Life Time Crusher in the Tushar presented by The Creamery Celebrates Ten Years with New Course Record

July 10, 2022

800 riders tackle 10,400ft of climbing over 69-mile course; event marks halfway point of Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda

Beaver, Utah /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Crusher in the Tushar presented by The Creamery, a gravel event owned and produced by Life Time, welcomed a field of approximately 800 riders representing 37 states and eight countries to Utah’s Tushar Mountains outside of Beaver, Utah this past Saturday, July 9. Crusher in the Tushar joined Life Time’s lineup of premier athletic events in 2019.

The event features a 60/40 split of gravel to tarmac and brings riders to explore the stunning backcountry of Utah’s little-known Tushar Mountains and Fishlake National Forest. Racers tackled 10,400’ of climbing over 69 miles on the Crusher course, which serves as one of the most challenging gravel races in the world and the only one with a true mountain top finish.

In the pro women’s race, Haley Smith and Sophia Gomez Villafane took an early lead, but there were multiple changes of the lead with Ruth Winder and Sarah Sturm also featuring in the lead group. Smith was the first woman to reach the top of the Col d’Crush QOM point. Smith went on to take victory eight minutes ahead of second place finisher Emma Grant.

In the pro men’s race, Keegan Swenson and Howard Grotts escaped off the front early on, chased by Cole Paton. Swenson was solo by the time the course reached Circleville, and he also reached the KOM point at the top of Col d’Crush in the lead. Swenson crossed the finish line first with a massive winning margin of more than 11 minutes, setting a new course record. The action didn’t stop there, Cole Paton, Griffin Easter and Peter Steina were in a sprint to the end for second through fourth place.

When asked about riding solo for much of the race, Swenson noted, “I don’t mind racing alone, you get to ride at your own pace.” The men’s leader in the Life Time Grand Prix series presented by Mazda continued, “this one felt good – in my home state, and I think the course suits me well. As I’m getting excited for Leadville, this is definitely a good training race and pretty comparable to the climbing.”

“I didn’t know what I was going to be capable of, but I felt confident I could give it a good run,” said Haley Smith, the women’s first place finisher of Crusher. After being asked about how she felt at the finish line she continued, “It’s a hard day to plan for nutrition, I didn’t want a hydration pack because of the heat so I only had two bottles and had to ration my water and at the end I think I was at my max effort with nothing else in the tank.”

Women’s division:

1. Haley Smith, of Uxbridge, Canada with a time of 4:56:23
2. Emma Grant, 30, of Boulder, Colo. with a time of 5:05:02
3. Sarah Sturm, 32, of Durango, Colo. with a time of 5:05:42

Men’s division:

1. Keegan Swenson, 28, of Heber City, Utah with a time of 4:02:24
2. Cole Paton, 24, of Durango, Colo. with a time of 4:13:53
3. Griffin Easter, 30, of Park City, Utah with a time of 4:13:59

Non-binary division:

1. Rach McBride, 44, of Vancouver, Canada with a time of 5:20:40

Full race results can be found here.

“It’s been a long time coming – 12 years – to ride my own event, but it was worth the wait and was everything I hoped it would be,” said Burke Swindlehurst, founder of Crusher in the Tushar on his final year serving as Race Director.  “A beautiful day on the bike just soaking it all in and reflecting. It was perfect.”

The next events on the Life Time off-road event calendar will bring athletes to the border of Nevada and California for the Tahoe Trail 100 on July 16 followed by the Stages Cycling Leadville Stage Race happening July 29 – 31. Proceeding events include the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB on August 13 – the fourth event in the Life Time Grand Prix Series presented by Mazda – and the Chequamegon MTB Festival in Hayward, Wis. on September 17.

To see the full leaderboard with all athlete standings for the Life Time Grand Prix presented by Mazda, visit: lifetimegrandprix.com. Follow along throughout the 2022 season on Instagram: @lifetimegrandprix.

To view all of the Life Time athletic events, please visit: https://my.lifetime.life/athletic-events.html

The Crusher in the Tushar is owned and produced by Life Time, the premier healthy lifestyle brand. It is among more than 30 premier athletic events owned by the company, including Garmin UNBOUND Gravel, Verizon New York City Triathlon, Chicago Triathlon, and Miami Marathon.

About Life Time, Inc.

As a wellness pioneer, Life Time is reshaping the way consumers approach their health by integrating where we move, work, live and play – digitally and physically – all with the primary objective of helping people lead healthy, happy lives. With more than 150 destinations in 41 major markets across the U.S. and Canada, Life Time operates luxury athletic resorts, owns and produces iconic athletic events, and is expanding its brand through Life Time Work premium coworking spaces and Life Time Living high-end leased residences. For more information visit lifetime.life.

# # #

Media Contact: 

Jordan Titus | 218-780-6161 | jtitus@lt.life

Photo assets HERE