mountain team announced

And they're not all from the Northeast...

August 17, 2005

2005 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team Announced

The Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team will compete in the 21st World Mountain Running Trophy in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday, September 25. Additionally an open race competition will be held on September 25 prior to the World Trophy junior and senior events. This year’s Trophy races are uphill/downhill events (as opposed to even-numbered years when the events are held on uphill courses) with the senior men running 13.5km, the senior women and junior men running 9.1km, and the junior women running 4.7km.

The U.S. team is sponsored by Teva, the title sponsor and official footwear of the team, and SportHill apparel. Teva has been the title sponsor since 2002 and we are pleased to welcome SportHill this year, the first year as an official team sponsor. Additionally 180s has joined as a team gear sponsor and manufacturer of such items as the ExoLite™ Ear Warmer, Convertible Running Glove™ and Eye Gear. And bag sponsor ground™ has joined as a team sponsor as well and provides a large duffle bag and backpack to each team member.

The women’s team includes four athletes and an alternate with the top three finishers scoring for the team. Six athletes and an alternate represent the men’s team with the top four finishers scoring. The junior men’s team includes a maximum of four with top three scoring while the junior women’s team is a maximum of three with the top two scoring. The alternates will run in the Open race, or should another athlete be unable to compete, in the Trophy race. Team leader Richard Bolt, Nashua NH and junior team manager Tom Borschel, Idaho Falls, ID will accompany the team to New Zealand.

This year’s open team includes some newcomers as well as some seasoned veterans of the team. (In alphabetic order)

Eric Blake, 26, Plattsburgh, NY, earned his spot on the team with his win at Cranmore in a time of 1:03:46 besting second-place finisher Paul Low by two and one half minutes. Blake finished second to Simon Gutierrez in the Northfield selection race and was seventh at the selection race in Vail. Blake took second place at the 2005 Mt Washington road race and was third in the 2004 U.S.A Mountain Championships at Mt. Washington and fifth at the same championships in Vail in 2003. He was 28th in the 2004 World Mountain Trophy in Sauze D'Oulx, Italy. He was 33rd in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and the ninth American at the 2004 ING New York City Marathon. Blake won the 2003 Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA in 2:21:24. In Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon, Connecticut, he was the 1996 state open cross-country champion. He is a member of the Central Mass Striders and is the men's and women's cross country coach at Plattsburgh (NY) State University.

Julie Bryan, 37, Jackson Hole, WY was named to the team by the USATF MUT council based on her top finishes at the four selection races. Bryan was the only athlete – male or female – to finish all four selection races. She was the fourth American at the USA 10Km Trail Championships, second at Northfield, fourth at Teva Devil’s Race, and first at Cranmore. She was a member of the 2001 and 2002 mountain running team and an alternate on the 2003 team. She is a versatile mountain runner with numerous victories on her home turf in Jackson Hole and also wins in Colorado to include the Barr Trail Mountain Race. She owns a real estate franchise in Jackson.

Simon Gutierrez, 39, Alamosa, CO, earned his spot on the team with his win at Northfield. He is a three-time Teva US Mountain Running Team member (2002-2004) and was the first American at last year’s World Trophy where he finished 17th overall. At his first Pikes Peak Ascent, he was victorious in 2003. Gutierrez is a six-time winner of the La Luz Mountain Race and two-time Mt Washington Hill Climb champion. Gutierrez is sponsored by 180s, SportHill, and Teva. He is a three-time USA world cross country team member and a 1983 High School cross country All American. At age 17 Gutierrez set the still standing road 10km record of 29.45. He is employed as a physical therapist.

