This USA Track & Field (USATF) Mountain/Ultra/Trail Running Council (MUT) Running Council 2004 report to the USATF Masters Long Distance Running (LDR) Executive Committee summarizes the following topics relevant to Masters LDR:

In response to the request for bids for USATF national MUT championships, MUT received 11 bids from race directors across the country.

The MUT Council selected these ultra distance championship races at the 25th annual USATF Conference in Greensboro, NC on December 6, 2002. In selecting national ultra championships, the MUT Council balances the quality of the event with the championship race experience it provides. Bids were analyzed on the following criteria:

The race offers a quality venue, runner support, and can attract and accommodate a depth of field.

The race does not conflict with other national ultra championships or the 100K World Challenge.

The race offers incentives to the competitive athlete such as accommodations or waived entry.

The race offers prize money.

The race offers open entry.

MUT USATF championship representatives are:

The following events are the USATF MUT championships for 2004 for open and masters athletes.

In January 2004, MUT was notified by the American Ultrarunning Association that the American 100K, the Olander Park 100 Mile, and the San Diego One Day races that were submitted as bids and approved by MUT as USATF National Championships at the 2003 USATF convention were withdrawn from the USATF Championship calendar by AUA.  AUA founder and administrator Dan Brannen serves as the race management consultant for all three races.  AUA President Kevin Setnes notified MUT that AUA had determined that USATF championship status was not in line with the goals of their events or their organization.  MUT retained the American 100K as a selection race for the 2004 USATF 100K team.

The MUT Council also announced the following 2004 races as selection races for the 2004 World Cup 100K and 2004 World Mountain Trophy:

American 100K - Top 3 men (sub-8 hour) and top 3 women (sub-9 hour) are named to the 2004 USATF 100K Team

Mt. Washington Road Race - Top 3 men and top 2 women are named to the 2004 Mountain Running Team

Vail Hill Climb 7.5 Miles - Top 2 men and top woman are named to the 2004 Mountain Running Team

Vail, CO - (July 4, 2004) - America's top mountain runners competed in the 26th Teva Vail HillClimb on Independence Day hoping for a berth on the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. In addition to individual competition there was also a team competition as part of the inaugural North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships.

Newcomers Tim Parr, 22, Alamosa, Colo. and Matt Levassiur, 23, Alamosa finished one-two on the day to earn automatic spots on the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. On the women's side Laura Haefeli, 36, Del Norte, Colo. was first to solidify her spot on the team which she had earned at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb on June 19.

Levassiur and Parr set an early pace up Vail Mountain and the 7.6 mile course (shortened by .4 mile due to construction in Vail Village) with already named team members Paul Low, 30, Amherst, Mass. and Simon Gutierrez, 38, Taos, N.M. in pursuit. Close behind was 2003 team member Peter DeLaCerda, 32, Alamosa who jockeyed with Gutierrez for the fourth spot through seven miles.

Xterra amateur champion and 2003 team member (alternate) Lisa Isom, 32, Vail finish second to Haefeli with Kelly Ryan, 35, Lakewood, Colo. and Haefeli's identical twin sister Ann Sorenson, 36, Bozeman, Mont., and 2002 team member Julie Bryan, 36, Jackson, Wy. rounding out the top five.

In the NACAC competition for women Team USA comprised of Ryan, Kelly Low (7th woman), Rene Frazee (8th woman) and Kari DiStefano (14th woman) edged out Team Canada to earn the gold medal in the NACAC scoring, 3 to 9 points. Top two scored on the women's team.

The men's Team USA - Low, DeLaCerda, Gutierrez and Mark Werner (10th overall) were victorious in the men's competition (6 points) with Team Canada A squad finishing second (17 points) and Team Canada B squad finishing third (25). Scored top three finishers on the team.

The Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team will compete at the World Mountain Running Trophy in Sauze d'Oulx, Italy with the senior women, junior women and junior men running on September 4 and the senior men and open athletes running on September 5. The full squad - 10 open athletes and two alternates, 5 junior athletes and two alternates - will be announced by August 1.

