Liu Steals the Lead in Thrilling Women's Stage 4
But today is a beautiful day on Mars—with low winds and great visibility. Geneva Liu took advantage of that and powered through the Melas Chasma to dominate Stage 4. The 35 year old had done moderately well thus far and run consistently in the middle of the pack. But today she blazed past all other racers to finish the stage with a whopping 2 hour lead! This has got to be a new record for the Pathfinder Marathon.
Melas Chasma is wide open terrain with little shelter from the harsh wind storms that can blow up at any minute. But today is a beautiful day on Mars—with low winds and great visibility.
Geneva Liu took advantage of that and powered through the Melas Chasma to dominate Stage 4.
The 35 year old had done moderately well thus far and run consistently in the middle of the pack. But today she blazed past all other racers to finish the stage with a 90 minute lead! This has got to be a new record for the Pathfinder Marathon.
Liu celebrates after crossing the finish line.
“This marathon is about strategy as well as physical strength,” said Liu, “You can’t forget that it’s about the long game. it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a single stage and overlook the big picture.”
Gardner and Naghiyeva clocked in after Liu at 11h 56m and 12h 23m respectively.
No stage is without its casualties. And today, marathon front-runner Luisa Murilla took a huge hit.
Murilla underestimated the height of a deceptively small drop-off and a bad landing left her with scrapes and bruises along her left leg and elbows. “The injuries are mostly surface cuts and don’t affect my running. But I lost a lot of time. And you get rattled after a fall like that.” the 24 year old said after a quick checkover by the medic-drones.
She continued on doggedly, but at a more cautious pace.
Murilla was able to make her back up the ranks with some well-timed attacks, but was unable to regain top 5.
fatigue hits runners as they toil their way through the melas chasma
Meanwhile Sadhana Adwani of Marineris and Helia Aluwalli of San Olympus both took DNF’s early into Stage 4. Both racers suffered from severe cramps and had to tap out after just 30 km into the course.
Things looked a little touch-and-go for Myriam Snyder of KMH for a while when her running blades cracked. The resourceful 23 year-old was able to repair the blade with supplies she had on hand. “Growing up in a small settlement means you have to be make do with whatever you get,” said Snyder.
The end of Stage 4 leaves us with 14 racers to continue in the fifth and final stage of the 2077 Pathfinder Marathon.
Pachehra Owns Stage 4!
An unbelievable performance by Pachehra leaves the competitors in his dust.
Aquarius 24, 2077, m249
Gunvir Pachehra dominates the field, crossing the finish line in 10 hours and 07 minutes, more than an hour and a half ahead of 2nd place Fedir Pylypovych (KMH).
To put his feat into perspective, Pachehra achieved an average running speed of 36 kph over the 360 km course. The mechanical advantage of modern blades can propel a runner on Mars up to 60 kph in ideal conditions – Note: Melas Chasma was far from ideal today.
The floor of Melas Chasma is a combination of rough eroded canyon and fine ash-like particles. At many points in the race, the runners stirred up so much dust that visibility was severely reduced. Staying in front may have given Pachehra a critical advantage.
Europa's Pachehra has a lot to smile about. Today, he wins his second stage, conquering Melas Chasma.
At the 100 km mark, Pachehra slipped after hitting loose debris. He skidded, fell back onto one arm, but was able to push himself back to a running position. It was only after the race when examined by medical staff, it was revealed that he had suffered an injury in that incident. Pachehra had run 260km with a broken wrist. Though he had overcome adversity to win the stage, it is unclear if he will be able to participate in the final stage on Saturni. Chasma Rim will require significant climbing before the final sprint to the finish line in Marineris.
Whether he runs stage 5 or not, Pachehra has become a hero across Mars. Such a physically demanding sport was thought to be for the young, but this year clearly defies that belief. At 40, Pachehra is not even the oldest runner in contention. Fellow Europa racer, Mathius Steinback is 53 and came in a respectable 8th today.
A total of 5 runners withdrew from the course. Most notable was David Atieno, the only VEX contender. Vallis Expeditionary Corporation is not only one of the primary sponsors of Pathfinder, it is widely considered the founding settlement of the sport.
With only 19 runners remaining, they will face the final 240 km along the rim of the Valles Marineris.