Event raised more than $15,000 for Flathead Youth Home

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The annual Glacier Challenge in Whitefish went off without a hitch on Saturday. Well, almost. A minor mishap that could have been much more serious was the only dark spot on the event.

"We had a man and a woman racing as a team from Great Falls, and they had their friend take their bikes out in a car with their dog in the car," race organizer Hannah Plumb explained. "The dog sat on her lap while she was driving, and she flipped the car and totaled it. She was amazingly fine, but the dog needed stitches. The running shoes never made it to the racer, so the woman ran the 5K in her bare feet."

Other than that, feedback about the race was completely positive, according to Plumb.

"I got several e-mails and phone calls, and they were positive," she said. "We had several changes to the route this year, and it was better marked. The racers felt a little bit more secure. We also had an incredible volunteer pool this year."

The event is a fundraiser for Flathead Youth Home, and Plumb estimated more than $15,000 was raised this year.

"We definitely did better than last year," she said.

Flathead Youth Home is the only licensed, short-term crisis stabilization program in Northwest Montana. For more than 11 years, it has cared for more than 1,000 kids in crisis. The program serves more than 200 children a day through its group homes, foster care program, shelter care, adoption, wilderness treatment and family-based services.

The race is a multi-sport relay event and includes a 10K run, an 8-mile canoe paddle, an 11- or 15-mile road bike ride, an 8-mile mountain bike ride, a 2.5-mile kayak paddle and a 5K run.

Brandon French was the overall individual winner of the Glacier Challenge with a time of 4:13:37.

For the second year in a row, Nomad Technologies was the overall team winner with a time of 3:44:28.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday, with temperatures not soaring past 90 like last year.

"It felt like this year it was a really strong turnout," Plumb said. "It just had an energy about it this year. There was a great mix, almost half and half of people just wanting to have fun and just amazing athletes."

Plumb said it's nice to have the hard-core athletes because they raise the level of competition for everybody else.

For full results, visit online at www.youthhomes.com/glacier_challenge/gcresults.htm and click on the link.