Mt Washington Hall of Fame - class of 2011 announced!

The second class for the Mount Washington Road Race Hall of Fame has been announced!

From the official press release:

Derek Froude, the first person to run up the Mt. Washington Auto Road in under one hour, joins four-time Mt. Washington champions Mike Gallagher and Daniel Kihara this year as the 2011 inductees to the Mt. Washington Road Race Hall of Fame.  These three extraordinary runners will be honored this summer in a ceremony held at the base of Mt. Washington on Friday, June 17, the evening before the 51^st running of this all-uphill race to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast.

Stats on each (from Dave Dunham's records)

Derek Froude – A two-time winner and the first runner to break one hour.  He set the course record in 1990 with his 59:17.  Derek raced three times from 1990-1992 and his only defeat was a second place finish in 1992.  Derek also twice competed in the Olympic marathon finishing 34^th and 35^th place respectively (http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/derek-froude-1.html).

Mike Gallagher – Had four consecutive wins from 1968 to 1971, only Bob Hodge has more consecutive wins (five).  He ran a personal best of 1:06:13.  The world-class skier from Killington Vermont was victorious in all of his attempts.  He was a three-time Olympic cross-country skier (http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ga/mike-gallagher-1.html).  At the time of his second win he held two of the top three times.  His third and fourth victories were unprecedented.  In his final win in 1971 he took a 51 second victory over Amby Burfoot as the field topped 100 runners for the first time with 112 finishing.

Daniel Kihara – Had four wins in five attempts from 1996 to 2002.  His only loss was a sixth place finish in the weather-shortened race in 2002.  All of his times were between 58:21 and 1:00:06.  He has the single age records for age 28, 32, and 33.  He is the only runner in the history of the race with three sub-one hour finishes.

The 51st running of the “Run to the Clouds” event will take place on June 18, 2011. The historic all-uphill run draws thousands of runners from across New England, throughout the U.S., and from countries as close as Canada and as far away as Kenya, to make the grueling climb to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast.  http://mountwashingtonroadrace.com/ 

Mountain Running Rockstar - Kilian's Quest Season 3 teaser

Check out this new video from Salomon Running featuring mountain running rockstar Killian Jornet.

You can follow Killian's workouts here at movescount.com: http://www.movescount.com/members/kilianjornet

Rogue Valley Runners Zane Grey 50 mile report

Hal Koerner from Rogue Valley Runners reports on the happenings at the recent Zane Grey 50 mile race in Pine, AZ.  Read his full report here:
http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2011/04/leaves-all-zane-grey-around-edges.html

USA 100k Road Championships Results

Trail maven Devon Crosby-Helms from our neighbor to the south (California not Mexico) cleaned-up at the recent USA 100k Road Championships with a course record of 7:46:33.  Complete results, photos and story can be found on the race website here:

http://madcity100k.com/home.php

Peterson Ridge Rumble - race reports

The Peterson Ridge Rumble took place this past weekend outside Sisters, Oregon.  Here is a great race report from 2nd place finisher Yassine Diboun (pictured above finishing the 2009 Where's Waldo 100k Trail Race):
http://runforyourlife-yassine.blogspot.com/2011/04/born-to-rumble.html

Complete results can be found at:
http://www.gobroncobilly.com/rumble/

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb - Registration Opens April 15

Join the action on Saturday August 6th, 2011 for the 34th Annual Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run. This 13.3 mile event begins in downtown Ashland's beautiful Lithia Park (el 1900') and climbs on tree-canopied dirt roads and trails to finish on the Mt. Ashland summit (7533'), for a total of 5,600' of climbing--that's over a vertical mile!

Registration will open April 15.

The Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run has the second most elevation gain of any continuous hill climb in the continental United States. The Pikes Peak Ascent in Colorado is the only event with more--7,800 feet. We have more elevation gain than even the Mt Washington Road Race in New Hampshire (4,727').

For more information visit:
http://mtashlandrun.com

Trail speedster Max King wins Pear Blossom 10 miler

Max King (pictured above, 2nd row, center) was a member of the 2010 US Mountain Running Team and finished 16th at the World Mountain Running Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia.

