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.

USA 100k Road Championships coming up soon!

Fast 100K and 50K times are possible in fact, they're becoming the standard - in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Mad City 100K - Saturday, April 9, 2011.

In 2010, according to the rankings just published in UltraRunning magazine, 5 of the fastest 10 times by American men were run here in the national championship race. Among the best 75 times for American men were these outstanding performances at Mad City: Matt Woods (5th), 7:06:22; Greg Crowther (6th), 7:15:11; Chad Ricklefs (8th), 7:16:52; Chikara Omine (9th), 7:17:14; Michael Arnstein (10th), 7:27:48; Michael Kanning (18th), 8:13:03; Stuart Kolb (19th), 8:15:19; Christopher Clausen (51st), 9:26:26; Ryan Dexter (63rd), 9:39:52; and Tatsunori Suzuki (65th), 9:42:28.

Plus, UltraRunning's Top 75 for 2010 shows these outstanding performances by American women at Mad City: Meghan Arbogast (6th), 8:00:52; Annette Bednosky (7th), 8:05:24; Melanie Fryar (8th), 8:18:25; Krissy Moehl (9th), 8:33:51; Angie Radosevich (11th), 8:46:00; Jenny Capel (13th), 8:57:54; Sonya Decker (19th), 9:33:29; and Lynne Werner (68th), 11:40:51.

In our non-championship Mad City 50K race, overall winner Beverley Anderson-Abbs ran 3:44:13, the 10th fastest 50K time among American women in 2010.

The current Mad City course records:
100K men Michael Wardian (2008) 6:56:57
100K women Meghan Arbogast (2010) 8:00:52 (pictured above)
50K men Patrick Russell (2009) 3:08:28
50K women Julie Spencer (2009) 3:34:45

There's still time to register for the 2011 Mad City 100K races, both the 100-kilometer US national championship and the non-championship (but competitive) 50-kilometer race. Registration and race information are available through the race website, http://www.madcity100k.com

Due to the timing of the 2012 World Championship 100K race, there may not be a US national championship in 2012. Now is the time to race.

Think about it and help spread the word.

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