Chad Trammell (far right) with teammates
Anchorage dentist Chad Trammell is again a champion at the World’s Toughest Mudder.
On Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev., Trammell combined with Brian Gowiski, Glenn Racz and Ryan Woods to complete 24 laps of the five-mile course and win the International Team Relay Division in 23 hours and 56 minutes. The quartet wore USA shorts and large race bibs that displayed a rendition of the American flag.
The World’s Toughest Mudder is regarded as one of the most extreme endurance events on the planet. The Las Vegas course featured desert terrain, steep hills, mud pits and 21 obstacles on each lap, including leaping off a 35-foot cliff at night and carrying a torch through chest-deep water.
In 2015, Trammell won the men’s individual event (and $10,000) by completing 95 miles in 24 hours.
This year Ryan Atkins of Caledon, Ontario, won the grand prize of $50,000 by completing 110 miles and setting a new all-time mileage record for the individual male category.
Coverage of the event will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 23.
Meanwhile, at Saturday’s Run the Rock event near Bend, Ore., Cody Priest of Anchorage won his first attempt at the 50-mile distance. Priest, 29, held off Ryan Kaiser of Bend by 35 seconds, crossing first in 6 hours, 47 minutes and 30 seconds.
In the accompanying 50K, Anchorage’s Mariah Graham placed fourth among women in 5:17:01.
In the half marathon, Allan Spangler of Anchorage tuned up for this weekend’s North Face Championship 50-miler in San Francisco by taking runner-up in 1:37:10, just five seconds behind the victor.
– By Matias Saari, Alaska Sports Blog Contributor