Demsar defends Gunbarrel 25 skiing title (w/slideshow)

Sannazzaro repeats ironman title with 40 laps

Click to Enlarge Janez Demsar flies to the finish line to complete his 25th lap and win the 2008 Gunbarrel 25 at Heavenly Mountain Resort on Saturday. Jim Grant / Tahoe Daily Tribune

Staff report
April 7, 2008

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Janez Demsar won the Gunbarrel 25 men's skier division for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Demsar completed his 25 laps of "The Face" in 3 hours, 10 minutes, 15 seconds, which was about a minute off his record pace set last year.

Tyler Bradford placed second (3:34.32) and Tom Bork third (3:36.20). In the men's ironman competition, which tracks the number of runs done in the six-hour time allotment, Dave Sannazzaro completed 40 laps to successfully defend his title in that category.

In the women's skier division, Amy Czesnowski won in 4:20.27, with Meeghan Flaherty coming in second (4:24.44) and Kimberly Plake placing third (4:30.25).

Flaherty also won the ironwoman competition, completing 35 laps in the allotted time.

Shanti Koskinen won the boys' skier division (4:02.37), with Sage Wright (4:10.16) and Shain Stafford (4:14.12) placing second and third, respectively. Koskinen also was the ironkid winner by completing 37 laps.

In the girls' skier division, Taryn Baker was first in 4:08, with Dominique Dabija (5:48.25) and Skye Kidd (6:05.23) placing second and third, respectively.

Jonathan Hirschfield won the men's snowboard division for the second consecutive year, finishing in 4:31.04. Jen Menzel was the women's snowboard division winner in a time of 4:37.08.

Andre Villaret, who was the ironman winner in 2005, took first in the experimental division (telemark skiers, monoboarders) in 5:00.30.

The Glen Plake-hosted event attracted 135 participants, with 66 finishing. The oldest competitor was 85 years old, the youngest six years old.

Editor's note: The Heavenly Race Department provided the names and times of the athletes for this event.