Selection Races for the Teva US Mountain Running Team Announced

December 10, 2002

Kansas City, Missouri hosted the USATF annual convention where the Mountain  Ultra Trail Running Sports Council (MUT) chose three distinct venues to host selection races for the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team - Vail, Colorado, Northfield, Massachusetts, and Girdwood, Alaska. 

Competition will be spread among three regions of the country with the first two selection races scheduled for the same day. The New England USATF Mountain Running Championship, a 13.2Km race in Northfield, MA and the 10.1Km Teva Spring Run Off in Vail, CO will be held on June 7. The final selection race, the Alyeska Mountain Race, will be held in Girdwood, Alaska on August 9 when the Alaska Mountain Runners host two separate events, a 7.7Km run for the women and an 11.7Km run for the men. The courses mirror those slated for the 2003 World Mountain Running Trophy which will be held at Alyeska Resort on September 20-21. 

In addition to the selection races, the first-ever USATF National Mountain Running Championship will be staged in Vail, CO on July 6 with the 25th running of the Vail Hill Climb. The first U.S. male and first U.S. female finisher at each of the three selection races will receive an automatic berth on the 2003 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team, while the first men's USATF finisher at the USATF National Mountain Running Championship will also receive an automatic berth. The remaining members of the squad, three men and two women, will be selected by the MUT Council based on results at the Selection races, past World Trophy events, National and International racing experience including mountain, road, cross country, and track. The heaviest weight will be placed on finishes in the selection races. All team members must be a current USATF member prior to running a selection race to be considered for the team. Interested athletes should submit running resumes to the MUT contacts listed below.

The Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team will compete in the 19th World Mountain Running Trophy Races in Girdwood, Alaska with the senior women, junior boys, and junior girls running on September 20 and the senior men running on September 21. Additionally, an open race will be held on September 20. This is the first time the World Trophy will be held on U.S. soil and only the third time the event will be staged outside Europe.

A U.S. junior squad comprised of four men and three women who have not reached their 20th birthday in the year of competition will also be named to the Teva US Mountain Running Team. Selection standards for these seven athletes will be announced soon.

For additional information contact: 

Nancy Hobbs (Women's Team) at trlrunner@aol.com

Richard Bolt (Men's Team) at rbolt@emersonecologics.com

Or, visit the websites listed below:

USATF New England Mountain Running Championships: www.usatfne.com
Teva Spring Run off and the Vail Hill Climb: www.vailrec.com
Alyeska Mountain Run: www.alaskamountainrunners.org
World Mountain Running Trophy: www.eaa-athletics.ch/wmra
USATF: www.usatf.org

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Last updated: 09/14/05
Web Author: Lorraine Gersitz