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

US Mountain Running Team member Max King 7th at US XC Champs

Max King (Bend, OR) finished 7th at the US Cross Country Championships in San Diego, CA.  Shalane Flanagan (Portland) wins the womens race for the 5th time.  Other top Oregonians include Andrew Bumbalough (Portland) and Lisa Koll (Portland).  Story and results on the USATF website:
http://www.usatf.org/News/Flanagan-repeats,-Vaughn-surprises-men%E2%80%99s-field-at-.aspx

La Sportiva Announces 2011 Mountain Cup Venues

Details at http://www.mountaincup.com

Trail Running Survey

The American Trail Running Association has a new survey available here.

IAU News and Updates!

Press release from the International Association of Ultrarunners following their annual meeting in Monaco. Bend resident and 100k Champion Kami Semick pictured left:

Dear IAU Friends,

We, at the IAU, hope that all of you have had an enjoyable new year and are now all set to achieve new goals set for 2010.

The IAU Executive recently held their Annual meeting in Monaco. Several important decisions came out of the meeting.

One important change you will notice about the IAU-sanctioned world events is the consistency of calling all the events as “Championship” as opposed to previously used distinctions of “World Cup” or “Challenge”.

Some of the news items at the start of 2010 are highlighted below:

1) Best Athletes of the Year (Male and Female)

IAU is pleased to announce the creation of the “BEST ATHLETES OF THE YEAR” Award. This annual award will be given to the best performances for male and female athletes.

The important points to be noted for this award are as follows:

• The nominations will open on December 15th of each year at 12am EST
• The nominations will close on January 7th of each year at 11:59pm EST
• Any individual can nominate an athlete to be considered for this award
• Nominations can be received through online or email submission
• A limit of 1 nomination will be placed per email address

The Executive Council at the Annual Meeting will consider the athletes nominated and make their decision for the award. Please note that due consideration will be given to the number of nominations that each nominee receives.

For further information read article online.

2) New Agreement with World Masters Association (WMA)

It is with great pleasure that we announce that the IAU has struck a new agreement with the World Masters Association (WMA).

The two associations have a long history of joining forces in providing ultra events to our athletes. This year will see a return of the World Athletics Championship 100km with a Masters version attached to the race.

The highlights of this new agreement are:

• WMA sanctions ever year a World Athletics Championships 100K.

• If the WMA is hosting a World Championship within a month of the IAU 100km World Cup, then the WMA will not be participating in the IAU event in that year.

• IAU organizes every year an IAU World Cup 100K for national teams and has agreed to organise the WMA World Masters Athletics Championships 100K every year in conjunction with its own World Cup 100K. The competition site is decided by IAU.

For further information read article online.

3) Inaugural 100 km Asian Championship

The inaugural 100 km Asian Championship is taking place on March 27th. The event is taking place in Jeju, South Korea and it promises to be an outstanding race.

4) 8th 24 Hour World Championship

The 8th Annual 24 Hour event is well on pace for May 13th in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France. The preliminary invitations have been sent to Member Federations.

5) 50 km World Trophy Final

The 50 km World Trophy Final has been awarded to Galway, Ireland. The race is scheduled for August 29th. The race series is being worked on and will be published online as soon as it is available.

6) 24th 100 km World Championship

The 24th Annual event is set for November 7th 2010 in Gibraltar. Organization work is progressing very well and the outcome looks very positive.

7) Deadlines for Bidding on Future IAU events

Deadlines will be imposed for bidding on future events to give all organizations an opportunity to place a bid with the IAU. For bids to hold events in 2012 and 2013, application process is now open and will close in September 2010.


The 2010 Season is shaping out to be another outstanding season, both on the organizational and administrational, front. You will once again see athletes at the centre-stage of our association.

If you have any questions, or suggestions and comments, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to seeing you this year at one of our main events.


Nadeem Khan
Director of Communications
nadeem.khan@iau-ultramarathon.org

Former Oregon Ultra Runner Joins McMillan Running

Former Manager of the Rogue Valley Running store Ian Torrence (pictured too fast for the camera left) has moved to Arizona and become McMillan Running's first Ultra coach. Ian was also a regular at the La Sportiva / USATF-Oregon Mountain Running Series and series winner in 2009. Congrats and good luck! Here is the full story from McMillan Running:

McMillanRunning.com, the world's foremost online coaching resource, has hired veteran ultrarunner Ian Torrence to head its new ultramarathon coaching division.

