The USA 50 Mile Trail Championships was hosted by Nueces and race directors Joe and Joyce Prusaitis. Their races always have a festive and social atmosphere, from the day before the race until the morning after the race. Friends gather from all over to discuss apprehensions or excitement of the coming challenge beforehand, then reassemble post-race to share their experiences of the day. This race day began with a light frost and temperatures in the mid-30s, but warmed throughout the day into the mid-60s. The course consists of three 16.67 mile loops over hilly and very rocky terrain. Joe is often asked if he had extra rocks hauled in to add to the trails. The course has plenty of singletrack with sections of fireroad mixed in.

In the women’s race, Michele Yates (pictured above at the 2013 USA 100k Trail Champs) decided to get away in the darkness of the first hour of the race. She separated herself from the field and completed loop one in a time she questioned whether she could maintain. But maintain she did, in continuing to distance herself from all competitors and breaking her own course record by 32 minute. Her finishing time of 6:53.25 was good for 4th place overall. This was Michele’s second consecutive national title with her recent 100km win two months ago and third national title overall. She was also the defending 50 Mile champion from a year ago. Melanie Fryar and Pam Smith only ran together briefly, but were often close throughout the day. In the end Melanie pulled away slightly to claim runner up in 7:33.58. Pam Smith ran strong for third in 7:39.19. Both ladies have multiple podium finishes at competitive ultras and USATF Mountain, Ultra, Trail championships. Anabel Pearson was first Masters for the woman with a time of 9:16.31.

For the guys, there was a little more shuffling of positions with Paul Terranova breaking away early to leave a chase pack to wonder if they’d ever see him again. That pack began to break up on the second loop with Jason Bryant leading Cody Moat to chase the ghost of Paul. Halfway through this loop the two brought Paul back into sight, though Paul pushed to distance himself from the chasers once more. The final loop proved to be the decisive one, with Cody overtaking Jason early on and finally running down Paul halfway through the last loop. Cody Moat claimed his second consecutive national title following the Trail Marathon title from the fall. Cody’s 6:26.03 time was also good for a new course record. Paul continued to run strong to take second in 6:32.10. Jason was able to hang on for 3rd in 6:46.09, making his tenth 3rd place finish at a USATF trail or ultra championship. Jason Bryant was also first male Masters to make his third consecutive Masters title since turning 40 this past August.

Top Female Results:                 Top Male Results:

1. Michele Yates 6:53.25         1. Cody Moat 6:26.03

2. Melanie Fryar 7:33.58        2. Paul Terranova 6:32.10

3. Pam Smith 7:39.19              3. Jason Bryant 6:46.09

Female Masters:                       Male Masters:

1. Anabel Pearson 9:16.31     1. Jason Bryant 6:46.09

2. Joni Moore 9:51.37             2. Jorge Cardenas 7:49.20

3. Jody Koehler 10:50.24        3. Dan Vega 7:56.39

Photos are available online: http://www.backprint.com/view_event.asp?PID=bp%18sA&EVENTID=113424

Results are posted here: http://www.tejastrails.com/docs/Nueces_res_2013.html

Full USATF Overall and Age Group Results will be posted soon at:

http://www.usatf.org/Events—Calendar/2013/USA-50-Mile-Trail-Championships.aspx

A multitude of runners on a day with a multitude of weather changes make for an epic event guaranteed to leave some lasting memories. At 7:30am 882 trail runners fade into the damp & misty morning. With the ground dripping wet and saturated with moisture, the gooey mud quickly becomes the main issue.

With a stellar field of runners in for the USA 100km Trail Championships as well as the Montrail Ultra Cup points and Western States slots, we expect some fast times. But that was before the mud! Sage Canaday completes the first 50km loop under 4 hours, with Dave Mackey back another 9 minutes. A couple of local favorites, Paul Terranova & Erik Stanley, soon after, followed by Karl Meltzer. The ladies have a good battle going as well. Michele Yates, followed by locals Melanie Fryar & Liza Howard, are all under 5 hours. The 100km format is two 50km loops. It’s rare for anyone to ever run a negative split, and today is no different, but Sage still surprises us by pushing himself fast over the last set of rugged hills to reset the course record at 8:13:49. Dave Mackey has always run well here, and does so again today despite the nasty conditions to take 2nd overall and first master in 8:53:27. Paul Terranova was high flying towards the end with his heart set on a Western States slot to the point that he almost runs down Mackey for a 3rd place time of 8:55:41. Rounding out the top five is Karl Meltzer in 9:01:27 and Erik Stanley in 9:21:50.

