Mayford Combs of Grand Rapids (34) joins the throng at the start of the 48-mile Hard Rock race in Negaunee on Saturday morning. It was the featured event during the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic. (Alexandria Bournonville/Mining Journal photo)

MARQUETTE — Jorden Wakeley won one of the closest finishes ever in the top division of the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic on Saturday.

Wakeley of Grayling won the 48-mile Hard Rock men’s race in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 57.8 seconds, just four-tenths of a second ahead of runner-up Brian Matter of Prescott, Arizona, who clocked 2:29:58.2.

That’s according to records posted on the Superior Timing website at www.superiortiming.com.

In what must’ve been a photo finish, third-place Caleb Swartz of Missoula, Montana, posted an identical time to Matter, with all three racers posting an average speed of 19.2 mph.

Wakeley, who competed in the 30-34-year-old age division, while Matter was in 45-49 and Swartz in 20-24.

Kristy McBride of Marquette passes near the finish line of the 48-mile Hard Rock race at Lakeview Arena in Marquette on Saturday morning. She finished fourth among women in this featured event at the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic. (Alexandria Bournonville/Mining Journal photo)

Rounding out the men’s leading group was fourth-place Daxton Mock of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, in 2:30:07.2 as the top four were separated by less than 10 seconds.

There was a big separation going to fifth place as Nathan Guerra of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, came in a 2:34:46.7, more than 4 1/2 minutes behind Mock.

The top 10 men were rounded out by Casey Hildebrandt of Weston, Wisconsin, in 2:36:13.3, more than 1 1/2 minutes behind Guerra, Benjamin Iesalnieks of Wausau, Wisconsin, in 2:36.13.6, John Hughes of Boise, Idaho, in 2:37:28.9, Peter Karinen of Calumet in 2:37:32.2 and Scotty Albaugh of Clarkston in 2:37:53.3.

The top area finisher listed among the men was Brian Geshel of Marquette in 57th in 2:52:24.2. Next among locals was Ben Alter of Marquette in 119th in 3:02:18.2.

The records show 641 participants among the men in the Hard Rock and 82 for the women.

Winning the women’s title was Gabriela Guerra of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in 2:53:23.8, more than 5 1/2 minutes ahead of runner-up Chelsey Youngberg of Duluth, Minnesota, in 2:59:05.3. Erica Stehouwer Spore of Fort Meyers, Florida, was third in 3:00:53.9.

Guerra’s listed average speed was 16.6 mph, with Youngberg at 16.0 and Spore 15.9. The top two raced in the 25-29 age group and Spore in 40-44.

Then came Kristy McBride of Marquette, fourth in 3:02:23.3, less than 10 minutes behind Guerra.

Also in the top 10 was Elizabeth Sabin of Marquette, ninth in 3:09:46.1, while Piersan Williams of Marquette was 19th in 3:20:19.0.

Two more Marquette riders finished just after Williams. Lindsey Dehlin was 21st in 3:25:07.4 and Sarah Konefal 22nd in 3:26:06.3.

The only other area top-50 finisher was Kelli Bucholtz of Marquette in 46th in 4:04:13.7, though Shayla Coombs of Marquette was close in 52nd in 4:12:11.5.

In the 28-mile Soft Rock, Marquette riders finished 1-2 among the men and were separated by less than a second.

Corbin Grim won in 1:28:32.5 while Ian Kangas was runner-up in 1:28:33.2. Both were in the 16-19 age group.

It was a tight race among the top eight riders, all separated by just 4.1 seconds but only the top two being from the Upper Peninsula.

Next locally was Colin VanderSchaaf of Marquette in 16th in 1:31:17.4 while his brother Carson VanderSchaaf of Marquette was 18th in 1:31:30.6.

Also cracking the men’s top 30 from Marquette was Jack Grant in 24th in 1:32:17.4 and Eric Rizzio in 26th in 1:33:18.6.

This was the most popular event, with 826 men and 281 women participating.

The women’s race was another photo finish as a Marquette rider lost out on the championship despite posting the same time as the winner.

Katja Opfer of Rochester won in 1:32:16.2, the same time as Sam Paternoster of Marquette. Opfer raced in the 12-15 age group and Paternoster in 16-19.

