A cross-country helium balloon race was won by the contest’s only all-women’s team. Lesley Davies and Carol Rymer-Davis landed Tuesday near Lisbon, Ohio, 1,450 miles from Albuquerque, N.M., and the start of the first America’s Challenge race. Davies, of Vail, Colo., and Rymer-Davis, of Denver, took off Saturday along with 11 other two-member teams during the annual Albuquerque balloon fiesta. The winner was determined by distance traveled. The second-place team of Richard Abruzzo of Albuquerque and David Melton of Espanola, N.M., also landed Tuesday, touching down about 1,400 miles from Albuquerque near Caretta, W.Va. Before the race, Davies and Rymer-Davis each had only about 50 hours of flying time in helium-filled balloons, said race coordinator Art Lloyd Jr.
