Conquer The Bear Comes to a Close

Big Bear, Ca, September 13, 2010, 5:00pm – The 2010 Conquer the Bear series has come to a close with the final event, the Endure the Bear trail run.  The series which began in early February, started with a snowshoe race through rain and snow, followed by a mountain bike ride in June, Paddlefest in July, and lastly Endure the Bear Trail run on Saturday September 11th.  19 people participated in Conquer the Bear, which consisted of participants racing in the short courses of the events.  Conquer the Bear Elite consisted of 10 participants who competed in the most difficult race of each event.  Kelley Brunson of Big Bear Lake took first in the women’s division followed by Diane Bradley of Big Bear Lake.  Adam Williams of Big Bear Lake was followed by 16-year-old Casey Williams of Big Bear Lake, and in third was 18-year-old Ramon Escobar of Tecate, Mexico.  Other participants in the Conquer the Bear Elite series include Cameron Williams, Ross Goulet, Matt Smith, Jeremy Wright and Richard Goulet.

Those participating in the Conquer the Bear or Cub series include:  Susan Maya, Angela Meyers, Michelle Russell, Jane Baumgartner, Nancy Goulet, Marlyce Davis, Carol Silberberg, Robyn Mayne, Candy Hallstead, Ernst Mueller, Rick Herrick, Jeff McCabe, Dean Saylor, Bobby Bondurant, Dave Ness, Carl Davis, David Lawrence, Simon Miller, and Janet Maxwell.

The moment of the day was when Bobby Bondurant, crossed the finish line of the 5k course on crutches.  Bondurant was struck by a vehicle on Van Dusen earlier this year while riding his mountain bike.  Bondurant had competed in the first three events, and was determined to Conquer the Bear!  The dates for next years Conquer the Bear have been set. For more information go to openairbigbear.com.

Can You Endure The Bear?

Big Bear Lake, Ca, September 10, 8:00am – The Conquer the Bear series is coming to a close, this Saturday, with the final race, Endure the Bear, a mountain trail run, on September 11th.  The trail run will start in the village and head up into the hills of Big Bear.  There is a race for everyone with distances ranging from a family fun run of 5 kilometers to a true endurance run of 50 kilometers. Interested runners can register online at openairbigbear.com, or register the night before at the Christmas Tree Lot in the Village.  Pre-registration, and check in will take place from 5:00-7:00pm. From 6:00-8:00pm, free fun and informational clinics will take place including, yoga, stretching and nutrition.  Those registering the day of will need to do so between 7:00am and 9:00am on September 11th, and will be charged an extra $10 fee, so register early.    Endure the Bear is the fourth event in the Conquer the Bear series, which began this February with Snowshoe the Bear, followed by the Team Big Bear Mountain Bike Race in June, and Paddlefest in July.  Those participating in all four events will “Conquer the Bear” on September 11th.  To register for Endure the Bear go to openairbigbear.com and click on register.

Local Running Club, Running Amuck, Seeks Runners for Ragnar Relay

Big Bear Lake, CA, July 29, 2010, 15:00pm – Running Amuck, a local running club, is holding its monthly meeting at Nottingham’s tonight at 7:00pm, to discuss the upcoming Ragnar Relay in Las Vegas.  The Ragnar Relay is a 24-hour relay race through Las Vegas, and Running Amuck is looking for more team members.  Each team needs 12 runners, and four crewmembers to participate in the October 22nd-October 23rd 24-hour event.  Six locals have confirmed to participating in the Ragnar Relay, including:  Tracy Tokunaga, Big Bear Middle School Cross Country Coach, Michelle Russell and Toni Gerlette of Mountain Fitness Center, Ray Garcia, Helaine Cross, and Angela Meyers.  Confirmed crewmembers include Gavin Burke, Paul Burton, and Rich White.   Interested parties should come to Nottinghams with questions about the relay.  The cost to participate in the Ragnar Relay is $105.00 per person.  Running Amuck participates in fun running events including the Eco Mud Run, Women Running Wild, Palm Springs Half Marathon, and Snowshoe the Bear, and is open to runners of all levels.  For more information about Running Amuck and the upcoming Ragnar Relay contact Michelle Russell at 909-866-7020, or go online at runningamuck.shutterfly.com.

Big Bear Paddlefest 2010

Adam Williams, Casey Williams, Kelley Brunson and Diane Bradley Hold Top Rankings in Elite Conquer the Bear Series

Big Bear Lake, CA — The second round of the Conquer the Bear series is underway and, this weekend, competitors wrapped their second of four races by participating in the Team Big Bear mountain bike race, which covered 17 miles of Forest Service roads in the Moonridge area. Athletes who braved February’s cold temps, snow and rain in the Snowshoe the Bear event were eligible to continue in the Conquer the Bear series which, in addition to the June 20 mountain bike race, will include the Paddlefest in Fawnskin on July 11 and the first-ever Endure the Bear mountain trail run on September 11. Top contenders in Conquer the Bear’s Elite division are Adam Williams and 15-year-old Casey Williams; these two, both from Big Bear Lake but unrelated, took first and third in Snowshoe the Bear’s 10K event and are less than five minutes apart in their cumulative times for the two races. Other top contenders in the Elite race series include Casey’s younger brother Cameron Williams, Ramon Escobar of Mexico, and Ross Goulet of Big Bear City, while Big Bear Lake’s Kelly Brunson, the Fastest Bear in the Bear for the snowshoe, and Diane Bradley, third place female finisher in the debut Conquer the Bear series, both completed the course to stay in the running for the Conquer the Bear title which, in 2009, was won by local Heather Devito and Wes Barton of Manhattan Beach in a grueling, five-event series. Other Big Bear locals who participated in their second event for Conquer the Bear—and earned top spots in the non-elite division–include Jonathan Stiles, Kyle Kelly, Ernst Mueller, David Lawrence, Susan Maya, Angela Meyers and Michelle Russell.

