Vasque Athletes Shine at Weekend Races Despite Rain, Mud, and Heat

Shiloh Mielke, Debbie Livingston and Brian Rusiecki all took first place finishes at races from North Carolina to Vermont this past weekend.

Mielke finished first overall at the XTERRA Tsali Off-Road Triathlon in Bryson City, NC, with a time of 1:38:44. The challenging XTERRA course included an 800m swim in Lake Fontana, a 10 mile bike and a 5 mile run on the varied trails of the Tsali Recreation Area. Mielke felt good and consistent throughout the race whether navigating logging roads, creek crossings, rugged paths or single track. Next up is the XTERRA Southeast Championships, in Pelham, AL on June 12th.

Livingston secured her victory at the 27th running of the NipMuck Trail Marathon in Ashford, CT, with a time of 4:11:40. While thrilled with her victory, and the coveted First Place Apple Pie, Livingston was aiming to break her NipMuck record of 4:03:20 with a sub four hour race. Hot and humid temperatures, coupled with the rigors of racing as a nursing mom, slowed Livingston slightly but not enough to keep her out of the winners circle.

“The first half of my race went well, but I started cramping with 10 miles to go,” says Livingston. “That’s unusual for me, but I am still very proud to be the first female to cross the finish line.”

Rusiecki held his own through rain, mud and 14,000 feet of elevation gain at the 2010 Pittsfield Peaks Ultra, in Pittsfield, VT, taking the top finish with a time of 8:58 on the 50-mile (possibly 53-mile according to Rusiecki) course.

“The general tone of the race is, if there is a hill you will run up it and if there is mud, you will run through it,” says Rusiecki.
The course consists of dirt roads, snowmobile trails and single track, and although it rained hard for the first hour and a half Rusiecki was on the course, he reported limited amounts of the dreaded Vermont mud. Rusiecki felt good throughout the race and was able to keep a consistent pace on the rugged trails.

“I wore the Vasque Mindbenders, and they performed great on this gnarly course,” says Rusiecki. “They offered protection on the long descents and gave me confidence in the tall grass sections where I was unable to actually see my footing, or my feet.”

Next up, Livingston and Rusiecki will both be competing at the Mt. Greylock 13.5 race on June 20.

About Vasque
For over 40 years, Vasque has crafted high-quality performance-driven footwear for the outdoor market with a line that includes specialized footwear for trail running, multi-sport, hiking, backpacking, and kids. With an unyielding commitment to innovation, Vasque focuses on fit and world-class performance as the core pillars in every product they produce. Company product testing takes place through a team of exceptional athletes that report directly from trails all over the world, resulting in product that withstands the test of time and the hardest conditions and wear.