Tag: Team USA

World Mountain Running Championships Preview

Got some pics from Paul Kirsch who’s over in Italy with Team USA for tomorrow’s World Mountain Running Championships. The courses look pretty ridiculous. The courses actually end in a marble quarry, even going through a marble tunnel:

And here’s the first 4 km of the senior women’s and the juniors races:

As far as the race goes, there’s a great preview over at Runner’s World:

Joe Gray and Allie McLaughlin will lead the senior U.S. men and women into this weekend’s 30th annual World Mountain Running Championships, to be held in Italy. Gray and McLaughlin, both of Colorado Springs, Colo., earned U.S. mountain running championships for their wins at New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain Race in July.

Eric Blake will be repping Team USA and the New England region. Kasie Enman also made the team based off of her performance at the Loon Mountain race, but she opted out to run (and win) The Rut 50k today in Montana.

From the MUT Facebook page: Follow us tomorrow on twitter at @usmrt Junior Women’s race starts at 3:15 AM Eastern Time, 1:15AM Mountain Time.

All you early birds, you now have a race to follow. USA! USA! USA!

Nod to the Past

Had the good fortune of meeting a couple of former Team USA runners back on July 14th. They were there as part of the grand opening of the new trail running addition to the New England Running Company in Beverly, MA. On the left if Julie Menosky, although some of you might be more familiar with the name she was racing under at the time (Peterson), and on the right is Christy Cosgrove.

Menosky made it as a mountain runner and Cosgrove was an ultra runner. At first Christy made herself sound like a casual runner, but once a badass always a badass (and making Team USA for the 100k is pretty badass). Christy also was a DIII All-American in the 3000m back in the day at what was then SMU (now UMass Dartmouth).

While our focus is on current happenings, it’s always good to give a nod to the past and hopefully familiarize people with some of the names.

Eric Blake Named to Team USA

Team USA announced for 2014 NACAC Mountain Running Championships

Official USMRT release

Team USA will compete alongside squads from Mexico and Canada at the 11th North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships on Sunday, July 20, at Carrera La Chupinaya in Ajijic, Jalisco, the same venue which hosted the event in 2011.  The teams are comprised of up to four men and four women with the top two finishers scoring for their respective country. The 2014 US team includes past NACAC team members as well as newcomers to this championship event.

The men’s team is headlined by Eric Blake, 35, West Hartford, CT, who will make his fourth appearance at the NACAC event. Blake also competed at the World Mountain Running Championships six times for Team USA. Said Blake, “The NACAC championships is one of the races I am currently gearing all my training for. I look forward to running with my teammates and representing Team USA in Ajijic!”

Ryan Woods, 35, Boone, NC, makes his third NACAC appearance, most recently in 2013 when the NACAC Mountain Running Championships was held concurrent with the US Mountain Running Championships at Cranmore, NH. Woods was also a scoring member on the 2011 US Team at the World Mountain Running Championships in Albania. Woods looks forward to competing in Mexico and said, “My training is going great. I’m healthy and getting fast. I’ve won my last two (La Sportiva) mountain cup races and have just started to gear up the mountain training. I can’t wait to race.”

Jordan Chavez, 20, Southlake, TX, is a newcomer to NACAC competition, but is familiar with international mountain racing having represented the U.S. on the junior team at the World Mountain Running Championships in 2012 when he finished in 17th position and 2013 when he moved into the top ten with a seventh place effort. Said Chavez, “I cannot wait to race in what looks to be a beautiful venue and well run race. Every opportunity to run internationally is a great honor and it will be a great experience to race with and against some of the best mountain runners in the world.” Chavez is finishing his sophomore year at University of Richmond.

Danny Martinez, 20, Alhambra, CA, like Chavez, is a newcomer to the NACAC event. Martinez was a teammate of Chavez’s last year in Poland where he was the second US junior finisher with a solid ninth place effort. Martinez, who will complete his freshman year at University of Portland this spring, was WCC Freshman of the Year 2013 running 23:58 for 8k. He competed at the NCAA All-West Region 2013 finishing in 23rd place, and was 117th at the 2013 NCAA XC Championships (team finished seventh), and ran 14:15 5k on the track at the Stanford Invitational 2014. Martinez spoke about making the team, “I’m really excited to have another opportunity to represent the USA! I think Mexico is going to be a great experience and I’m really looking forward to competing with the senior team this time.”

On the women’s side, all team members have NACAC Mountain Running Championship experience.