The creation of the new ultramarathon division expands the offerings of McMillanRunning.com to include any distance beyond the marathon (most typically 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers, and 100 miles).
"Ultras are a different beast," said Greg McMillan, owner and founder of McMillan Running Company, Inc. "Ultrarunners are starved for proven advice on how to train and prepare for the rigors of races beyond the marathon. Having someone as successful, experienced and knowledgeable as Ian on our coaching staff will benefit many runners. He's already inspired many others with his long list of achievements and enthusiasm for the sport.
As a coach at McMillanRunning.com, he'll take it one step further and be available to help ultrarunners on a daily basis in order to assist the them with all the challenges and unknowns that arise during training and racing ultramarathons."

Torrence has more than 15 years of ultra experience under his belt. Since his ultra debut in 1994, he has, to date, finished 149 ultras, 22 of which were 100-mile races. In all, Torrence has won 49 ultramarathons. Some of his wins include the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Mile Run (twice) and the Superior Trail 100 Mile Run. He's a two-time, top-ten finisher at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. He's finished the JFK 50 Mile Run fifteen times and was part of a four-person team that won and set a course record at the Oxfam Hong Kong Trailwalker 100 Kilometer Race in 2001. In 2002, he completed, what was at that time, the fastest Grand Slam of Ultramarathoning by finishing Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, Vermont 100 Mile, Leadville Trail 100 Mile, and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile in a single summer. Torrence also has eight top-ten finishes at USA Track & Field National Road & Trail Ultramarathon Championships.

For more specific information about Ian's coaching visit www.mcmillanrunning.com/ultra.htm.

More form Nancy Hobbs at the IAU / WMRA Meetings

Here is another update from Nancy Hobbs:

More updates: The 2010 World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Poland will be same course for all athletes between 8-9km on an uphill course. The closest airports to the venue (Korbielow) is Warsaw or Prague.

The Youth Mountain Running Team Challenge will be held in Saux d'Oulx (site of the 2004 World Mountain Running Trophy and World Masters Mountain Running Championships). The date is June 26. This is for youth 16-17 years old. The event is hoping that some USA athletes will compete.

Slovenia will host the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge in 2011 -- site is 9th Gorski Marathon 4 Obcin PODBRDO. Date is 18 June. www.lto-sotocje.si/maraton/ This race is 35km with 2550 m total ascending and 2550 total descending. Start is at 803 meters in Petrovo Brdo. Maximum height on course is 1760 meters. Men's course is 3:21:52 while women's course record is 3:56:25.

Italy will host the 2011 WMRA World Masters Mountain Running Championships. The site is Paluzza Udine Italy. Date is proposed as September 18. The race will be an up/down route. The WMRA Mountain Running Grand Prix is set for 2010 and will include Grand Ballon in France - May to kick things off. The race dates are posted at www.wmra.info.

Best, nance

Nancy Hobbs at IAU / WMRA Annual Meetings

Note from Nancy Hobbs (Director or the All American Trail Running Association and Chairperson of the USATF Mountain, Ultra and Trail Running Sport Council):


Greetings, I am presently in Monaco for IAU/WMRA meetings at the IAAF headquarters. I learned last evening that the 100km slated for Gibraltar will have a much improved organization from the 2009 50km road event held there. The course will be an 8km loop -- this is the initial read on the route -- which will be flat. The government is involved as the organizer and we are assured it will be a great event. The 50km road event will be held either in August or fall in either Ireland or Italy -- we'll learn more today on this. THere will be a long distance trail challenge and we'll learn more today on this as well. The date will be in July. The WMRA meetings begin today - we will make plans for the world masters mountain running and also venues for Grand Prix and more. Best, nancy

Winter Trails Day - Mt. Hood

This past Saturday was Winter Trail Day and saw a great event put together at the White River Snow Park on Mt. Hood. Hundreds of people showed up for a free snowshoe test available from Atlas, MSR and Tubbs. Portland based Keen Footwear was on hand giving away free pair of socks and REI managed registration while providing refreshments. With temps in the 40's, no wind and clear roads, the area was also full of other recreational users including tubers, sledders, skiers and walkers (and of course plenty of dogs). For those people interested in snowshoe racing, the White River Snow Park will be home to a USSSA National Championship qualifier on Saturday, January 24 put on by Kevin Foreman and his team at XDog Events.

