John cops Island Quest title….

John won the thing, following the web....

When I saw John Pachuta last night, I asked him how did he know he was ahead in the race on Saturday. He answered, “Spider webs.” Noticing the funny look on my face, he laughed & said, “The deal was – there were spider webs across the trails all over the course – so if I ran into them, I knew I was the first person to go that way.” And he was, and he came in first – here’s the rest of the story from Paul Hopkins:

Pachuta Wins Second Annual San Juan Island Quest

The rain ended just in time for Islander John Pachuta to win his second consecutive San Juan Island Quest Adventure Race in 5 hours, 37 minutes on Saturday, September 19.

Second place went to a team of two, team sparky, Garret Madison and Phong Duong, in 5 hours, 53 minutes.

Third place overall and first women to cross the line was local team Kayakasaurus, comprised of Shannon Miniken, Megan Hoffman, Stacie Tangney and Kathleen Foley.  The team finished in 5 hours, 53 minutes.

This year’s SJ Island Quest began and finished at Roche Harbor.  It included various athletic and mental disciplines, including kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, orienteering and even some brain teasers.  While billed as a “6 hour race”, many teams had trouble navigating the land surrounding Mitchell Hill and Mt. Young, leading to nearly half the field ending after 6 hours.

Following the win, Pachuta said, “It was challenging, but fun with just the right mix of three sports.  Beautiful scenery, diverse terrain and great organization.  Thanks to all the volunteers, organizers and public/private agencies who made it possible.  The course was more difficult than last year, but the weather was much better.  It was great to see the number of off-island competitors.”

“I liked the course.  I think I’ll tone it down a bit for next year, but not a lot” said Course Designer and Race co-director Brent Molsberry.

Organizers are already excited about the 2010 event.  As is the nature of Adventure Races, the 2010 course will remain a secret until 30 minutes prior to race start.

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