Friday, June 13, 2008

Mt. Washington Road Race - USA Mountain Championship Preview

The nation’s top mountain runners will gather in Gorham, NH on Saturday, June 21 to race the 48th annual Mount Washington Road Race in the hopes of making the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. The top four U.S. male finishers and the top U.S. female finisher will be named to the team (must be current USATF members). The 10-member US Team open squad of six men (four to score) and four women (three to score) and the seven-member junior squad of four junior men (three to score) and three junior women (two to score) is slated to compete in the 24th World Mountain Running Trophy race on September 14 in Sierre, Crans- Montana, Switzerland.

In addition to hosting the first team selection race, Mount Washington is site of the 2008 USA Mountain Running Championships – the third time in five years. Top Northwest runners scheduled to compete in the championship are Richard Bolt, 37 (Portland, OR) who was a member of the 1999 and 2002 US Mountain Running Teams. Joseph Gray, 24 (Lakewood, WA) a collegiate steeplechaser (University of OK) has focused his pre-season training on running uphill. Michael Sayenko, 23 (Bellevue, WA) boasts PRs of 14:08 for 5 km, 29:07 for 10 km and 4:07 for the mile certainly has the leg speed to pose a threat to the field. Sayenko was this year’s youngest finisher at the Olympic Marathon Trials where he finished 29th.

More information about the Mt. Washington Road Race can be found at: http://mountwashingtonroadrace.com/

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