Damon Goerke wins the 2012 Coastal Challenge ultra run

Damon has won the 2012 Coastal Challenge Ultra in Costa Rica. After a tough battle with local Roiny Villegas, Damon finally gained the win in the last 2 stages of the 220km running race. Damon can now add this title to a growing list of international wins that include the Namib Desert Challenge and Gobi Desert run. Now he has just 3 weeks to recover before a title defence at the Maroondah Dam run. Congratulations Damon.

report and photos thanks to http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com/

Stage6 - Australian wins 8th edition of The Coastal Challenge

Australian Damon Goerke is The Coastal Challenge's new champion. Goerke is a long distance runner and international adventure racer.

This is his first event in Central America's tropical jungles and accentuates Roiny Villegas's strength throughout the race. Roiny missed markings on SectionA of Stage5 and ended up running twice the distance, losing his recently gained first overall on Stage4 merely 7 seconds ahead of Goerke.

Today's stage started in Junquillal, a natural reserve located on the Pacific Coast and headed north on reef and sand to finish at Bolaños Bay near the border with Nicaragua.

Male/Masculino

Damon Goerke (AUS) 20:38:42 Roiny Villegas (CRC Elmec): 21:39:17 Chris Barth (CAN): 24:21:10

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik (USA): 29:03:48 Kelly Wilson (USA): 30:32:12 Patricia Ossenbach: 31:11:03 ---

Today's Stage:

- Km: 22Km - Start: Bahía Salinas - Finish: Bahía Salinas

DAMON GOERKE CLIMBS NEAR ARENAL VOLCANO

Damon in great battle in Costa Rica Coastal Challenge

Damon is involved in a tight battle for the lead of the Costa Rica Coastal Challenge with local Roiny Villegas.  Damon finished a close 2nd in stages 3 and 4, and with 2 stages left he is just 7 seconds behind. There are reports that race leader Villegas got lost on stage 5 so Damon may have taken the lead.

More race reports from http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com/

CRC runner, Roinny Villegas came in first position on Stage3, taking off 6m45s from the overall leader, Damon Goerke who came in second today. Goerke continues on the lead by six minutes.

Etapa de hoy:

- 33Km - 1550 Metros Elevación Acumulada - Inicio: Tierras Morenas (Faldas de Volcán Tenorio - Meta: Cuipilapa (Faldas de Volcán Miravalles)

Today's Stage:

- 33Km - 1550 Elevation Gain - Start: Tenorio Volcano - Finish: Miravalles Volcano

Male/Masculino

Roiny VILLEGAS 02:54:39 Damon Goerke 03:01:24 Chris Barth 03:39:55 Steve Bremner 03:44:41 Christian Schiester 03:48:14

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik 04:12:19 Kelly Wilson 04:16:15 Patricia Ossenbach 04:44:47 Ana BARRANTES 05:05:40 Tanya Meeth 05:27:30 ---

Stage4 - Costa Rican takes first overall at The Coastal Challenge

Roiny Villegas runs ahead of Australian, Damon Goerke after four stages of running in some of Costa Rica's most remote locations.

"The Australian is very strong," kept repeating Villegas as he grasped first position. After 200km of running Villegas shortens the remaining five minutes separating the two racers and starts Stage5 first in the general list.

Went from the Miravalles Volcano to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano.

In the girl's field Laura Hornik (USA) holds tight to first place, followed by Kelly Wilson (USA) and Costa Rican Patricia Osembach. "I think I'm running with one less toenail," said Osembach as she complains about strong pain in her feet after 200kilometers of racing.

Male/Masculino

Roiny Villegas: 04:02:00 - General 15:53:43 Damon Goerke 04:07:00 - General 15:53:50 (00:00:07) Vicente Charpentier: 004:56:17 - General (+6:39:40

Femenino/Female

Laura Hronik: 5:57:58 - General 22:15:04 Kelly Wilson: (se define en unos minutos) Patricia Ossenbach: (se define en unos minutos)

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Today's Stage:

- 46Km - 1550 Elevation Gain - Start: Miravalles Volcano - Finish: Rincón de la Vieja Volcano

Damon Goerke competing in Coastal Challenge, Costa Rica

Team Blackheart's ultra running machine Damon Goerke has started 2012 in fine form. Firstly he placed first  in the Bogong to Hotham 64km ultra. Unfortunately the race was cancelled at half way due to poor weather and Damon didn't feel right about taking the trophy. But he was in front of his best previous time at Langfords Gap by 7mins so he was certainly in good form. Good enough form that he booked a flight to Costa Rica and is now running The Coastal Challenge. This race has been on Damon's bucket list for a while now and its easy to see why. The course looks amazing and this years edition is 220km over 6 days. 