Michele Yates holds true from start til done, looking strong right into the finish with a win in 10:08:48. Melanie Fryar is never far back but can never quite close the gap for 2nd in 10:17:30. Sabrina Little passes Liza Howard mid loop and finishes 3rd in 11:00:03, while Liza takes masters honors and 4th overall in 11:07:56. All of these runners and a few more finish before the sun goes down around 6pm, but the race is far from done. The all encompassing mist cloud finally lifts just before sunset, such that we finally see the sun just before it slips over the horizon. About the same time, a cold front blows in and drops the temperature 20 degrees in less than an hour. Just like that, we have an entirely different race. 12 hours of mud dries up in an hour of 28mph gusts of damned cold air. As cold as it is, it makes everything so much easier to run and work through. 256 100km runners whittle themselves down by 72% so that 185 collect a buckle. Its always those that come in during the middle of the night and early morning that are the most emotional. I can never tell who is gonna drop a tear until it happens, and when one cuts loose, the voice goes next, and the darkness doesn’t hide a thing.

Last year’s 100km winner, Timothy Olson tries on the 50km this year and runs away with it in 4:18:23. Bryan Morton logs 4:23:19 for 2nd, and Rasmus Hoeg 3rd in 4:42:28. Jennifer Benna was set to run the 100km and switches to the 50km the morning of. Turns out to be a good choice, as she wins the women’s 50km in 4:59:05. Denise Bourassa takes 2nd in 5:22:59, with Claudia Zulejkic 3rd in 5:41:05. 258 50km runners run the single 50km loop through the mud and the rocks and the slop with 246 finishing for 95%.

The 25km runners take the most punishment in the shortest distance by avoiding most of the flat sections. They trade mud for rocks, which on this day, is a great deal. Peter Mallett slides in to win in 2:03:56, while Joshua Torres takes 2nd in 2:06:54, and Alex Docta 3rd in 2:11:22. Emily van Dyken wins the women’s 25km in 2:26:01, with Samantha Allen 2nd in 2:28:02, and Samantha Manrique 3rd in 2:33:52. The 25km horde has 368 runners with 357 taking home a medal for 96%.

Bandera began as a small local area run. We made it tough and nasty to suit the temperament and personality required to train for a mountain race right here in central Texas. Over the years, it has done just that. Besides that, it has also attracted quite a following. There is something about the race, the terrain, the park, and the people that has a strong pull. It grew slowly at first and then quickly after a few years. Its not just the runners who come from from all over the country. Many of the same people come back each year to work an aid station, mark the course, provide medical care, haul water, and stuff packets. Engineers and electricians, doctors and nurses, cops and lawyers, students and teachers, its all the same… our merry little band continues to have fun helping each other do what we all do just for the fun of it.

NACAC Mountain Running Championships –  U.S. Team Selection 2013
The 10th NACAC Mountain Running Championships will be held on July 21, 2013, at the Cranmore Mountain Race in North Conway, NH.  The host of these Championships have rotated between the USA, Canada, and Mexico.  Our US Women have won 8 team titles and had 8 individual champions.  The US Men have won 4 team titles and had 7 individulal champions.  The US team for the NACAC Mountain Running Championships consist of 4 men and 4 women – 3 to score (unless Canada and Mexico don’t field full teams and then we score 2).  The US team is selected by the USATF MUT Council.

Team Selection Procedures
1) Automatic positions will be offered to members of the 2012 US Mountain Team who competed at the World Championships.  The first four male finishers and the four women on the 2012 team will be offered spots on the team first. Must confirm acceptance of a team spot by May 1, 2013.
2) Any remaining positions will be filled by selection from running resume with the most weighted events being the World Championships and NACAC Championships.
3) Athletes must be US citizens and have a current USATF membership.
4) Team uniforms are provided for the athletes by USATF. This is an unfunded team, so no travel funds (air travel) are provided for athletes. There are homestays and travel support to/from airport for team members.
Running resumes should be sent to Jason Bryant –runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com and Nancy Hobbs – nanohobbs@gmail.com

Team Selected by May 15, 2013
Team Announced by May 20, 2013
Race Information: Cranmore Hill Climb on July 21, 2013–www.whitemountainmilers.com/cranmore

Note: If you are looking for the selection criteria for the 2013 US Mountain Running Team that will compete at the World Championships in Poland, go here.

