Jenny Slawta of Medford, Ore., took home $100 in cash for being the first female to ever break the 70 minute mark in the Mt. Shasta Hill Climb.
But Slawta gave one of her other prizes, a bicycle tire pump, to friend and training partner Don Vizzini, who helped her in a few small ways Saturday morning along the 14 mile uphill ride to the Old Ski Bowl on Mt. Shasta.
Some riders said they felt the effects of the smoky haze from regional wildfires that has been lingering in the area for most of the summer. But many of the racers reported posting their best times ever on the Climb.
“It was a fast race this year, especially for the women,” said organizer Mario Marchi of Mount Shasta Pedali, which puts on the event.
A field of 56 racers from as far away as Australia competed in an event that many described as both “tough” and “fun.”
Slawta set a new record for women by finishing in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 30 seconds, but second place women’s finisher Ally Stacher of Etna had a time of 1:10:52, which also broke the previous women’s record.
Third place finisher Dana Myers of Fairfield (1:12:26) and Slawta’s 15 year old daughter Sara (1:13:20), also had fast times.
The race began Saturday at about 9 a.m. at the corner of Lake Street and Mt. Shasta Blvd. and ascended to the top of the Everitt Memorial Highway.
“The hill never really gives up,” said overall winner Steve Pengree, whose time of 1 hour, 5 minutes and 29 seconds was nearly three full minutes ahead of his closest competition.
A 2005 graduate of Redding’s Foothill High School, Pengree is a member of the cycling team at the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York.
He was attempting to break the 60 minute mark Saturday, which would have earned him $100.
“I fell off the pace at about the 10 mile mark,” Pengree said. “I got warn down by the hill.”
The event, he said, “is a lot of fun. I love coming up here. I like the scenery and the good people in Mount Shasta.”
Cameron Falconer was second overall in 1:08:23, and Slawta was third overall in 1:09.30, which broke the course record she set two years ago.
“It was very competitive,” said Slawta, who noted the fast time posted by Stacher, a 2005 graduate of Etna High School.
Slawta said she had to overcome some problems just before the race started, but then had what she described as “a perfect ride,” marred only slightly by the smoke in the air.
Getting ready for the start, Slawta said she went to put her foot in the pedal and got a leg spasm. Off balance, her bike tipped over, bending the derailer. She got it fixed in time for the mass start, then rode part of the way in a pack with Vizzini, her daughter Sarah, and her husband John, who hand-builds Land Shark custom bikes in Medford.
Vizzini, who won the men’s 36-50 age category in 1:10:47 and placed third overall among the men, said he helped create an even pace for Slawta.
After being slowed a bit by a temporary back spasm, Vizzini said he was soon caught by Stacher.
“Once I knew I wasn’t going to catch the guy in front of me, and I knew what my age group situation was, I just stayed back so I didn’t risk bringing Ally up to (Slawta),” Vizzini said just before leaving the awards ceremony outside The Fifth Season with his new bike pump in hand.
Stacher, a member of the cycling team at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina, said she improved her Hill Climb time by 10 minutes from her previous attempt. She attributed the improvement to more training and racing, estimating that she will have competed in 100 races by the end of the season.
“My goal was to break the record, which we both did, so I’m happy with that,” said Stacher, who described the event as “a great hill climb.”
Other than Sarah Slawta, the only other racer in the field under age 20 was Mount Shasta High School senior Andy Beem, who said his time of 1:15:55 was 15 minutes faster than his previous best.
A frequent rider with Mount Shasta Pedali, Beem said he had just returned from a running camp in Humboldt and had some trouble adjusting to the higher altitude.
A distance runner for MSHS, Beem said he’s been doing more cycling this year, including a recent 14th place finish in a criterium in Berkeley.
He said the Pedali members “helped me improve my technique and form.”
On the opposite end of the age spectrum were Mount Shasta riders Chris Messer, who won the women’s 51-65 division, and Boomer Down, who, at age 70, was the only male in the field over age 55.
“It’s good to be cycling,” said Messer, who added that she felt the effects of the smoke after mile 10. She was with her brother, Terry Minton. They were both also planning to do the 58 mile course in the Mount Shasta Summit Century the following day.
Down, a bike rider for some 40 years, said there were times on the way up the mountain that he wondered, “Why am I doing this anymore? But I want to do it as long as I can.”
Marchi said he knew the smoky skies kept some riders away this year, but others came from Reno, Fairfax, Yreka, Redding, Ashland, Medford, and John Marsh came from Queenscliff, Australia.
Several DFL riders came from San Francisco, as they have often in the past, Marchi said. They were also out in force for the Summit Century on Sunday.
Marchi read a list of event sponsors and thanked the many businesses that donated prizes worth an estimated $1,000 for the Hill Climb’s raffle.
Sponsors were The Fifth Season, Do It Best Hardware (Pete Eddy, who started Mount Shasta Pedali), Berryvale Grocery, Doris Moss Realty (Paul Engstrom, who donated the $100 cash prizes), Ted Palfini, president of Pedali, and Crystal Geyser.
Hill Climb age group winners were:
Female
51-65 — 1st, Chris Messer, MS, 2:02:47.
36-50 — 1st, Jenny Slawta, Medford, 1:09:30; 2nd, Dana Myers, Fairfield, 1:12:26; 3rd, Angela Stevens, SF, 1:34:08.
21-35 — 1st, Ally Stacher, Etna, 1:10:52; 2nd, Kathleen Hannon, SF, 1:26:17; 3rd, Margaret Shanafield, Reno, Nev., 1:28:49.
13-20 — 1st, Sara Slawta, Medford, 1:13.20.
Male
66 plus — 1st, Boomer Down, MS, 2:05:44.
51-65 — 1st, Ray Anderson, Portland, Ore., 1:15:02; 2nd, Mark Marsh, McCloud, 1:25:02; 3rd, Lloyd Leighton, Yuba City, 1:25:26.
36-50 — 1st, Don Vizzini, Jacksonville, Ore., 1:10:47; 2nd, Patrick Myall, SF, 1:11:54; 3rd, Drew Landers, SF, 1:12:00.
21-35 — 1st, Steve Pengree,  NY, 1:05:29; 2nd, Camero Falconer, Fairfax, 1:08:23; 3rd, John Marsh, Queenscliff, Australia, 1:12:26.
13-20 — 1st, Andrew Beem, MS, 1:15.55.