Team Big Bear Mountain Bike Race

Team Big Bear’s Shoot-Out #2, which starts on Forest Service road 2N10 just above Bear Mountain Resort, features a cross-country mountain bike race. The event is also the second of four races in the Conquer the Bear series. Race pre-registration available at La Montana Restaurant (on the Moonridge Y in Big Bear Lake) on Saturday, June 19, from 3 to 5pm; also on race day, Sunday, starting at 8am. For more information or to sign up, visit TeamBigBear.com or call 909/633-6729. For more information on Conquer the Bear, visit OpenAirBigBear.com.
Event features after-party at La Montana, from 12:30 to 3pm, to include $1 tacos and live reggae from Good Creation.

Big Bear Paddlefest

The annual Big Bear Paddlefest returns, and this year will be a weekend-long event in Fawnskin on Big Bear Lake’s North Shore. Saturday’s activities include on-water clinics and an outdoor-industry sports exhibit. Sunday is highlighted by the Paddlefest races, which will include 5K and 10K races, both solo and tandem, for canoers and kayakers, as well as a 30K around Big Bear Lake and a free Kids’ Fun Paddle for those ages 12 and under. For more information on the weekend event, visit KBHR’s Paddlefest story, posted in June, or log on to BigBearPaddlefest.com. This event is also the third of four in the Conquer the Bear series.

Big Bear Paddlefest Returns on July 10 & 11; Paddling Clinic in Fawnskin This Weekend

Fawnskin, CA — The Big Bear Paddlefest, the third of four sporting events in the 2nd annual Conquer the Bear series, launches from Fawnskin in just a month, on the weekend of July 10 and 11. As announced today by event organizers with North Shore Trading Company, Janet Dooley says, “We wanted to hold a weekend-long event that would be equally fun for serious paddle enthusiasts and those new to the sports of paddling.” Pre-race day activities on Saturday the 10th will include on-water kayak and paddleboard clinics and an outdoor-industry sports exhibit; then, on Sunday, the Paddlefest races will be held in Grout Bay, on Big Bear Lake’s North Shore. The races are open to all levels, and will include 10K and 5K canoe and kayak competitions, for both tandem and solo paddlers. This year’s event will also include a 30K around the lake, as well as a free Kids’ Fun Paddle, open to those ages 12 and under. For those interested in gearing up for the competition, North Shore Trading Company will offer a series of three-hour paddling clinics, the first of which begins this Saturday, June 12; the clinic launches from Captain John’s Fawn Harbor Marina at 9am, and is available for a cost of $25. For more information on the clinic, visit GoPaddleACanoe.com. Additional information on the July Paddlefest is available at BigBearPaddlefest.com, and specifics on the Conquer the Bear series (which began with February’s Snowshoe the Bear) are available at OpenAirBigBear.com.

Jordan Romero Says of Everest: “It Was Totally Worth It”; Jordan, Paul and Karen Begin the Journey Back to Big Bear

Now that Big Bear Middle School eighth grader Jordan Romero has achieved his years-long dream, reaching the summit of Mt. Everest–the highest peak in the world, and in doing so, setting a world record by being the youngest person ever to reach the peak at age 13–he and dad Paul Romero and climbing partner Karen Lundgren begin their long journey back to Big Bear. Earlier today (May 25), the three had arrived at Chinese Base Camp. They reported that they were safe and sound, having made the descent to the lower elevation, and have before them a 20-hour Jeep ride to Kathmandu, where a five-star hotel complete with creature comforts not available to them in the last month awaits. Upon reaching the 29,035′ summit of Mt. Everest, Jordan had his first interview via Skype on the “CBS Early Show” on Monday morning. In his interview, he did say of the climb, “It was definitely harder than I thought it would be. I knew it would be a hard mountain–it’s Everest.” But, he tells the “Early Show”‘s co-anchor Harry Smith of reaching the summit, his seventh of the world’s tallest peaks, “It was a feeling like no other. We had the best team coming up and just the whole trip, me and my other teammates, rehearsed this whole summit push in our heads. It was totally worth it. It was the time of our lives and it was just such a happy feeling.” Just before leaving Big Bear Lake on April 5, Jordan had told KBHR that it wasn’t about the world record (previously held by a 15-year-old Sherpa girl, and seconded by 17-year-old Johnny Strange of Malibu, who summited Everest a year ago). In Jordan’s words from here at home before the amazing feat, “It’s probably just seeing the mountain [that] is the biggest experience, and reaching the summit. But, for me, it’s just being there on the mountain and seeing Everest right in front of me. For me, that’s what it’s really all about.” (For background on Jordan Romero, click on his link below for other stories; for details on his participation in the Run the Bear Marathon, you can also click on the “Conquer the Bear” link.)
Update as of May 26: The trio has made their final descent on Everest, and have since safely arrived in Kathmandu, where they have enjoyed their first showers in 43 days!

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