Brandy Erholtz, 36, Evergreen, CO, is a two-time individual NACAC champion (2010 and 2012) and was also a member of the 2007 and 2009 NACAC teams. She is a five-time member of the US Mountain Running Team, and a two-time member of Team USA competing at the WMRA Long Distance Challenge. She is a two-time winner of both the Pikes Peak Ascent and the Mount Washington Road Race which showcases her excellence in uphill racing. Said Erholtz, “I’m looking forward to competing again in 2014 after taking 2013 off to have little Asher (her first child). Although I’ve competed in many places, I have yet to compete in Mexico. I am looking forward to the course and experience. Any time I get the opportunity to represent the U.S. I feel it is both a blessing and an honor. I think we have a strong team and will be in contention for both the individual and team gold. Despite my lack of sleep and frequent nursing, training is going relatively well with recent victories at the Vail and Aspen uphill winter races, a third place finish at Moab’s Red Hot 33k and a victory at the Gorge Waterfalls 50K.”

Amber Reece-Young (formerly Moran), 35, Arden, NC, will make her fourth appearance at the NACAC event. Her racing has gotten off to a great start in 2014 with wins and course records at the Assault on Black Rock in Sylva, NC, last month and the Winter Splash Trail Race in Spruce Pine, NC in February. Reece-Young said, “We have a great team this year and I’m super excited to have an opportunity to race in the 2014 Chupinaya as part of Team USA. In 2011, the Mexican hospitality was amazing and the race was a true mountain race. I look forward to a competitive, adventure race!”

Maria Dalzot, 26, Bellingham, WA, has been on two NACAC teams, having won the individual gold in 2011 in Mexico and team gold in 2012. She was a member of the silver-medal winning US Junior Mountain Running Team in 2007. Said Dalzot, “I have been injury-free for almost a year now and have been able to do some of my best training. I am running high mileage consistently and for the first time, I have added in gym training that is specific to mountain running. Running in the NACAC Championship in Ajijic, Mexico in 2011 was one of the best experiences of my life and I am very excited to have the opportunity to go back as part of this year’s team.”

Christine Lundy, 43, Sausalito, CA, won the NACAC event in 2007 and 2009, and was on the team in 2011. She is a five-time member of the US Mountain Running Team, most recently in 2013. Lundy also excels on the roads having competed in the USA Olympic Marathon Trails in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Said Lundy, “I am very excited to return to the Chupinaya race this year as part of the 2014 USA NACAC team. Training is going well and I hope to improve my time on the course.”

Richard Bolt (Mountain View, CA) will travel with the U.S. Team to Mexico as team leader and provide social media updates from the venue, “”I’m excited to bring the US team back to Ajijic for the 2014 NACAC Mountain Running Championships,” said Bolt. “Our hosts and race organizers presented us with a challenging course and overwhelming hospitality in 2011. I’m confident our athletes will have a first-class international mountain racing experience again this summer.” Get live Twitter updates from the event at https://twitter.com/usmrt

Competitors will race over a 13.8-kilometer course which will start in the principal square of town, head toward the mountains, cross two creeks and start ascending. The majority of the course is within the Sierra Madre Mountains offering amazing views of Chapala Lake, with a downhill finish back at the town square.

The NACAC Mountain Championships have been held since 2004, with the event rotating between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. This is the fourth time Mexico has hosted the event having previously staged the championships in 2006, 2008, 2011. Canada hosted the championships in 2007, 2010, and 2012, while the U.S. hosted every other year with last year’s NACAC Mountain Championships held at the Cranmore Hill Climb in North Conway, NH.

Follow the U.S. Team at www.usmrt.com and www.usatf.org.  Photos of the US team at the 2011 NACAC Mountain Running Championships in Ajijic, Mexico can be found here.

Galoob Continues Hot Streak

Galoob gets one more on his way to the finish. Courtesy of Scott Mason Photo.

Mike Galoob made Team USA after finishing 6th (4th American) at the Dion US Snowshoe Championships. Mike ran a 44:30 for 10k in what was just his second snowshoe race ever. Here’s our interview with Mike afterwards.

Pics courtesy of Scott Mason Photo. Check out his site for great shots from all the action on Saturday.

Gray Wins NACAC XC

A shiny nickel to the first person to be able to provide 2014 NACAC XC results! I’d love to put together a more informative editor’s note to introduce this interview with champion Joe Gray, but I wasn’t at the race and can’t even seem to find much info on what happened there. Even if I were on a need to know basis, I’m pretty sure I need to know. Anyway, Joe Gray is the champion and in the process he has become the first person to win both mountain and cross country titles in NACAC competition. Amazing feat!