They were more than four minutes ahead of third-place Rachel Burmeister of Boyne Falls in 1:36:37.0.

Locally, the next women’s Soft Rock finisher was Megan Broeders of Negaunee, 16th in 1:45:32.6.

Erin VanderSchaaf of Marquette, a sister to the men’s VanderSchaafs in the Soft Rock, was 20th among women in 1:47:56.5, while Negaunee’s Nicole Kerkela was 21st in 1:47:59.7 and Negaunee’s Emily Broeders 23rd in 1:49:16.7.

In the 10-mile Shore Rock, Jack Anderton of Marquette won the men’s race in 47:30.7, more than three minutes ahead of fellow Marquette racer and runner-up Logan Grim in 50:54.5.

Almanzo Hanes, whose hometown wasn’t listed, was third in 51:53.6, with John Balmat of Marquette was sixth in 53:01.9.

While Anderton was in the 15-19 age group and Grim in the 13-14, Balmat was in the relatively advanced age group of 30-39.

Marquette’s Ryan Grim was ninth in 54:08.0 in the 40-49 group, Marquette’s Beau Deiter 10th in 55:37.7, Gwinn’s Thomas Jenkins 12th in 55:49.7 and Marquette’s Matthew Klinert 19th in 58:02.5. Also cracking the men’s top 30 was Everett Boburka of Marquette, 24th in 1:01:43.8.

In this race, there were 167 men and 156 women entered.

An area girl was runner-up in women’s Soft Rock. Sarah Black of Traverse City won in 51:38.3 while Elaine Neumann of Marquette was second in 57:06.8.

Black is listed in the 13-14 age group and Neumann in 9-10.

In addition locally, Josie Wysocki of Marquette was seventh in 1:04:37.0 and Kimberly Wysocki of Marquette eighth in 1:04:37.1.

Three more area riders were in the second 10 among women. Holly Johnson of Marquette was 16th in 1:07:44.7, Leah Robinson of Ishpeming 17th in 1:07:45.8 and Ava Oswald-Swenson 19th in 1:07:59.9.

In the four-mile Junior Rock for children ages 13 and under, Francesco D’Anna of Oakland won the boys race in 15:15.8 and Marcello D’Anna of Oakland runner-up in 15:44.9.

In third was Fischer Palomaki of Marquette in 15:45.7, while Isaac Brancheau of Negaunee was eighth in 17:18.6.

Francesco D’Anna raced in the 10-11 age group as did Palomaki, while Marcello D’Anna and Brancheau were in the 8-9.

Andrew Archocosky led a three-boy contingent of 10-11 Marquette boys finishing from 16th to 18th. Archocosky finished in 18:05.1, followed by Andrew Flaherty in 18:11.5 and Boden Turner in 18:14.3.

And Milo Kocha of Marquette was 21st in 18:30.1 in the 6-7 division, with Ethan Lyons of Skandia 26th in 18:54.5, Weston Kemppainen 27th in 18:55.4 in 6-7, Alec Cody of Negaunee 31st in 19:10.7 and Trygg Quayle of Champion 32nd in 19:12.2.

This race included 123 boys and 91 girls.

For the girls, Hanna Kamal of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, won in 15:55.8 with Silvia Palomaki of Marquette runner-up in 16:19.7.

Ishpeming’s Leah Robinson was fourth in 16:42.3 and Edythe Lemieux of Marquette ninth in 18:51.8.

In addition, Stella Palomaki of Marquette was 14th in 19:41.6 in the 6-7 division, while Madelyn Dickson of Marquette was 17th in 20:02.5 and Lydia Tripp of Marquette 19th in 20:07.7.

Frankie Balmat of Marquette was 21st in 20:12.4, Callie Sundberg of Ishpeming 22nd in 20:21.6, Madelyn Miller of Marquette 24th in 21:13.8 and Ansley Sundberg of Ishpeming 25th in 21:21.5.

And Matilda Farr of Marquette was 31st in 21:58.6 in the 6-7 division, Leighton Engle of Marquette 32nd in 22:04.7 and Maizey Hopson of Ishpeming 33rd in 22:07.4.

— Report compiled by The Mining Journal’s Steve Brownlee.