World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge – US Team Qualification Criteria:
The World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge is regulated by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) under the patronage of the IAAF.  The first World Long Distance Mountain Challenge was held at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland in 2004.  The first team competition took place in 2009 in Austria.  The US Women have won the team title twice and the individual title twice.  The US Men have one gold and one silver team titles, along with two individual titles.  The US teams consist of 5 women and 5 men.  The US teams are selected by USATF MUT Council.

Team Selection Procedures
1) American athletes who finish in the top 10 at the 2012 World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge will receive an automatic team selection (up to 2 per gender selected in order).
2) The 2012 USA Trail Marathon Championship winners will receive an automatic team selection.
3) American athletes who finish in the top 15 at the 2012 World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge will be placed in the selection pool.
4) American athletes can also enter the selection pool through running resume – consideration given to mountain racing experience, national championship participation, & international experience.  Important criteria considered in the selection pool will be a top 15 placing at 2012  World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge, high placing at international mountain races, top placing at national championship, top placing at other nationally recognized mountain races.  An athletes experience in mountain racing will be considered such as performances at known mountain races versus only road marathon performances or even flat trail marathons.  Running resumes should be sent to Jason Bryant – runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com with cc tonanohobbs@gmail.com. Running resumes should be received no later than May 30, 2013.
5) Athletes must be US citizens and have a current USATF membership.
6) This is an unfunded team, so no travel funds are provided for athletes.

We are working on securing team uniforms from USATF for 2013. There is some support for lodging from the LOC.
For additional information please contact Jason Bryant –runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com

Team Selected: June 1, 2013
Team Announced: June 2, 2013
Race Information: Marathon Karkonoski on August 3, 2013 in Poland
Race website: www.maratonkarkonoski.pl/en

2013 IAU Trail World Championships – U.S. Team Qualification Guidelines
A contingent of American Trail Ultrarunners will be selected to compete at the 2013 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) Trail World Championships under the patronage of the IAAF.  This event is a IAU Championship, but would be considered a Challenge event by IAAF.  This approximately 54km trail race is scheduled for July 6 or 7, 2013 in Wales. As more details become available, they will be posted on USA Ultrarunning website: www.usaultrarunning.com.

The U.S. would like to send a contingent of six men and six women ultrarunners. The contingent and alternates (if applicable) will be selected by the USATF Mountain/Ultra/Trail (MUT) Running Council which was established in 1998 to help USATF administer ultrarunning in the United States.

Standards for Consideration for 2013 US Contingent to the IAU Trail World Championships

1. An American who finishes in the top 10 men or women at the 2011 IAU World Trail Challenge will receive automatic team selection (up to 2 per gender).
2. The winner of the 2013 USATF 50km trail championship (Sept 22, 2012), 50 mile trail championship (March 2, 2013), and 100km trail championship (January 12, 2013) will receive automatic selection.  if four runners are selected under criteria #1, the selection will proceed: 50km champion, then 50 mile champion.
3. The top American male and female finishers at the 2011 IAU World Trail Challenge will be selected into the pool of potential team members if they place in the top 15 overall for their gender.
4. American athletes can also enter the selection pool through running resume – consideration given to trail ultra racing experience, national championship placing, placing at key ultra events, & international experience. Running resumes should be sent to Jason Bryant – runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com with cc to Howard Nippert - howardvchair@gmail.com. Must be received by April 26, 2013.
5. Athletes not automatically selected to the team through standards 1-3 above will be selected according to best performances (as deemed so by USATF Mountain, Ultra, and Trail Council) within qualifying guidelines.
6. Athletes must be US citizens and be current USATF members.
7. Six athletes will be named to the US Team with up to three alternates. The three alternates will be named sequentially based on performance.
8. This is an unfunded team, so no travel funds are provided for athletes from USATF.  There may be some small reimbursement available from the IAU (to be determined at the event and distributed evenly among competing athletes as quickly as possible following the event).  Team uniforms may be provided.

For additional information please contact Jason Bryant–runningmtn.goat@yahoo.com
Team Selected: May 1, 2013
Team Announced:  May 2, 2013 (With press announcement to follow soon thereafter).

This will serve as the sole qualifying race for the 2013 US Mountain Running Team that will compete in Krynica Zdrój, Poland on September 8th.  The top 6 US Men (USATF Members and US Citizens) and top 4 women (USATF Members and US Citizens) at Cranmore will make the team.  This year’s course will be unique in that it will be a Down-Up multi-lap race instead of the traditional up/down multi-lap race.  This is to mirror the course in Poland that will also be a down/up format.  Please note, the final course profile in Poland we understand will be closer to 245 meters descent/gain per lap rather than the current 219 meters per lap listed on the race website.