Gray Mason Cranmore

Gray on his way to the title at the 2013 US Mountain Running Championships, courtesy of Scott Mason Photo.

I believe I saw that you made a comment about the degree of difficulty (or lack thereof) of the USA nats course. How was the NACAC course? Was it sufficiently challenging for you?

The course was very similar to what you would expect in a trail race. No joke. There were alot of roots and some tight turns. Some long descents and ascents (a mountain runner who can run XC-type of course). I was definitely challenged. The heat made it rough as well. We were delayed by about 20 minutes too so the heat really baked us before we even started. The Nationals course was challenging in a different way however; it was flat. The mud and the competition made Nationals an entirely different challenge in that in the closing stages of the race instead of worrying about 1 or 2 guys you had to watch your back as 5-8 athletes could easily pick you off before the finish if you crumble.

What does it mean to you to be the only person to win a NACAC title in XC and Mountain racing?

That’s a huge accomplishment, I’m very proud of myself because its always an honor to be the first to accomplish a competitive feat.

Did you have a different approach against international competition compared to the US championship?

I would have to say yes. I knew Chris Derrick was fit so when he made his move I never expected him to come back especially on a flat course. At NACAC the course was so challenging that time could be made up so when I fell back I knew I could rally. I wasn’t certain I would win but I figured I would get the Silver at the least and lead our team to a Gold.

At what point did you know you were going to win it?

I really had no clue I was going to win until around the last mile when the gap I had created opened up a bit more with a major descent and ascent left before the flattish finish. I knew the Mexican athlete behind had some good speed and also has run strong on the roads so I figured if he was close with 800 to go it could get interesting but with 800 left I felt confident as we entered some of the tougher portions of the course before finishing that I could maintain my lead without much stress.

Team USA at Bupa XC

Chris Derrick and Team USA had a strong showing over the weekend in Scotland. Chris won the men’s 8k Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country race and Team USA placed second, narrowly losing out to the European squad by two points. Among those competing for Team USA was the 2013 USATF Club Nats individual champ Joe Gray. Joe Geezi (as he’s known in the Twittersphere) placed 8th overall in the very competitive field. Of the technical, tough course, Joe said: ”The race was awesome, that’s a real XC course set up there in Scotland. My shoes will never get rid of the mud we trampled over in the Salisbury Crags!”

Is there room for anymore mud on Joe’s shoes with all the trails he’s covered, especially after those muddy turns at Cranmore over the summer?

Also competing for Team USA were a couple of guys with local ties. Sam Alexander, a BAA Unicorn and assistant coach at defending New England XC champs Central Connecticut State University, and Ryan Bak, a Trinity College alumni. Sam and Ryan placed 27th and 17th, respectively out of the 29 person field. As you can see, it was a very small but fiercely competitive race.

Sam Alexander out on the course in Scotland.

Sam Alexander out on the course in Scotland.

Sam still ran a 26:05 on the difficult terrain even though his “legs felt very tired in the race itself.” It’s obviously not the way one would want to finish off the cross country season, but it makes for a long season when you’re still racing in January. “I’m in good shape but for some reason the race didn’t workout,” continued Sam. “Extremely tough course. Technical and muddy with wind and lots of turns. So happy to make the team and have the honor of competing with such great guys. Looking forward to more opportunities like this one.” Hopefully it’s not the last we’ve seen of Sam sporting the Team USA singlet!

Back to Joe Gray, who gave a little more detail on the race itself:

“Race went pretty well considering this event was not planned so my training didn’t match for an 8k effort. The pace felt pretty aggressive to me early on but i hung in there and passed about 13 guys over the last lap somehow. I think i had a surge of energy when i saw the European XC champion ahead of me. Also Jim Estes and Mic Byrne really gave alot of pre race encouragement so I didn’t want to let my team down so I tried to pass anybody I could and hold my position. Overall, when I look at the guys who did beat me I can accept and be happy with 8th place. There were a lot of tough guys behind me and the guys ahead were no doubt talented and accomplished athletes.”

As for the ladies, Kellyn Johnson was 6th in 21:02 in the women’s 6k championship. As a team the US finished third behind the winning  Great Britain and runner up European squads.

For more info on the event check out this write up on the USATF site, and click on the pic below for a link to more great pics from the races.

