2017 Si of Relief Climb for Time: Siemsen, Carlstrom set men’s, women’s records in annual trail race up Mount Si

Siemsen, Carlstrom set men’s, women’s records in annual trail race up Mount Si

Siemsen, Carlstrom set men’s, women’s records in annual trail race up Mount Si

NORTH BEND, Wash. – Arlo Siemsen of Redmond set a new sprint-climb record on the way to capturing the overall title at Sunday’s Si of Relief Climb for Time reaching the summit of the popular climbing trail near North Bend in just under an hour.

The 25-year-old broke awayfrom the lead group within the first half-mile of the start at the Mount Sitrailhead and never looked back reaching the base of the 4,167-foot peak’sfirst scramble in just 57.0 minutes.

Arlo Siemsen and Toni Carlstrom (back row, hands raised) celebrate their record times at the 2017 Si of Relief Climb for Time. Siemsen set the men's record reaching the base of the scramble to the 4,167-foot popular climbing peak's summit in just 57 minutes while Carlstrom reached the finish in a record 1 hour, 4 minutes. The two Redmond residents are flanked by Mike McQuaid of the Washington Athletic Club (far left), Vishal Petal of nuun and Stephen Kriss (far right).

He shaved 3 minutes and 45 seconds off of the previous record of 1:00:45 set in 2015 by Peter Erickson of Seattle.

Siemsen built momentum bypassing recreational climbers in the third and fourth mile of the vertical ascent on the way to his record-setting ascent.

“That really fired me up,” said Siemsen, who was pushed throughout by the women’s winner Toni Carlstrom.

“I kept looking back figuring she’d be on my tail,” Seimsen said. “I managed to stay in front.”

Carlstrom, 23, was second overall. The Redmond resident reached the Mount Si base just 7 minutes back with a women’s record 1:04:0.

Mike McQuaid of Seattle’s Washington Athletic Club finished third overall and first in the age 40 and above category with a time of 1:05:08. He shaved just over a minute off his personal best 1:06:40 set in last year’s climb.

The 53-year-old was pushed for the first three miles of the climb by Stephen Kriss also of Seattle, before pulling away in the last mile of the ascent.

“He just powered through the steep sections,” said Kriss, a 31-year-old former collegiate cyclist at Yale who was fourth overall and first in the 30-plus age group.

In the closest finish of the day Kriss, who grew up hiking the challenging trails of New York’s Catskill and Adirondack Mountains, finished in 1:10:49, just a step ahead of nuun hydration athlete Vishal Patel of West Seattle.

Patel, 28, clocked a 1:10:51 to finish second in the 20-plus age group.

“It was a sprint to the finish,” Kriss said. “But next year I need to plan ahead.”

Runners from throughout the Puget Sound region competed in the annual trail running competition for time.

The 2018 Si of Relief Climb for Time takes place on Sunday, April 22, 2018.  The official start is 9:30 a.m. PT at the Mount Si Trailhead near North Bend, Wash.

To learn more visit http://www.facebook.com/siofreliefclimb.

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