LANDER, Wyo. — Four-time Stage Stop champion Anny Malo has maintained a lead in the first two stages of the 28th Annual Pedigree Stage Stop Race that kicked off in Jackson’s Town Square on Friday night.

Yesterday, Malo turned in a winning time of 2:26:02 to finish the day’s 35-mile out-and-back course ahead of Cathy Rivest (2:30:17) and Alix Crittenden (2:33:57). Donny Poulin and Laura Bontrager followed in 4th and 5th places respectively. Teams faced temperatures of -7 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast skies and six miles of switchbacks to start and finish the course. From Lander, the race heads to Pinedale.

The Pedigree Stage Stop Race consists of seven individual stages on National Forest land trails which wind through the seven mountain ranges of western Wyoming and Idaho. Teams cover 30 to 35 miles per day on out-and-back courses.

The daily race schedule is as follows: 

  • Jan. 30 – Stage Three – Pinedale, Wyoming
  • Jan.31 – Stage Four – Big Piney / Marbleton, Wyoming
  • Feb. 1 – Stage Five – Kemmerer, Wyoming
  • Feb. 2 – Travel Day        
  • Feb. 3 – Stage Six – Alpine, Wyoming
  • Feb. 4 – Stage Seven & Final Banquet – Driggs, Idaho

She's a lover of alliteration, easy-to-follow recipes and board games when everyone knows the rules. Her favorite aspect about living in the Tetons is the collective admiration that Wyomingites share for the land and the life that it sustains.