LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The third annual ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge concluded an extremely successful week Sunday in Lake Placid.

The Games saw a week filled with record-setting crowds, great weather and — most importantly — intense competition. A total of 70 medals were awarded during the four days of competition.

Crowds during the week numbered 57,050, nearly doubling the attendance at the 2001 Games. After four days of competition in 2001, attendance at the Games was 31,070. Saturday proved to have the largest crowds for the event as 26,200 fans attended at least one of the venues.

"This has been a great week for the Great Outdoor Games," said Michael Rooney, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Outdoors.

"We enjoyed large, enthusiastic crowds at all of the venues and they were witness to some of the best outdoor athletic performances in the world. This event continues to grow in popularity, both on site and with television viewers."

The Great Outdoor Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC beginning July 20. Coverage of the event on the three networks will total 19 hours.

"This has been a great week," said Ted Blazer, president and CEO of the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA).

"Really, it has been a great three years. This has been a wonderfully staged event. It took great effort between ESPN, the communities, the school, the state, ORDA and the I Love New York program."

Many of the athletes competing echoed Rooney and Blazer's opinions about the success of the week, particularly Michael Jackson of Shakopee, Minn. Jackson's dog Little Morgan recorded a 26 foot, 7 inch jump to shatter the former world record in the Big Air Sporting Dogs competition, besting by more than 3 feet the old mark of 23 feet, 5 inches.

"This was an amazing experience for such an ordinary guy and his dog," said Jackson. "The best thing about the Great Outdoor Games is that it draws the best competitors in these events on a national level."

Timber athletes enjoyed this year's Games as well, especially Jamie Fischer of Stillwater, Minn., and Mandy Erdmann of Lacrosse, Wis. Fischer won three medals this year and Erdmann repeated her success in the Women's Boom Run for the third time, becoming the first 3-time gold medal winner in the Great Outdoor Games' short history.

"I was hoping to complete a three-peat, and I did," said Erdmann, who has now claimed a total of five medals during her three trips to the Games. "It was awesome!"

"I love them (Great Outdoor Games); they are the best thing to ever happen to the sport," exclaimed Fischer after claiming gold in the Men's Boom Run. "The crowd was great and it is a great experience!"

Fischer also claimed gold in the Boom Run Champions Challenge, which was a "battle of the sexes," pitting him against Erdmann.