Screen Shot 2014-01-15 at 10.55.01 AM

Alexander Hit Next Level

 

 

It’s in the rearview mirror now, but between Matty P’s tweet and the USATF releasing the Team USA roster for the 25th Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country race today, we figured it was a good time to put up something on club nats. The big story, as some of you already know, is that Sam Alexander was selected for the team.

Before we get into the races, I wanted to say that I was looking through Rod Hemingway’s photos (two of which appear below) from the races and I couldn’t believe how many people hit the ground during the race. It looked like staying on your feet was quite the challenge. Anyway, on to the races:

The Men

Joe Gray ran a 31:05 to win the 10k championship, but it’s hard not to focus our attention the Sam ran. What can we say, we’re partial to the Legion. Sam ran a 31:27 and finished in 9th place. Joe Moore, Max King, Nick Arciniaga, Alan Webb…just a couple of names from the long list of runners finishing behind Sam. Those guys are no slouches, either. Sam’s BAA team ended up finishing 12th place. Due to some archaic rule, Sam wasn’t allowed to score for the BAA because he lives in CT which is technically outside of our New England region. No doubt the BAA would’ve been a few slots higher had Sam been allowed to score for them. The BAA had a couple of other guys up there though, with Eric Ashe coming in 28th and Brian Harvey finishing 43rd.

Ryan Bak, a graduate of Trinity College, finished 7th overall and led his Central Oregon Running Club teammates to a 24th place finish. Ryan will be joining Sam on Team USA for the BUPA race.

Teams
12. Boston Athletic Association
19. Garden State Track Club (A)
27. New Balance Boston
36. Greater Boston Track Club
38. GSTC (B)
42. GSTC (C)
48. HFC Striders

Team USA Roster
Ryan Bak
Joseph Gray
Brendan Gregg
Richard Medina
Maverick Darling
Robert Mack III
Samuel Alexander
Christopher Derrick
Gregory Montgomery

For the masters, the BAA squad didn’t disappoint. Led by Harry Stants (20th, 35:59), the Unicorns bunched up nicely and finished in about as tight of a pack as can hope for. Close behind were Keven O’Neil (22nd), Peter Hammer (26th), and Chris Magill (27th). Although the Greater Springfield Harriers weren’t the highest placing team from the region, their presence was felt. Sandu Rebenciuc finished 6th (35:01), leading the team to a strong 11th place showing.

40+ Teams
3. BAA
11. Greater Springfield
19. HFC

50+ Teams
7. Greater Lowell Road Runners

The Women

The 1-2 punch of Jillian King (20th) and Sydney Fitzpatrick (22nd), who ran 22:36 and 22:44 respectively, led the New Balance Boston ‘A’ squad to a 5th place finish. Katie DiCamillo (86th) and Joanna Murphy (59th) had off days and didnt run quite as well as last year (19th and 28th, respectively), but they still ran well enough to push the team into the upper echelon of the field. That’s a deep team.

The CPTC women came in 7th, led by Jane Vongvorachoti and her 35th place finish.

Teams
5. New Balance Boston (A)
7. Central Park Track Club
12. New York Athletic Club
19. GBTC
20. NBB (B)
21. GSTC (A)
34. GSTC (B)

Team USA Roster
Addie Bracy
Corey Conner
Karen Dimoff
Amy Van Alstine
Kellyn Johnson
Renee Baillie
Katie Kellner
Stephanie Marcy
Rochelle Kanuho

Masters Mountain Running World Championship

Masters Mountain Running World Championships – Janske Lazne, Czech Republic

Guest blog by Dave Dunham

I did not feel ready for this race due to my hamstring woes, but I felt that I’d give it my best.  We had to wait through the morning as the 5 year age groups went off.  We (me, Francis, and TiVO) would be starting at 1:00 PM, just about the worst time to race…it ruins the whole day J

It was warm and dry when we headed out for a warm-up over the first 3k of the course.  It started with a 300’ climb and descent over nice single-track trail then the “real” racing would begin with a 5km+ climb averaging around 10% grade (500’ per mile).  My hope was to survive the up/down part then find a good rhythm on the climb.  I felt okay on the warm-up and had some great pre-race jitters, so I was definitely mentally in the game.

The author takes on Loon Mt, earlier this summer. Courtesy of Scott Mason Photo.

The author takes on Loon Mt, earlier this summer. Courtesy of Scott Mason Photo.