Gorham, NH – (June 20, 2004) International stars joined the best trail runners in the U.S. to tackle the Mt. Washington Road race which hosted the USA Mountain Running Championship on June 19, 2004. At the top of the mountain the world's best won the day but the U.S. stars shined. Low and Larson won the USA mountain running crowns

MEN
1. Jonathan Wyatt, 31, Wellington, NZL, 56:41 - $1000 plus $5000 bonus
2. Paul Low, 30, Amherst, MA, 1:03:12 - $600
3. Simon Gutierrez, 38, Taos, NM, 1:04:17 - $400
4. Eric Blake, 25, Plattsburgh, NY, 1:04:30 - $200
5. Mark Werner, 32, Rochester, MI, 1:06:02 - $100
6. Andy Ames, 41, Boulder, CO, 1:06:10 - $300 (first master)
WOMEN
1. Anna Pichrtova, 31, Czech Republic, 1:12:19 - $1000
2. Erica Larson, 32, Los Alamos, NM, 1:14:17 - $600
3. Laura Haefeli, 36, Del Norte, CO, 1:17:42 - $400
4. Cathy Pearce, 41, Chelmsford, MA, 1:18:54 - $200, plus $300 (first master)

MEN
1) Uli Steidl (GER/WA) 6:32:43*
2) Phil Kochik (WA) 6:58:20
3) Chad Ricklefs (CO) 6:58:44
4) Karl Meltzer (UT) 7:03:25
5) Michael Lynes (WA) 7:18:43
6) William Emerson (OR) 7:22:08--Masters
*course record (previous record 6:37:02 by Uli Steidl in 2003)

WOMEN
1) Nikki Kimball (MT) 7:45:21*
2) Bev Abbs (CA) 8:08:39—Masters
*course record (previous record 7:46:33 by Nikki Kimball in 2003)

MUT selected the USATF 100K Team to compete in the 2004 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 100K World Cup Under the Patronage of the IAAF in Winschoten, Netherlands on September 11, 2004. The annual 100K World Cup race is the one international venue at which USATF fields an ultra distance team. The United States will be represented by a team of six men and six women ultrarunners. The 62.1-mile World Cup race is the longest annual world title footrace.

The team selected by USATF/MUT is the only officially sanctioned team of individuals from the United States able to compete in IAU World Cup 100K competition. Three men and three women were selected to the USATF 100K Team as a result of their top three finishes at the AUA 100K held April 4, 2004. MUT selected the remaining team members and alternates for the USATF 100K Team based on their ultrarunning performances that met the published criteria during the qualifying period of April 1, 2003 to April 17, 2004.  The selected USATF team members are:

The USA Track & Field 100K runners went head to head with the world’s best ultrarunners on Saturday September 11 in the small town of Winschoten the Netherlands. Over 25 countries were represented as competitors took off under initially sunny skies. This year’s USATF team was composed of accomplished ultramarathon athletes, but eleven of the twelve team members where rookies in World Cup competition. Team members rose to the occasion, chalking up five personal bests and finishing well in the team standings.

The USATF women’s team ran strong and steady, with all six members finishing despite fluctuating temperatures, humidity, and rain throughout the course of the 62.1-mile race. Laura Nelson, the only 100K team veteran, felt she had unfinished business from last year’s WC event where she struggled to finish during a tough day in Taiwan. Nelson’s 8:38:50, a 5 minute PR, led the USATF team women to a 5^th place finish in team competition. Mary Fagan, Middletown. Conn. ran her first road 100K in 8:39:53 and Siri Terjesen, a Ph. D. student living and studying in England, rounded out the scoring women’s squad with an 8:41:15. Rena Schumann, Folsom, Calif., was the only masters woman on this year’s squad. Schumann, 43, was the fourth team member to finish, clocking 8:54:44, a 29 minute PR. Lucy Carr, a native of Maine who now lives and teaches kindergarten in France, and Caroline Smith, Milwaukee, Wis., finished soon after Schumann in 9:16 and 9:17, respectively.