2009 Trail Runner Trophy Series Winners Announced

A press release from our friends at Trail Runner magazine:

The Sixth Annual Trail Runner Trophy Series, presented by GORE-TEX, awarded points to 27,140 runners for participating in 113* trail races throughout the U.S. and Canada. You can read about the male and female winners of each category in the February/March issue Trail Runner magazine.

Winners in the Non-Marathon Division (races less than 26 miles) are 51-year-old Brenda Gutmann, 51, Borden, Indiana, and 42-year-old Phil Oreste, of Mill Valley, California. Winners of the Marathon-and-Longer Division (races 26 miles and longer) are 45-year-old Sue Lucas of Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada, and 44-year-old Glen Redpath of New York, New York.

Many participants traveled great distances by car and air in an attempt to snag this year’s new prize, the Trail Fiend Award, which goes to the man and woman who run the most Trophy Series races. The female winner was Brenda Gutmann, who ran 17 races, and 38-year-old Brian McKinney of Woodland, California, who ran an amazing 24 races. Both receive complimentary spots at the all-inclusive Get Your Running Legs On Trail Running Week at Nipika Mountain Lodge in British Columbia, Canada in May 2010. (Registration for the camp is available at www.nipika.com).

Winners of the random prize drawing are 32-year-old Kim Maxwell, 32, of Rainelle West Virginia, and Nathan Echols, 42 of Long Valley, New Jersey. These winners plus the top-three placers in the Marathon-and-Longer Division and age-group winners in the Non-Marathon Division (listed below) will each receive a prize package containing gifts from Trophy Series sponsors Injinji, Julbo, Pro-Tec Athletics, Nuun, Zombie Runner, Kahtoola, Amphipod, Moeben, GoMotion, Wicked Fast Nutrition and Trigger Point Therapy.

All participants can find their ranking, points total and other Trophy Series information on Trail Runne’s website, www.trailrunnermag.com.

Non-Marathon Division

10-19 Age Group
Andy O’Grady, 19, Littleton, Colorado, 100 points
Codie Barron, 19, Chelsea, Michigan, 85.1 points

20-29 Age Group
Dennis Flanagan, Breckenridge, Colorado, 182.5 points
Caitlin Smith, Oakland, California, 114.8 points

30-39 Age Group
CJ Hitz, 36, Findlay, Ohio, 501 points
Joan Matthews, 31, Owen Sound, Ontario, 262.9 points

40-49 Age Group
Phil Oreste, 42, Mill Valley, California, 574.6 points
Carla Stoner, 47, West Des Moines, Iowa, 417 points

50 and Over Age Group
George Aitkin, 57, Cambridge, Ontario, 155 points
Brenda Gutmann, 51, Borden, Indiana, 547.2 points

Marathon and Longer Division

Top-Three Male
Glen Redpath, 44, New York, New York, 1209.6 points
Patrick McGlade, 20, Richmond, Virginia, 1054 points
Zach Gingerich, 29, Aurora, Illinois, 800 points

Top-Three Female
Sue Lucas, 45, Dauphin, Manitoba, 1321.6 points
Iris Cooper, 50, Toronto, Ontario, 948 points
Jenny Chow, 45, Long Valley, New Jersey, 900 points

(*123 races originally signed up for the Trophy Series, but we were only able to collect results from 113, so only these were counted in the final results. For a list of which races submitted results, click here). Trail Runner magazine is an official publication partner of USA Track & Field

Bend wins bids to host 2 USATF Trail Champs

The following is a press release from Visit Bend (The Visitors Bureau of Bend, Oregon). I plan to run in both races and am slated to be the USATF Championship Liaison for the 50k race.

BEND WINS BID TO HOST USA TRACK & FIELD’S 2010 50K TRAIL RUNNING AND HALF MARATHON TRAIL RUNNING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Combined, these two events are expected to draw more than 500 racers to Bend from out of the area

(BEND, Ore.)—On the heels of the successful completion of the 2009 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships, Bend has been awarded two additional national championship events for 2010 by USA Track & Field, the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. Both the Half Marathon and 50k Trail Running National Championships will be contested in Bend in 2010, joining a list of premiere national championship events that includes the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships, USA Cycling Elite, Junior & U23 Road National Championships, and the XTERRA Trail Running National Championships.

The Half Marathon Trail National Championship will take place in Summer 2010. Event organizers will work with the USFS to identify a location that can accommodate the championships. The 50k Trail Running National Championship is currently scheduled for September 2010. Dave Thomason from Superfit Productions and FootZone will serve as race director for both events.