Pear Blossom Run (35th)
Medford, OR, USA; Saturday, April 9
Distance: 10 mi., out-and-back course; course was previously certified and validated, but that certification has expired.
Finishers: 722 men + 854 women = 1580 total (equal to last year)
Course Records: Men, new (see below); Women, 57:07, Deanna O'Neill, 1994
NOTE: Max King beat back a credible challenge from Mike Reneau to get a 12-second victory here and break his own course record.


MEN (gun times) - 
1. Max King, 31, Bend, OR              49:11 CR*
2. Mike Reneau, 33, Corvallis, OR      49:23

Complete results at: http://www.pearblossomrun.com/

Forest Park All Trails Challenge Registration Open

The popular Forest Park Conservancy All Trails Challenge returns in 2011 as a completely re-imagined event. This year, in addition to all the benefits of hiking, biking, walking and riding 80 miles of trails, we'll be offering ATC2011 participants a new and exciting opportunity to have a direct, positive impact on the health of the forest with every single step.  For more information go to:
http://forestparkconservancy.org/portland-hiking-trails/all-trails-challenge.html

New Trail Factor website up and running

Portland's premier trail running group has a new website.  Check out TrailFactorPDX.com and see what's going on in the local trail running community.  Trail Factor has an active email group, does weekly trail runs and often travels to races together.

2011 Lithia Loop Trail Marathon Registration Open

The 2011 Lithia Loop Trail Marathon this November will once again serve as the USA Trail Marathon Championships.  For details go to the Rogue Valley Runners website:
http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2011/04/capturing-spirit.html

Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 mile / 20 mile Trail Races this weekend

The 2011 Peterson Ridge Rumble takes place this coming Sunday, April 10.  Race website is here:
http://www.gobroncobilly.com/rumble
Last years race was won by Portland's Yassine Diboun.
http://usatforegonmut.blogspot.com/2010/04/yassine-diboun-wins-peterson-ridge.html

Masters 8 km and 10 km Championships Highlight Spring Road Racing Calendar

Masters athletes, ages 40 and over, will have two opportunities to compete in USA road racing championships in the coming months.

On May 21 the USA Masters 8 km Championships will be held in historic Williamsburg, Va. The championship is part of the Run for the Dream 8K.
The early entry deadline for this championship is Sunday, April 10. The early entry fee is $40. The entry fee for entries received between April 11 and May 19 is $45.

The 8 km championships will serve as the third event in the inaugural USA Masters Long Distance Running Championships Club Grand Prix. For more information or to enter the championship visit the event website.

On June 5, the USA Masters 10 km Championships will be held in Ann Arbor, Mich. The championship is part of theDexter-Ann Arbor 10K.
The entry deadline is June 2.

The 10 km championships will serve as the fourth event in the inaugural USA Masters Long Distance Running Championships Club Grand Prix. For more information or to enter the championship visit the event website.

XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Runs Preview

There’s still a week left to join the fun and register to run in the XTERRA Lake Las Vegas Trail Runs.

The race is scheduled for April 9 at Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, Nev., and online registration is available at http://www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/lakelasvegas.html. There are three courses to choose from (21 kilometers, 10 kilometers or 5 kilometers), and runners of all ages and skill levels are eligible to participate.

Runners from 16 states and four countries have already registered, including several elite contenders in the 21K championship course.

In the men’s division, Colorado runners Andy Ames and Marty Wacker, Pennsylvania’s Richard Burgunder and Japan’s Fujio Miyachi are some of the runners to watch.

Burgunder has fared well in XTERRA Trail Runs on the East Coast, and will be entering the Las Vegas race for the first time. “I haven't heard too much about the course’s terrain, but am anxiously looking forward to a new adventure,” he said. “I expect that the weather will definitely play a role in the race for North Eastern athletes. We've had a very harsh winter, and it's currently snowing and in the low 30's here in Pittsburgh right now. It's going to be quite a change going from cold, wet weather, to a dry and hot climate.”

In the women’s division, Rachel Cieslewicz of Utah is returning to Las Vegas to defend the title she won last year. Cheryl Castle of Colorado is expected to be one of the other female contenders, and several others will likely enter in the days leading up to the race.

The fastest male and female runners in the 21K course will each receive a round-trip to Hawaii, courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines (2010 winners Rachel Cieslewicz and Jordan Bryden pictured above show their flight certificates). The trip will come in the form of frequent flier miles, and the winners will be encouraged to use it to compete in the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship at Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii, in December.