USATF team member Mark Werner, a university statistics professor from Boulder, Colo living and teaching in Egypt, ran an 18-minute PR to finish in 7:35:53 as top American in the World Cup competition. He led the American men to an 8^th place finish among national teams. Masters runners Jarrow Wahman, Duluth Minn, was second US team member in 7:47:42, a PR by 13 minutes and Jim Ramacier, White Bear Lake, Minn become the all-important third finisher for the US squad. Team members Mike Buchanen, Dusty Olson, and masters runner and MUT member Scott Creel withdrew from the race.

Several US runners participated in the open 100 km race that was held concurrently with the World Cup event.  This group produced two top ten performances in the individual race.  Anne Riddle placed 6th among women in a PR of 7:56 and MUT member Howard Nippert ran an 6:43 PR to finish 7th overall.

The 2005 IAU 100K World Cup Under the Patronage of the IAAF will be held in Lake Saroma Japan on June 26, 2005.  To be considered for the USATF 100K team, runners must be current USATF members and meet the following qualifying standards.

1. Athletes who finish in the top ten overall in the men's and women's competition at the 2004 IAU 100 km World Cup will automatically be named to the 2005 USATF 100K team 

2. The first male and female American athletes in the following selection race will be named to the 2005 USATF 100K team provided they meet the minimum time qualifications:

Sunmart Texas Trail 50 Mile Endurance Run in December 2004 (6:15 for men or 7:15 for women)

(An additional selection race may be added at the USATF Convention in December 2004. An announcement will be made by December 7.)

3. Athletes will be selected based on performances at USATF/MUT National Championships and other major U.S. and international ultra distance races at the 100K and 50-mile distance. The qualifying period is January 1, 2004 - March 20, 2005. Performances will be ranked in this order:

a. 100K performances under 7:40 (men) and 8:40 (women)

b. 50 mile performances under 5:50 (men) and 6:50 (women)

4. If team spots remain open after the above three standards have been applied, the following additional standards will be used to rank performances between January 1, 2004 and March 20, 2005. Multiple qualifying performances will be given priority over a single performance.

SAUZE D'OULX, Italy - (Sept. 4-5, 2004) - The Teva U.S. women's mountain running team, on Saturday, September 4, earned a spot on the podium with their bronze medal team performance at the World Mountain Running Trophy - the best U.S. team finish ever (men or women).

Led by Eagle, Colo. resident Anita Ortiz who finished a gutsy 11th place after straining her ligament in the early stage of the race which caused numbness in her foot most of the 8.4K uphill course (857 meters of climb). Ortiz's time of 53:03 was a few minutes out of the first place time of 50:27 by Italian Rosita Rosa, the 1999 world champion. Second for Team USA was Laura Haefeli, Del Norte, Colo. in 15th place with a time of 53:41. Third U.S. was Erica Larson, Los Alamos, N.M. in 24th place with a time of 55:23 giving Team USA a score of 50 points, just one point away from a silver medal (Austria had 49 points). The final U.S. team member Lisa Isom, Vail, Colo. finished in 31st position in 56:39. The gold medal team was Italy with 14 points.

On the junior side, the U.S. men and women's teams finished 17th and 9^th respectively.

On Sunday, September 5, with a score of 102 points, the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team senior men finished a solid 8th out of 27 teams. Led by Simon Gutierrez, Taos, N.M., who finished in 17th place, all of the men finished in the top 1/3 of the field, a first for the U.S. men.

Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand - who last Sunday finished 21st in the Olympic Marathon! - inmpressively won his fourth men's world title in 48:47 over Tesfayouhanis Mesfin of Eritrea who ran 50:04. Like their female counterparts, Italy won the men's title (44 points).

Paul Low was the second American to score in 19th position, Eric Blake and Tim Parr rounded out the scoring for the team in 28th and 38th respectively.

The U.S. team score was equal to that of the 7th place team, but the final scoring member is counted to break the tie. The 6th place team had 101 points.

In the open race over the same senior men's 10.1K course, Tom Borschel, Idaho Falls, Idaho and Teva U.S. Junior Team Manager was the overall winner. The top U.S. woman was Teva team alternate Kelli Low who finished second to a talented New Zealand runner who also ran in the senior race on Saturday.