“Bend is quickly gaining a much deserved reputation as a venue for major national championship competitions, due in large part to the support of local businesses and the enthusiasm of the entire community,” said Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend, which managed the bid process. “Both of the USATF national championships fall outside of our high tourism season, and therefore will provide local businesses with a solid economic boost at a typically slower time of year.”

Bend has been recognized by the editors of Outside magazine as America’s Top Trail Running Town, an honor that helped attract the attention of XTERRA and USATF officials. Bend is also home to a number of elite endurance trail runners, including World 100k Champion Kami Semick (pictured above), Trail Marathon National Champion Max King, Jeff Browning and Sean Meissner.

About Visit Bend:
Visit Bend is a non-membership, non-profit economic development organization dedicated to promoting tourism on behalf of the City of Bend. For more information or to order a complimentary Official Visitor Guide to Bend, contact Visit Bend at 800-949-6086 or visit www.visitbend.com.

About USA Track & Field:
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization with a staff of professional program administrators at the National Office in Indianapolis. www.usatf.org.

Contact:
Doug LaPlaca, Visit Bend, 541-382-8048, doug@visitbend.com
Justin Yax, DVA Advertising/PR, 541-389-2411, justin@dvaadv.com

2010 Mountain Running Wall Calendar

Our mountain running friends in Slovenia have published a 2010 mountain running wall calendar designed by World Champion Jonathan Wyatt (NZL). Slovenia is home to the famous Smarna Gora mountain race which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010. Also, the 2010 World Mountain Running Championships will take place on September 5 in Kamnik, Slovenia.

Oregon trail runner Erik Skaggs in the hospital

[From the Rogue Valley Runners]

As you may already be aware, Erik Skaggs (pictured left with Jenn Shelton) is currently in Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, OR. Erik ran and won the Where’s Waldo 100 Kilometer Ultramarathon last Saturday in record time but began having medical difficulties later that day. After being treated with IVs in the emergency room earlier in the week, he was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday suffering from nausea and pain. His kidney function has not improved during the last few days.

Erik remains his usual good natured, positive self. He has been surrounded by many of his friends during his hospital stay. His brother Kyle arrives from out of town on Friday to be by his side. At last report, he was timing his splits as he walked around his hospital wing. Jenn, his girlfriend, has been supplementing moldy hospital food with treats from home.

Many friends throughout the ultrarunning community have already asked how they can help. One of Erik’s biggest concerns is the mounting medical bill. Erik does not have health insurance. He may be eligible for some assistance through his membership with USA Track & Field, but will no doubt require monies for the deductible and for the expected costs well above the coverage. An Ashland runner and friend of Erik’s has opened a bank account at Umpqua Bank in Ashland, Oregon to receive donations that will be used to help defray these medical expenses. You can contribute by sending a check to Umpqua Bank, 250 N. Pioneer Street, Ashland, OR 97520 made out to the “Erik Skaggs Medical Fund.” Any assistance that you could provide would be much appreciated by Erik. Please note that the Fund name should be on the outside of the envelope.

Updates on Erik’s medical condition will be posted to the blog at Rogue Valley Runners’ website, at http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/, as it becomes available.

Joe Gray makes SI's faces in the crowd

Proving that in the eyes of Sports Illustrated, mountain running is a second class sport, the winners of the 2009 USATF National Mountain Running Championships were relegated to "Faces in the Crowd". I guess some publicity is better than none at all.

Anyway, congratulations to our neighbor to the north Joe Gray (Lakewood, WA) and Chris Lundy (Sausaulito, CA) for making it into the July 27 edition of Sports Illustrated. Joe and Chris won their respective races at the Mt. Cranmore Hillclimb and qualified for the 2009 Teva US Mountain Running Team. Joe will be racing in Oregon on August 1 at the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb to take a shot at the course record.

LaCrosse purchases Portland based END Outdoor

According to the Portland Business Journal, the Portland based trail running shoe company END Outdoor has been purchased by LaCrosse Footwear:

LaCrosse Footwear Inc. on Monday said it has closed on its $500,000 deal to acquire Environmentally Neutral Design Outdoor Inc., or END. Portland-based LaCrosse (NASDAQ: BOOT), which makes boots and apparel for the work and outdoor markets, hopes to expand into new distribution channels with the purchase of END, a Portland-based startup that makes sustainable footwear for the outdoor athletic market. END was launched in 2007 by Ben Finklea and award-winning footwear designer Andrew Estey, the former global design director for sport culture at Nike Inc. The company made news last year by winning $250,000 in seed money in the Angel Oregon competition and by raising more than $1 million to launch the new brand. It released its first product to retail markets in August, when it sold only on the Internet through four retailers: REI, Zappos, Rock Creek and Backcountry.com. It branched out to retail stores in January and quickly spread to 100 stores across the United States, Canada and Japan.