We got lined up and I found a spot 3 or 4 rows from the front with TiVO right with me.  Francis lined up in the front row on the other side.  I had heard that it might be very fast and aggressive at the start.  I was surprised to find that it seemed to go out reasonably and I didn’t have to fight for position.  On the first climb I found myself in eighth place and TiVO was a few seconds ahead.  Francis was up front in a pack with the top few guys.  The downhill wasn’t too bad, I just lost one place but my hamstring was not bad and I was looking forward to the climb.

It was really warm during most of the climb and the parts on the dirt road were dusty at times when the wind kicked up.  It was fun reeling in some of the other category runners on the climb and for the first 2K of climbing I could still see TiVO and Francis up ahead.  We hit the toughest stretch (a 25% grade on a ski slope) and I could see all 8 guys in front of me.  Of course at that steepness and clear view, you could see a few minutes ahead.  With 3k to go TiVO was 22 seconds ahead and looking strong.  I felt pretty good right up until we hit the long (500m?) downhill/flat stretch.  My legs just wouldn’t go fast.  At the 1km to go sign I heard someone charging fast and he zoomed by.  We started the final climb and I was able to reel him back in.  We hit the top with 500m to go and BOOM he took off, 200m later I was passed by another guy and had no response.

I crossed the line in 45:31, for the 8.6km (5.4m) course with 3,000’ of climb, taking 11th place.  Francis took 4th place and TiVO got 8th place, both nabbing there best finish at a Masters World champs.  We combined for 23 points which left us 2 points shy of the gold medal.  Germany beat us and I felt pretty bad that it hinged on the two guys who beat me in the last few minutes of the race.  I guess I’ll have to go to Telfes, Austria next year and work harder.  I closed out the day with a warm-down run back down the mountain trying to savor it, knowing it would be my last run for a month.

Results:
1 Paul Sichermann            GER            48            41:56
2 Grzegorz Czyz               POL              45            42:12
3 Rostislav Petrass  CZE              47            42:57
4 Francis Burdett             USA              48            43:31
5 Paul Dugdale                GBR              48            43:36
6 Borek Janick                 CZE              48            43:45
7 Siegfried Krischer  GER              45            44:05
8 Tim Van Orden             USA              45            44:21
9 Jim Jurcik                     SVK              45            45:21
10 Stephen Pyke                        GBR              48            45:36
11 Dave Dunham             USA              49            45:31
12 Kjell Mundal                NOR              49            47:02
13 Bernd Keppler                        GER              48            47:57
14 Ladislav Sventek SVK              48            48:13
15 Uwe Hansch               GER              48            49:10

Teams:
1          GER       21 
SICHERMANN Paul        1
KRISCHER Siegfried             7
KEPPLER Bernd                13
 2         USA       23 
BURDETT Francis              4
VAN ORDEN Tim         8
DUNHAM Dave                 11
 3         CZE        30 
PETRÁŠ Rostislav              3
JANČÍK Bořek                 6
SOUKUP Petr                   21
 4         GBR       40 
DUGDALE Paul                 5
PYKE Stephen                         10
WHITAKER Jonathan             25
 5         SVK       56 
JURČÍK Ján                     9
SVENTEK Ladislav              14
BULIK Milan                   33
 6         ITA        63 
ECCHELI Alessandro           16
TODESCO Fiorenzo              19
SOVRAN Paolo                 28

Follow DD a little more closely by checking out his great blog Double-D Mountain Runner.

Cranmore: Interviews & Highlights

The final race in the USATF-NE mountain series took place in North Conway, NH last Sunday. The Cranmore Hill Climb was the culminating event and served as the US and NACAC Championships.

In the men’s race, Joseph Gray (aka Joe Geezi) started out conservatively and overcame a late surge from Zachary Ornela to secure another championship. Joe talked to us shortly after the race:

Glenn Randall got the better of his old Dartmouth teammate Chris Zablocki in their head to head match up on the mountain. The mountains are a whole different animal than the roads, but Chris still did pretty well for a first timer on this terrain. Glenn ran real well and made Team USA again. Here are the two of them talking about the race and competing against each other:

For more on the men’s race, we compiled a raw footage highlight video (well, there’s some editing):

One of our favorite shots from this is of a wobbly Eric Macknight crossing the line. A lot of people had that look going through the finish chute that day and it was a testament not only to how hard the course was but to how hard they worked out there. We finally had Christin Doneski on camera for an interview, but we cut it short to go make sure Eric was okay (he was). Christin’s a tough competitor (2013 mountain series champion) and also a pretty good teammate too.