On Saturday, August 28 in Sauze d’Oulx, Italy (a ski village in the Italian Alps) Eagle, CO resident Anita Ortiz, 40, ran an impressive race to win the WMRA (World Mountain Running Association) Masters Mountain Running World Championships in a time of 53:30 just five seconds ahead of her nearest competitor Isabella Guillot, 42, France.

Ortiz started with the 35-39 age group due to a mix-up with organizers over her birth month (June instead of September) and therefore had no idea how Guillot or others in the 40-44 age group fared over the 8.46K course. Not until after the finish did an elated Ortiz find out she was first overall.

The course started in the village on cobblestone for approximately 100 meters before changing to pavement for another 300 meters and then heading onto a steep, rocky trail. It was then back to pavement for a downhill section through the village, another uphill portion on cobblestone, and back to grassy trails and switchbacks for the remainder of the course. In total there were 862 meters of ascent and 235 meters of descent. The course included some very steep sections relegating many of the competitors to a fast power hike. Top finishers ran the entire course. Competitors started in 20-minute intervals with runners in the same age group starting with men and women 70 and over.

There were more than 620 competitors in the masters competition, now in its third year. The 2005 edition will be held in Keswick, England on September 10 with the 2006 race slated again for Sauze d’Oulx in early September.

Tom Borshel, 47, Idaho Falls, ID ran 48:47 to win the 45-49 age group at the World Masters. Borschel the Teva US Mountain Running Team junior manager also ran the open race during the World Mountain Running Trophy on September 5 and cruised to an overall victory on the 10.1Km course.

Andy Ames, 40, Boulder, CO a first-time member of the Teva US Mountain Running team, ran 48:05 in the masters race and was 6th in his age group (161 competitors in the age group). Ames also ran the 10.1Km World Trophy course on Sunday, September 5 to finish in 55:08 good for 47^th place overall (154 finishers). California resident Matt Ebiner, 43, finished fifth at the masters in a time of 47:29. The 40-44 masters category was won by Ricardo Mejia, 41, Mexico in a time of 43:52 (the best time among the men).

Ortiz, on her third Teva US Mountain Running Team this year, also ran on September 4 over the same 8.46Km course for the World Mountain Running Trophy event and finished first for the US in 11^th position overall in a time of 53:03. Ortiz along with teammates Laura Haefeli, 36, Del Norte, CO (15^th woman), Erica Larson, 32, Los Alamos, NM, (24^th), and Lisa Isom, 31,Vail, CO, (31^st) earned a bronze team medal, the first for a US mountain running team at the World Mountain Running Trophy and the first medal for the women.

A September 26, 2004 message on the WMA Newsboard stated "WMA looks forward to continued good cooperation with IAU and together we will organise the 2nd WMA World Masters Athletics Championships 100K in Lake Saroma, JPN, on June 26 the next year."

USATF finally has a seat on the general board of the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU), the ultrarunning arm of IAAF after 4 years of our waiting for the AUA term to expire. Nancy Hobbs, MUT chair preempted her own call for candidates and without a vote appointed MUT member Scot Creel as the representative. IAU has developed a trail running committee this year and Nancy appointed herself as the US representative on the committee.

To counter the attack form the AUA to take over the USATF 100K team, USATF president Bill Roe issued the following statement on January 30, 2004.

After a meeting of USA Track & Field's Mountain Ultrarunning and Trail (MUT) Council and discussions with the IAAF, USATF has reconfirmed that it will be naming a team for the 100K International Association of Ultrarunning. The American Ultrarunning Association (AUA) had recently proposed to field the team for the United States, but by a vote of 10-3, the MUT Council reinforced the authority of USATF to name the team.

"USATF has a long-term interest in building the sport of ultrarunning within the organization," said USATF President Bill Roe, "and we have the responsibility and authority to name all national teams for IAAF competitions. The 100K World Cup is an event under the patronage of the IAAF, and as an IAAF member, we respect that. We recognize the financial growth that needs to take place in ultrarunning, and the AUA's concern for it. We would welcome working with the AUA to increase sponsorship support for ultrarunning."

To clarify the redefinition of USATF masters age groups in ultradistance national championships and records that AUA published in ultra media 2004 and attributed the change to USATF, MUT issued the following statement on January 30, 2004.

