Mata wins Firecracker 50

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Pua Mata (Sho-Air/Specialized) and Colin Cares (Kenda/Felt) won the Firecracker 50 marathon in Breckenridge, Colorado, on the US Fourth of July holiday. The Firecracker 50, run as the US marathon national championships last year, served as round 2 of the USA Cycling US Pro Ultraendurance (UET) series.

Fresh off an eighth place finish at marathon worlds in Italy, where she was top North American finisher, Mata cruised to a solid victory. For Mata, it was her second straight win of the five-round series, and she now pads her series points heading into round number three of the series, the Galena Grinder slated for July 23 in Idaho.

Although her nearly 20-minute win over second place finisher Jenny Smith looked impressive, the Sho-Air/Specialized rider admitted she wasn't feeling in peak form after a long travel back to the States from Italy. The 10,000ft+ elevation added the challenge for all.

"I didn't feel really good out there, revealed Pua after her win. I think the wear and tear of the trip and preparation for Worlds caught up with me, plus the elevation up here is really high. I'm just really happy to get another win and pad my series points lead," said Mata. "Jenny and the girls rode strong today."

Mata finished the 52-mile race with nearly 10,000 feet of vertical climbing in a time of 4:29:58, which would have been good enough for the top 15 of the men's division. Kelly Boniface was the third woman.

"I just tried to be patient and ride smart this year," said Mata, who started to ride away mid-race. "I wanted to make sure I had enough in the tank for that second lap."

In the men's race, Cares finished in a time of 3:57:55. Jay Henry followed just 1:04 back while Kelly Magelky was third at 6:54.

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