The good news is that Damon was 2nd in the first stage, just one minute behind Canadian Charlie Barth, and in front of several time Coastal Challenge winner Roiny Villegas. 

But  Damon has taken the lead on a the extremely tough stage two and now leads by 11 minutes with 150km left to race. Keep it up Damon!

Here is a link to the website-http://www.thecoastalchallenge.com/
But there are more updates via the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TCC.Rainforest.Run

Race Facts:Dates: January 21- January 28th
Length of Race: 6 Days
Location: The remote and dry Northwestern coast and volcanic regions, through inland lakes, windswept highlands, jungle and tropical dry forest. The course is set in Costa Rica's driest area. 
Terrain: jungle and rainforest trails, rough and winding dirt roads, farm roads and some asphalt; mountain trail and some single track across ridgelines, passes and highlands; beaches and rocky outcroppings or reefs, dry tropical forest and rainforest, open lands including river/water crossings and more...

here is the stage one and two reports translated to English from http://blog.leadadventuremedia.com

(TCC2012) RECAP - STAGE 1

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012 AT 2:57 PM

In Stage 1 of The Coastal Challenge was Chris Barth Canadian who comes in first place in stage one of the event. This is the second occasion on which the Canadian competing in the sack.

The Stage 1 was very sunny and moderate wind in the hills west of Lake Arenal, where he met the goal of this first stage. This is one of the shorter stages in preparation for the second stage which has a distance of 62km.

The competitor Roiny Villegas (CRC) ELMEC team comes in third position and remains one of the favorites to win the eighth edition of the Coastal Challenge.

Kelly Nelson is the first woman to finish the stage in the female category this is the first occasion on which Kelly competes in this event and leads the overall standings.

Stage one of the event was a distance of 24 km, up to 1550 meters and accumulated two checkpoints.Started in La Fortuna de San Carlos, climbed the hill flat, went through the Arenal Volcano and came to the castle (Rancho Margot) on the shores of Lake Arenal.

This year participants from Australia, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Sweden and the United States were present to participate in the eighth edition of the ultra-marathons planet's strongest stage.

1. Barth Christ - Canada - 2:26:07

2. Damon Goerke - Australia - 2:27:15

3. Roiny Villegas - Costa Rica / ELMEC Team - 2:30:39

Stage 2 Find New Leader

In stage two of the Coastal Challenge Expedition Run World's Damon Goerke was (AUS) who won the first position followed closely by Roiny Villegas (CRC / ELMEC). Chris Barth (CAN), who finished first in yesterday's stage today suffered the consequences of a scorching sun and a cumulative total ascent over 4200mts losing first place in the overall standings.

From this stage the fight is between the Australian national Roiny Goerke and Villegas.

The Stage 2 began in the Arenal Volcano and went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, then heading north through the mountains to pass Tilarán Wind Project near Lake Arenal and then turning to the community in Moray Land Volcan Tenorio

In the women's U.S. Keri Nelson had to retire in the Doping Control after presenting two knee problems and fatigue.

The stage went from tropical rainforest in the Cloud Forest Arenal to Monteverde area and then dry forest in Guanacaste where competitors have four stages to go before reaching the finish line in Bahia Salinas near the border with Nicaragua

There is nothing defined yet, four stages remaining after the event and more than 150 km yet to go on the slopes of the volcanoes of Guanacaste.

Masc. 1. Damon Goerke - Step 6:18:49 - 8:46:04 2 General. Roiny Villegas - Step 6:27:09 - 8:57:30 3 General. Chris Barth - Step 8:15:53 ​​- 8:57:30 General

1 female. Laura Hronik - Etapa 8:48:10 - General 12:12:24 2. Kelly Wilson - Etapa 9:14:31 - General 12:50:38 3. Patricia Osembach - Etapa 9:14:31 - General 12:57:48