AUA proposed this change, that will be in effect only at AUA events, to the USATF MUT Running Council in November 2003 inviting MUT to follow AUA’s lead in this area.  MUT Chair Nancy Hobbs tabled the proposal, as it required a change to USATF rules and the MUT Running Council was not convinced that there was any evidence to support the change that would exclude masters ultrarunners aged 40 to 49 years old from awards, records, and recognition.  Such a change would adversely affect younger masters who would have less incentive to compete in ultra distance races after they turn 40 or 45.

"The negative impact of raising the master's age would create a disincentive for older athletes to stay active in their sport.  A reason ultrarunners compete into their 40s is due to the masters age-group awards and the competition within those age groups.  I really looked forward to turning 40 because of the new age group," states MUT Council Member Eric Clifton, 45, a highly awarded masters ultrarunner. "Having to compete with 25-year old hot shots for another 10 years would be daunting."

MUT members are appointed by USATF Men's, Women's, and Master's Long Distance Running Committee Chairs and the MUT Council Chair. MUT members are:

The USATF ultrarunners of the year were voted for by MUT members from nominees who ran exemplary performances at USATF National Ultra Championships, World Challenge 100K, and other significant races between November 1, 2002 and October 31, 2003 and who are current USATF members. These athletes were presented awards at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons in Greensboro, North Carolina during the breakfast awards banquet at the USATF Annual Convention on Saturday, December 6, 2003. For performances in a variety of venues from the desert of Death Valley to altitude trails and multi-day track events in the US and overseas, MUT selected the following ultrarunners as the 2003 men’s and women’s ultrarunners of the year in open and master’s categories.

Joe Kulak (35, CO) - Kulak completed six 100-mile trail races throughout the country from June through September shattering ultra legend Marshall Ulrich’s 14-year old record for the "Last Great Race Series" by 14 hours. Finishing no less than sixth place in each of these races, Kulak won the Old Dominion 100 in Virginia in June and the Vermont 100 in July. Four of these races comprise the "Grand Slam of Ultrarunning" in which Kulak shattered Ian Torrence’s aggressive 2001 record by over 3 hours. For these outstanding performances, Kulak is honored with the Ted Corbitt Award.

Connie Gardner (39, OH) - Gardner ran 16:22:15, a national record, at the 100-mile road championship in her home state of Ohio in September following her four first-place finishes at highly competitive 50-mile and 50K trail and road races. These races earned her the Ruth Anderson Award as USATF’s female ultrarunner of the year award. Gardner’s outstanding performance at the 2002 100K USATF Championship earned her a berth on the 2003 USATF 100K team.

Pam Reed (42, AZ) - Proving that her record-setting 2002 overall win at the Badwater Ultramarathon, the 135-mile race through Death Valley was not a fluke, Pam Reed repeated an overall win in July 2003 in 28 hours, 26 minutes and 52 seconds. Reed demonstrated her versatility in addition to her talent by running 134.86 miles at the World 24-Hour Championship in the Netherlands this October to place as the first American woman in the race and sixth woman overall. For these and other high placings in both the open and masters categories in significant national trail ultra races, Reed is awarded the Women’s Masters Ultrarunner of the Year Award. 

John Geesler (44, NY) – The 231 miles and 789 yards that John Geesler ran at the Ultracentric 48-Hour in Texas last November, ranked him fifth on the American all-time list of 48-hour performances. Not limiting his talent to the track, Geesler ran an impressive 16 hours and 37 minutes to finish fifth overall and second masters at the Vermont 100 Mile trail race in July. Geesler then went on to place eleventh at the 2003 World 24-Hour Championships by running 148.7 miles and was first American in the race. These performances combined with his overall win at the Houston Ultras 48-Hour race where he ran 176.7 miles, earned Geesler the 2003 Men’s Masters Ultrarunner of the Year Award. 

MUT named the Morrison Auto Group and Volkswagen of America as its contributors of the year. Morrison Auto Group and Volkswagen of America were the presenting sponsors of the 19th World Mountain Running Trophy (WMRT) held in Gridwood, AK. This was the first time the WMRT has been held in North America.