for those with legs of steel, lungs of a blast furnace, and the determination of a locomotive.

Erik Lynch and Rebecca Sopp qualify in all those areas, and the results of the Tioga Pass Run last weekend showed it.

Lynch, 24, ran the 12.4-mile road in 1:33:24, easily outrunning 24-year-old Ryan Spaulding of Bishop to win the men’s division. Spaulding finished nearly three minutes back, at 1:39:13.

In the women’s race, 25-year-old Rebecca Sopp of Bridgeport outran the field in 1:54:16, placing her ninth overall. Her closest female competitor was far behind—Cassandra Dufek, 27, of Yosemite, who ran the course from Lee Vining to the Tioga Pass Gate in 2:13:01.

But it wasn’t just the fastest who drew all the attention.

Among the older runners, Raymond Eastwood of Palos Verdes Estates, finished in 3:09:04—the first septuagenarian to cross the line.

The oldest finisher among the men was Bill Dickey of Arcadia, who at 75 finished in 90th place overall, in 3:32:47.

Among the women, 61-year-old Sandy Snyder of Apple Valley came in at 2:34:20.
Not everyone registered properly, so there might have been some fast runners who never got their name in lights.

Mammoth Hospital’s Dr. Mike Karch, for example, finished in “2hrs-ish,” according to the race results. As for his age, Karch claimed “40-ish,” but no more.