Laura Haefeli, 37, Del Norte, CO earned her spot on the team with her finish at the USA 10Km Trail Championships where she was third and top American. This is Haefeli’s second team. She earned her spot on the 2004 Teva US Mountain Running Team as the second US finisher at Mt Washington and finished a solid 15th place at the World Mountain Running Trophy (second American). She is the 2004 USATF 10K Trail National Champion and winner of the 2004 Teva Vail HillClimb. Equally talented in summer biathlon (running and marksmanship), Haefeli is a seven time National Champion and a nine-time National Team Member. Running since the sixth grade, she competed in the 800m, 1600m, and cross country in high school, was an All-American during her senior year in college at the University of Dayton and was twice named All-Ohio Runner of the Year. Her PRs include 34:47 for 10K, 8K - 27:33, 5K - 16:50. Laura and her husband Tom are beekeepers and sell honey and wax. She is the mother of three young children . Paul Low, 31, Belchertown, MA was named to the fifth slot on the team. He is a three-time USATF Mountain runner of the year 2002, 2003, and 2004. Low was a member of the Teva US Mountain running team in 1999, 2000, and 2002-2004. He placed second at the Cranmore selection race, third at the 2005 Northfield race, second in 2004, and was victorious in 2003. He finished second overall at the 2004 Mt Washington road race, and as top American was named National Champion. At this year’s Mt Washington race he finished third. Low won the 2003 North American Snowshoe Championships and the Nike ACG Northfield Mountain Regional Qualifier. Low was the second US finisher at the 2004 World Mountain championships finishing in 19th place. He finished second to Blake at Cranmore. Low has represented the U.S. internationally in 15 mountain running competitions in Great Britain, Malaysia, Alaska, and throughout Alpine Europe. Low is a PhD candidate in geoscience at UMASS studying high temperature geochemistry.

Chris Lundy, 34, Sausalito, CA earned her spot on the team at the Northfield Mountain Race. She finished fourth (second American) at the USA10km Trail Championships in Vail. She was 14th at the New Haven 20K in 2004 in a time of 1:13:31. At the Zippy 5-kilomter race in Golden Gate Park on May 8, Lundy finished second in a talented field with a time of 17:01. She finished 23rd at the ’04 US Olympic Trials Marathon with a time of 2:41:55. A graduate of the University Pennsylvania, Lundy is a member of the Nike Farm team and is a veterinarian.

Kelli Lusk, 35, Belchertown, MA was named the alternate for the women’s open team. She was on the 2003 mountain team and an alternate on the 2004 team. Lusk is a two-time winner of the Barr Trail Mountain Race ('02, '03). She was the 2004 USATF New England Mountain Running Series Champion. A seasoned snowshoe racer, Lusk was the 2003 US National Snowshoe Racing Champion. In addition to her mountain and trail finishes, Lusk qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Marathon Trials. She finished third at both the Northfield selection race and the Teva Devil’s Trail Race and second at the Mt. Cranmore race. Lusk works for USA Cycling in the NORBA division working with the mountain bike promoters across the country.

Peter Maksimow, 26, Springfield, MA was named the alternate for the men’s open team. He finished fifth at the Mt. Cranmore selection race, seventh at this year’s Mt Washington road race where he was the fifth CMS finisher on a team which set a new open team record. In 2003 he won the Mt. Baldy Run-to-the-Top, in San Bernadino, CA. In 2004 he finished ninth at the USATF 10K Trail Championships, ninth at the Vail HillClimb, fourth at the Motorola Half Marathon, Austin, TX timed in 1:09:30 and ran the Duke Invitational Track10Km in 31:56. This year he finished third at Mt. Wachusett, third at the Northfield Mountain Race, and sixth at the Barr Trail Mountain Race in Manitou Springs, CO. He is a member of the Central Mass Striders. Maksimow is a graduate student at Springfield College where he is studying sports management.

Anita Ortiz, 41, Eagle, CO earned her spot on the team with a win at the Teva Devil’s Trail Race in Merrimac, WI on July 16. She is a two-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year (2002 and 2003), USATF Masters Mountain Runner of the Year 2004, three-time Teva US Mountain Running Team member, top American at each of the three WMRT events she has participated in (11th in 2002, 8th in 2003, 11th in 2004), and four-time winner of the Pikes Peak Ascent. She was the overall winner at the WMRA World Masters Mountain Running Championships the week before the WMRT in 2004. Ortiz is sponsored by Teva footwear, 180s Innovative Sportswear, CWX, Beaver Creek Resorts, Power Bar, and Northern Lites Snowshoes. Ortiz was 8th American at the 10km championships. Ortiz is a graduate of Colorado State University and received her Master in Education at Florida State with an impressive 4.0 average. Ortiz teaches kindergarten at Eagle Valley Elementary and has four children.