American Trail Running Association Adds Member Benefit

The American Trail Running Association (ATRA) has partnered with Outdoor Recreation Insurance to offer a new member benefit – accident coverage for its members.

“We’re thrilled to lend support to ATRA and to the rapidly growing community of off-road runners. Trail and mountain runners face inherent risks that aren’t always obvious. Outdoor Recreation Insurance (ORI) provides affordable accident coverage that softens the landing when the trail suddenly takes a nasty turn,” says, ORI’s Tad Linn.

The personal trail running accident coverage is priced at $85 per year under the ATRA group policy. (Coverage includes additional mountain activities). ORI accident benefits are paid directly to the injured person. If an individual has health insurance, ORI’s cash accident benefits can be used to pay deductibles, co-insurance amounts and other flat-fee copayments. If an individual does not have health insurance, ORI coverage may still be purchased for the same price using the cash benefits to pay medical bills directly. All benefits are paid on a cost-incurred basis. When purchasing, the ATRA member will be asked to provide an ATRA member number, which is simply the individual’s primary 10-digit phone number.

Members may only purchase coverage through the link established on the ATRA website (www.trailrunner.com)

ORI is underwritten by Security National Life Insurance Company of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The press release provided by ATRA Executive Director Nancy Hobbs.

Running Times - June 2009: The Oregon Running Connections

The most recent issue of Running Times has two great feature articles written by or about Oregon trail runners.

Portland based author and senior writer for Running Times Richard Lovett has an article about cross training for serious runners. The article includes my suggestions for cross country skiing and mountain running. I also put in a plug for Max King (Bend, OR) who was a member of the 2008 U.S. World Cross Country (Running) Team and is by far the fastest mountain and trail runner in Oregon. Kelly Johnson (Portland, OR) has some great cross training suggestions based on her experience rowing crew in college. Kelly is the author of the Run Oregon blog on oregonlive.com and secretary of the Team Red Lizard Running Club.

American Trail Running Association president and Running Times trail editor Adam Chase travelled to Ashland to run with the Rogue Valley Runners and wrote "Inside America's New Trail Running Mecca". Featured runners included Hal Koerner (2007 Western States winner), Ian Torrance - described by fellow RVR Jenn Shelton as "your sometimes grouchy but always loveable uncle", Tony Krupicka (2 time Leadville 100 champion), Kyle Skaggs (Hardrock 100 winner) and Erik Skaggs (2008 Quad Dipsea winner and course record holder).

Pick up a copy of the June issue and read the full articles.

Mountain runner Matt Carpenter featured in New York Times

Mountain running phenom Matt Carpenter (Manitou Springs, CO) is featured today in an article in the New York Times.  Matt was a member of the Teva US Mountain Running Team in 2000 and most recently has dominated several domestic races including the Pikes Peak Ascent, The Teva Mountain Games and the North Face 50 Mile Championship.

From the New York Times:

"MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — The course follows old Ute tribe trails 20 miles up, down and around Pikes Peak, a narrow, gravelly passage rising 7,815 feet to crest 14,110 feet above sea level. Tourists with respiratory ailments are cautioned against making such an ascent, even by car. Motorists on nearby roads are advised to employ manual transmission. Promotional materials for the summit warn of altitude sickness, lightning, hypothermia, rattlesnakes and wild animals carrying bubonic plague.  Matt Carpenter expected to run it in about three hours."

The complete article can be found at www.nytimes.com

WMRA President Danny Hughes Dies

According to Danny's wife Norma:

"Danny died suddenly this morning of a heart attack.  It is the way he would have wanted to go but of course a big shock to us all.  I have all the family here so am very lucky.  We will let you know the funeral arrangements etc. later.   Perhaps you could let everyone know the news.

Best wishes,

Norma"

Danny was the President of the World Mountain Running Association and worked tirelessly to promote the sport.  This past September after over a decade of trying, Danny finally succeded in getting the IAAF to recognize the World Mountain Running Trophy as an official "World Championship".