To learn more about the Cranmore race, visit the race website.

If you are an elite athlete looking to make the team, we do have a limited number of complimentary entries and homestays with local families available for the Cranmore race.  For more information, please contact Race Director Paul Kirsch at pkirsch2@gmail.com.

Saturday morning in Moab came crisp and cool.  But with the sun rising over the desert landscape, the temperatures heat up quickly as did the racing at Moab Trail Marathon.  The Moab Trail Marathon was serving as the USA Trail Marathon Championships which attracted a highly competitive field on both the men’s and women’s sides.  Toeing the line were US mountain team members, previous male and female trail/mountain champions, fast roadies(2:14 marathon guy, 35 minute 10K gal), hardened mountain goats, and a Spartan Racing World Champion.  Yes, you could say it was quite the mix of competitors.  Question is how would all that shake out on the trail.  The little bit that heard about race director Danelle Ballengee indicated that she was fairly hardcore.  So you would expect the course to match her persona.  This was no run through the lilies.  This was hardcore trail racing, competitors had better brought some trail skills.  There were few places to set a rhythm and crank.  Slickrock and just general rockiness were the order of the day.  Throw in some sandy sections, squeezing between boulders, and trails along steep drops, this was a trail runner’s playground.  Hopefully, runners got a chance to look up at the beautiful surroundings of canyons and desert.  What more could a trail racer want?

The men’s race got out quickly, but soon settled into the grind this course would require.  The 2012 Spartan Racing World Champion, Cody Moat, sees the trail as a place to just let go.  More accustom to obstacles in his way on race days, he did just that as he rolled over the course ahead of everyone.  Cody claimed the Trail Marathon title in 3:08:26.  Justin Ricks and Jason Bryant started out conservatively hoping the course would reward their patience.  Justin executed this strategy best in taking second in 3:14:39.  Bryant fought off the young speed behind him over the last 6 miles to take third overall in 3:17:06.  A couple of guys with fast road marathons on their resumes rounded out the top five.  Kalib Wilkerson finished fourth in 3:20:22 and Ryan Bak took fifth in 3:22:34.  Bryant was also the first master for the men, followed by Chris Grauch in 3:31:51 and Brad Poppele in 3:45:55.

On the women’s side, it was a loaded field.  Women with impressive resumes filled the entry list.  On the out and back at 10 miles they got a good chance to size one another up as they were all still fairly close together.  Kerri Lyons changed from the half to full marathon just the day before the race.  Lyons may be discovering that she has more than just road speed.  This was just her third trail race, all coming this summer.  A summer that also including a 35 minute 10K and 59 minute 10 miler on the road.  Lyons ran to the women’s trail marathon title in 3:27:46.  Megan Kimmel battled the intense course taking second in 3:32:06 for her third podium finish this year.  Kimmel was runner up at the half marathon distance in June and claimed the national title at the 10Km distance in August.  US mountain team members Michele Suszek and Melody Fairchild took third and fourth in 3:37:10 and 3:43:37 respectively.  Stephanie Howe finished in fifth with a time of 3:44:35.  Kristi Anderson came in first master in 4:08:04.  Shari Marshall and Anita Rawlinson followed in 4:17:48 and 4:54:26.

Complete race results can be found here: http://www.myentryfee.com/results/RaceList.aspx?target=373

Photos by HunterImagery.com

1. Nominated athlete must show top results in U.S. mountain/ultra/trail competitions for 2012 (November 1, 2011 through October 1, 2012).  For mountain and trail runners, this will include mountain races (these may be on paved/gravel surfaces as long as there is significant elevation loss or gain) and trail races of varying lengths below the ultra distance.  USATF ultra runners of the year will be based on results on trail and ultra road courses above the marathon distance in both national and international competition.
2. The nomination window is October 1st-October 26th.
3. Show top results in international competitions for 2012
4. Be an ambassador for the sport – athlete promotes and supports mountain ultra and/or trail running
5. Be a USATF member for the current voting year – athlete MUST have a current USATF membership
6. To be considered for the masters category, athlete must be a minimum of 40 years of age.

To nominate an athlete or contributor, click on the link below.  It is imperative that you include a list of results and/or accomplishments of the athlete as this will be the criteria with which nominees are compared.  All nominees will then be voted on by the Mountain/Ultra/Trail Council.  While we appreciate people’s enthusiasm, nominating an athlete multiple times doesn’t help their chances.  Athletes will be compared based on the accomplishments listed.

