Racers looking out their windows the morning of Saturday, April 2 were likely greeted by the sight of snow, wind, and some hopeful rays of sunshine. No better conditions for the return of the Mud ‘n Ice Quadrathlon.

By the time the start rolled around the wind had died down, the snow was melting off the roads, and things were primed for a spectacular event.

Results are online here: 2022 Mud 'n Ice Quadrathlon Results and a race recap is below.

Thanks to generous prize sponsors Hill Farmstead Brewery, Jasper Hill Farm, and Vermont Embroidery.

Taking the overall win was team 4 Fast 4 Furious, made up of Craftsbury Ski Club coaches Jake Barton (ski), Audrey Mangan (run), Rick Costanza (paddle), and Ollie Burruss (bike). A few minutes behind, the first pair across the line were the Burnham Brothers, Chris (ski, paddle, bike) and Jimmy (run, paddle). The first solo competitor across the line was local ski legend Eli Enman. The first solo woman was former Craftsbury Ski Club junior skier and current Middlebury Panther, Quincy Massey-Bierman.

Former GRP skier and current farmer Alex Howe (team Howesigacker) took the lead at the start, leaving the snow a few seconds ahead of Chris Burnham. Howe tagged to his wife, Emily, for the run, while Burnham handed off to brother Jimmy. Following Howe and Burnham off the snow were solo competitors Charlie Maitland and Eli Enman. 4 Fast 4 Furious’s Jake Barton tagged teammate Audrey Mangan in 5th, approximately 48 seconds behind team Howesigacker.

Mangan held her own in the run, passing Dreissigacker and Maitland and losing a position to Enman to come into the paddle exchange in 4th place. Teammate Rick Costanza, paddling a Placid Boatworks canoe he himself helped to build, tore down the Black River to hand biker Ollie Burruss a nearly 4 minute lead. Unaware of the extent of the lead at the exchange, Burruss hammered the muddy dirt roads to deliver 4 Fast 4 Furious the win by over 7 minutes.

Behind the eventual winners a battle for the podium was shaping up. The pair of Bingo and Nugs, made up of skier/runner Hallie Grossman and paddler/rider Ethan Dreissigacker, was quietly making up time. Dreissigacker passed Enman in the water and proceded to hold off a furious challenge from Kevin Bessett of team Binney and the Jets, snagging the final podium spot. Enman finished 5th overall and almost 8 minutes ahead of the next solo competitor.

In the women’s solo competition, Quincy Massey Bierman held off Anna Ramsey by 41 seconds to take the win in that category. Ramsey clawed back time on the bike leg, but couldn’t quite conquer the deficit by the line.

Leg winners were:

Ski: Alex Howe (men) and Hallie Grossman (women)

Run: Luke Murphy (men) and Audrey Mangan (women)

Paddle: Mark McAndrew & Mike Malley (men’s pair), Rick Costanza (men’s single) and Claire Pritchard (women’s single)

Bike: Ollie Burruss (men) and Heather Voisin (women)

All images courtesy of Paul Bierman.