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						5 Weeks Until Patch Sprint 2007!
				DIVISIONAL RACES ARE TAKING SHAPE Status of Several Defending Champions Unknown
																																										REGISTERED (as of 4/19 ) TREKKER                     17 OPEN MALE                 14 KINDER SPRINT           8 MENS MASTERS           7 OPEN FEMALE              3 WOMENS MASTERS     1 CLYDESDALE               1
			Willsboro, NY, April 19--  The 2006 Patch Sprint was projected to be the "closest finish ever" and it was just that, with defending champion Jason Fiegl edging race newcomer Deborah Nordyke by a scant six seconds... following 12 miles and four mountain worth of racing.       While it will be hard for the 2007 event to be as close, there is plenty to indicate it will be just as competitive.
																						When discussing the favorites for the overall title, "four names must come to mind," says racing expert Marty Liquori.  "JIM KOBAK, JAY FIEGL, BEN STANLEY and JASON METAKIS" The first two have each one four titles, while the second two are still looking for their first, yet are always in the hunt.  "I've had my eye on Kobak and my early guess would be that this will be his year," stated local adventure race standout Nikki Kimball.  Fiegl has gone through several professional and personal changes over the past year and has been noticeably absent from the winter circuit and training trails in 2007.      Then there's DEBORAH NORDYKE.  Defying all racing stereoptypes of age and gender, the 1998 Olympian nearly took home the "Janny" to go along with the MacCready Fitness Trophy in 2006.  At 45, her status for this year's event is uncertain. OTHERS TO WATCH: MARC METAKIS (4th place, 2005); TOM MOFFETT (Top 10 as a race rookie in '06); MATT ELLIOTT (Comeback year for the former race runner-up) and DAN HERBERT (First Patch Sprint for the 2-time winter sprinter). MISSING SO FAR: Mike Daley; Chris Durlacher; Curt Schreiner.
					Will 2007 be the year that Jason Fiegl reluctantly hands the "Janny" back to Jim Kobak?.
		OTHER DIVISIONS AT A GLANCE OPEN FEMALE: With no appearance as of yet from Nordyke, nor the  two-time champion Disney twins, the field is wide open.  "This could be my year!," boasted Stephanie Lylis, two-time top-five finisher.  Also keep an eye on race rookie Stefanee Magill, a recent marathon finisher. MEN'S MASTERS: Two-time winners Tom Lynch and Tim Singer have both been struggling with "old age ailments" but their comebacks may be for naught with the emergence of standout Canadian endurance racer Ron Proud.  Proud's 7:00 mile pace in the half-marathon should be enough to intimidate even the open racers. CLYDESDALE: In 2006, Ken Ryba used a huge weight handicap to win the division.  He has decided to "retire on top" and thus, opens the door to another long-time Clydesdale:  Josh Bornt.  As other racers continue to eat and avoid training, this division should fill up. KINDER-SPRINT: A trailside pit stop is all that seperated runner-up Kylie Edwards and winner Andrew Lounsbury in 2006.  Both will be back in '07, as will former rivals Chad Canning and Joseph Zimmerman, who were supspended in 2006 as part of a doping scandal.  Keep an eye on rookie phenom Johnny Lynch, while prodigies Sierra Moscatto and Sean Tarala are also expected to contend. WOMEN'S MASTERS: As this went to press, Patch veteran Augusta Wilson was all alone in field.  Should defending champion Eileen Leone, her sister Kathy Gigantiello, or Nordyke choose to enter, Wilson will be racing for second place. TREKKER: Over 30 non-competing hikers covered the course in 2006, with Michael Taptick coming in at just under three and one-half hours.  Taptick will be racing this year, but the field should be even larger with Jason Bauer expected to feel competitive and actually race.
																																																						Nordyke
																																																								Proud
																																																			Lounsbury and Edwards
																																																							Uncontested?
																											REGISTER for the 2007 Patch Sprint Go To Patch Sprint Home Page