November 7, 2005
Cheyenne,
Wyo. Cheyenne runner, Katy Cotton was appointed as the team leader for the
USA Track & Field masters team to compete at the World Masters Athletics
2005 100- kilometer (62-mile) world championship in Bariloche, Argentina on
December 11th. The appointment was made by Norm Green, Chair of the USATF
Masters Division based on Cotton's ultrarunning accomplishments, her
membership on the 2003 USATF team that competed at the 2003 WMA 100K world
championships in Taiwan, and her dedication to providing opportunity for
older athletes to compete.
Cotton's
dedication to masters athletes lead her to create the International Masters
Athletes Foundation, Inc. (IMAF), a non-profit organization that assists
older athletes with demonstrated financial need to participate in their
sports in significant ways such as competing at championship events. "I
was inspired to create IMAF for the sake of supporting future masters 100K
team members and for athletes in other sports," says Cotton of her
efforts in creating IMAF and serving as its president. In conceiving of and
bring IMAF into existence, Cotton combines her professional and
administrative expertise as a Certified Public Accountant with the Wyoming
Insurance Department and knowledge of ultrarunning and experience in the
sport. Cotton, 39, is an active athlete who has raced ultradistances for
over 5 years. She won the 2004 overall the Rocky Mountain Double Marathon, a
52-mile race through Medicine Bow National Forest and Vedawoo out running
even the men racers.
The
WMA 100K World Championship, is an opportunity for American men and women
age 35 and over to compete in a world 100K championship. Cotton will
participate on the 2005 WMA 100K team in the 35 to 39 age group at the race.
World 100K championships for masters ultrarunners have not been scheduled
regularly and the 2005 WMA 100K championship emphasizes its significance as
an opportunity for masters ultrarunners to compete in a world competition.
The last world masters 100K championship was held in 2003 and prior to that
in 1999.
The
goal of the 2005 US Masters 100K Team is to two-fold: to provide a broad
American age-group presence at the World Cup 100K demonstrating American
support for the masters 100K world competition and to compete for individual
and team world age-group medals. In 2003 the USATF WMA 100K Team contributed
to earning two team silver medals and a gold age-group medal.
Masters
ultrarunners interested in running on the 2005 USATF WMA 100K Team can
contact Cotton at imaf_inc@yahoo.com. The USATF WMA 100K Team is self-funded
and donations to the team are welcome. Contributions to the team are
tax-exempt through IMAF. To contribute to the 2005 USATF WMA 100K Team,
contact Katy Cotton at IMAF, Inc. at imaf_inc@yahoo.com
or 307.432.6809.
For
information about IMAF, go to http://www.cerritos.edu/lgersitz/IMAF/Home.htm
For
information about the race hosting the 2005 WMA 100K world championship, go
to www.mundial100k-wma.com.ar