Timothy Parr, 23, Gunnison, CO earned his spot on the team with a second place finish at the USA 10Km Trail Championships in Vail. He was a member of the 2004 Teva US Mountain Running Team. Parr is a seven-time National Qualifier and two time All-American, once in the 10,000m in 2003 (sixth in nation) and cross country 2002 (16th). On the National Championship Cross Country team in 2002. His PRs include: 10,000meters = 30:08, 5,000meters = 14:17 8,000meters =24:48 3200meters = 8:59; mile= 4:25. Parr was the Colorado State Champ in 2000 for both the mile and the two mile. He is a recent graduate of Western State College.

Ryan Pauling, 29, Rochester, NY finished fourth to Low’s third place at Northfield this year and won the Teva Devil’s Trail Race to make his second mountain running Team. He was a member of the 2001 team where he finished 24th and top American at the World Mountain Running Trophy in Arte Terme, Italy. Pauling spent much of the spring running the road including the 24th Kingston Classic 10k in Kingston, NY where he posted at 30:52 and a third place finish. Pauling attends graduate school in Rochester.

Kevin Tilton, 23, Conway, NH was selected by the MUT Council as the final at-large spot on the team to round out the team of six. Tilton won the Mt Kearsarge race earlier this year and trails only Paul Low in the USATF NE mountain circuit. He finished 10th at Mt Washington in 2004, and 11th in the weather shortened 2002 version. He ran a four- minute personal best at Mt Washington this year, placing 5th in 1:03:42. He is currently in second place in the USATF NE Mountain running circuit and was second in the series the past two years. Tilton has PRs of 15:42 in the 5km, 32:06 in the10k and 1:11:54 in the half marathon. Tilton is a member of the Central Mass Striders. In his spare time he runs the 4,000 foot mountains of New Hampshire and to date has run up 26 of the 48 in the state. He is a recent (May ’05) graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Durham and is employed as a land surveyor.

For all you treadmill lovers out there who think you are tough, check out the following:

http://www.trailrunner.com/news/2005_outdoor_retailer_show.pdf

Tim Parr and Simon Gutierrez went head to head in a treadmill exhibition showcasing their uphill running abilities. At the end the were running 8 mph at an incline of 25%.

The U.S. mountain running team on the men's side (I am sorry I do not know much about the women's side) will be very strong in New Zealand.

Eric Blake is in great form this year, and destroyed the field at the last qualification race at Mt. Cranmore. He recently ran 29:01 at the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City for 3rd.

Simon has been on fire all summer, coming 2nd at the Vail Hill Climb, Barr Mountain Trail Race and winning La Luz Trail Run. He also fit in a 30:23 on the road at a competitive 10K in Colorado Springs. He has been to World Cross a couple of times and still holds an age-group 10K altitude record (29:30 at 17 yrs old?).

I believe Ryan Pauling was a low-14 guy in the past (maybe he still is).

Paul Low was the 2nd best US team member at the Trophy last year, finishing 19th overall. He has run a 1:08 half and a 38 min 12K on the roads this year.

Tim Parr is a low-14, high-29 runner, having just graduated. He is obviously a talented uphill runner, killing everyone at last year's Vail Hill Climb. I would guess his XC background will make him prepared for Wellington.

The course in Wellington should favor the strong XC runner. The hills are very steep, but the footing is good and the course is not "technical". For a change, the course is also at sea-level. Actually the first stretch goes on a road right along the beach!

The Italians usually kill on the downhills, but it will be interesting when the hills are relatively short and steep.

Yes, Jonathon Wyatt faded to a 2:23 marathon at Helsinki. It is always unusual to see him not fare too well, especially as he expressed that he was focusing on the marathon this year. However, he has still dominated the WMRA Grand Prix circuit in Europe when he has competed. He is unbeatable on uphill courses (frankly only Bekele's dominance in XC can be compared), but is not the favorite on up-and-down courses. It is my understanding, the New Zealand team is quite strong (Phil Costley is a regular at WXC).

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