Note: If you feel an athlete is deserving of two categories (for e.g. Trail Runner of the Year and Ultra Runner of the Year), please submit a nomination for each of the categories.

Thank you for your support of Mountain, Ultra and Trail athletics.

Nominate an Athlete or Contributor

US Hotel near the finish line, view up into the mountains

Follow the US Mountain Running Team live online this coming Sunday (or Saturday night where you may live) by watching the live TV broadcast on Italian TV. Italy is 6 hours ahead of the East Coast, 9 Hours ahead of the West Coast.

http://www.teleboario.it/tbonair.asp

The local race times on Sunday are as follows
09H40: Start of Junior Women race
09H45: Start of Junior Men race
10H30: Start of Senior Women race
11H00: Start of Senior Men Race

The fourth annual Continental Divide TrailRace took place in Laurel Springs, NC, onSaturday, August 25th.  The course crossesover each side the Eastern ContinentalDivide twice.  Racers are test by achallenging course that Megan Kimmeldescribed as “true to the sport of trailrunning.”  This is no run in the park.  Theterrain and footing vary frequently withclimbs, descents, flats, grass, double track,and tight single track.  David Roche appreciated the sections of off-camber, rocky, and rooty trailracing; calling it a race of truth.  “How hard are you willing to go on the trails? Cause it is going tohurt.”  The race served as the USATF 10 Km Trail Championships for the fourth year in a row.David Roche came in with a game plan to go hard from the gun and to see who would try to stick withhim.  Bobby Mack was the only runner able to match Roche’s early hard pace.  Mack moved to thefront on the first climb back to the top of the mountain.  But Roche struck back with another tacticalsurge to regain the lead and open a gap before getting into the first technical section of the course.He never looked back and continued on to claim his first national title in a time of 41:21.  Mackfollowed in 42:42 and Duncan Hoge rounded out the top three in 44:08.  The men’s masterscompetition was a hard fought battle, with the top 3 men finishing less than a minute apart.  JasonBryant captured his first USATF masters title after turning 40 earlier this month with a time of 44:51.He and Chad Newton traded places 21 times during the race, with Newton placing as the secondmaster in a time of 45:30.  Todd Callaghan followed close behind in a time of 45:43.

Megan Kimmel also took an early lead in the women’s race with the race plan to maintain a strong and steady pace throughout the race.  She executed her plan perfectly and, after a very close second place in the spring in the USATF Half Marathon championships, captured her first national title in a course record time of 48:21, breaking the old course record by 7 seconds.  Amber Moran returned to improve on her time and placing from 2009, finishing second in 49:35.  Maria Dalzot finished in 52:58 for third place.  In the women’s masters field, the top two women repeated from last year; Alicia Parr took the title with a time of 1:03:56 and Kelly Baity was second in 1:05:26.  Laura Rain Tree was third in 1:07:09.  For the fourth year, Joyce Hodges-Hite, now 75 years old, returned to challenge the mountain and earned her fourth 70+ USATF age group championship.  Also of note, 11 years old Lauren Henderson had an impressive performance, placing 12th overall in the women’s race and 9th in the USATF championship.

USATF teams also competed for national titles.  In the men’s race, the Bull City Track Club repeated their team title with a total combined time of 3:51:49.  The Carolina Godiva Track Club took second in a time of 4:32:01, and Gate City Striders, traveling in from New England, was third with a time of 5:02:12.  For masters 40+ teams, the Carolina Godiva Track Club won the title again this year.  Gate City Striders took second and the Igloi Track Club from Indiana was third in a time of 5:04:52.  An Igloi Track Club masters 50+ team also competed, finishing in 5:30:14.  On the women’s side, Bull City Track Club fielded the only complete team to earn the team title in 5:22:53.

Spectators were scattered over the course ringing cow bells and cheering.  Kimmel commented on the ability to spectate and enjoyed seeing some of the guys race as there are separate men’s and women’s races.  Roche said he got a boost, and chills, as he passed by all the spectators cheering at the half way point on top of the mountain as well.

The Continental Divide Trail Race would like to thank the sponsors that made this race happen: North Carolina USATF, Terramar, Sheetz, La Sportiva, Marathon Chiropractic, Laurel Ridge Camp, Trail Runner, Road ID, Larabar, RedStar, and Edu Sports.  Handcrafted awards were provided by Throw & Sew, Shelton Vineyards, Phyillis Hinton Haile, SoyWorx, Village Pewter, and Derek Cernak.