Speaking of Christin, we had already put up some coverage of the women’s race, but here’s some more. Afterwards we got an interview with Meggan Franks, the top finisher from Team Canada and also the top foreign finisher (13th overall). She’s totally #OnTheLevel:

All this mountain series coverage left you with a case of mountain fever? Well start training now and maybe you’ll be ready to take on the series in 2014. Complete the whole circuit and you’ll attain Mountain Goat status and be able to bypass the Mt Washington race lottery. There’s still the world championships coming up in Poland too, so you’ll see more from the mountains on the Level. Be sure to also check out Scott Mason Photo and Joe Viger Photography for some absolutely amazing shots from the race.

Living The Dream

Amy Rusiecki, along with her husband Brian, has been selected to the US Team for the IAU World Trail Championships. The race will be held in Wales this summer. Since Rusiecki is her married name, some of you may know her by her maiden name of Amy Lane. Still others may be more familiar with her nickname of Amy Fucking Lane, as was revealed in her profile in the October 2012 issue of Level Renner (There Will Be Blood, pgs 14-17). That name would seem appropriate for a bad ass character in a Tarantino flick and is quite fitting here given the reputation she has developed as a tough-as-nails runner.

Here’s a firsthand account from Amy herself about being selected to Team USA:

When I was young, I remember driving in to Ashland and watching the Boston Marathon. I would cheer on every athlete out there, because they were amazing to be out there, running Boston. Running that far seemed so incredible, and it didn’t matter to me where they finished…they were inspirational to be doing it. It inspired me to be a runner, and started the dream of someday achieving something as incredible as the marathon.

Courtesy of Scott Livingston

Courtesy of Scott Livingston

I’ve run for most of my life, and while I’ve enjoyed races of all distances and all terrains, I found my true passion with trail running and ultrarunning. Perhaps I’m a masochist, because the longer the better…the tougher the better…I crave adventure. I’ve won the highly competitive Seven Sisters Trail Race, I’ve completed four 100 mile races (with two more coming this summer), I’ve twice raced a 6-day 120 mile stage race over the Colorado Rockies, I’ve won numerous 50k and 50 mile trail races throughout New England. I enjoy pushing my limits and continuing to learn about myself through distance running. I feel at home in the community that trail and ultrarunning provides.

Running has given me so much – it has given me an outlet for my energy and passion. It has given me a community of training buddies and Western Mass Distance Project teammates that inspire and motivate me. It has given me confidence in myself that I lacked for so long. Several years ago it found me my husband and gave us common ground to share. Most recently, running has given me the opportunity to represent my country and race on an international platform at the IAU World Trail Championships, fulfilling the dream of my youth to wear USA across my chest and run for my country. Even better, it is allowing me to share this opportunity with my husband, Brian Rusiecki, who has also been selected for the US Team.

The USA Team selection is coming off many successful years of ultrarunning competition for myself and my husband. Brian has been a dominating racer in New England over the past 4 years, but 2012 was his most successful season.  He won more ultra races than anyone else in the country (an honor I obtained in 2010). He dominated races up and down the east coast, ranging in distances from 50 mile to 100 mile, and was voted #6 on the ‘UltraRunner of the Year’ by UltraRunning Magazine. I had my best 100 mile finish (finishing just 2 minutes shy of the female winner), won the storied Vermont 50 mile race, and finished 2nd in the 6-day, 120 mile TransRockies Run stage race. Coming off that success, Brian and I are both honored to have been selected for the US Trail Running Team.  It is the first national team selection for either of us.

The World Trail Championships, taking place in Wales, will be a 75k technical trail race in early July. The 10-person team includes three New England runners: myself, Brian, and Ben Nephew (CMS).  I think that the technical rocky terrain we play on in New England will serve us well when we race this challenging course in Wales, and played into the selection heavy on east coasters.

I think my feelings on this are summed up well by Sabrina Little, who recently competed on her first US team at the World 24 Hour Championships:

“There are some exclusive clubs that are difficult to gain access to, but once you get in, life is easier. You can relax. Take Ivy League institutions, for example. A U.S. National Team is not like that. Earning the American singlet is difficult, and once you do that, more is demanded of you because running is no longer a singular pursuit. You represent your country—your coaches, your family, and your freedoms. It was weighty, so I was feeling anxious.” – Sabrina Little, US 24 Hour Record Holder, on her first US Team selection.

Note: The USATF does not support the US Trail Running Team at this time. To support Amy and Brian’s effort, click here.

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