The Continental Divide Trail Race - Coming up tomorrow!

Have you ever wanted to try a challenging mountain race but don’t want to commit to training for a long distance race?   The Continental Divide Trail Race may be the perfect race to do just that.  The race is only 10 km long; most runners complete the race in 55 to 90 minutes.  The shorter race allows you to test your abilities in the mountains without the commitment of a marathon or ultramarathon race.
The race takes place at Laurel Ridge Camp and Conference Center in Laurel Springs, NC.  It is a beautiful location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, only 1.5 hours from Winston Salem, 2 hours from Charlotte, and 2.5 hours from Asheville.   The Continental Divide Trail Race has a nice mixture of tight technical trails and wide grassy paths, steep climbs and descents mixed with fast runnable sections.  Are you afraid you won’t be able to run the whole race?  Don’t worry, everyone will walk some during this race.  We will keep the clock running until the last runner finishes. Now before you say this race is too tough, we had several 70+ year-old runners participate who said that they loved the course and plan on returning.   But maybe they are tougher than most folks nowadays.  Maybe they know the fun is in taking on a challenge.  Post-race festivities include good food, multiple awards categories (including homemade apple jam for age group winners!), and door prizes.

The Continental Divide Trail Race also serves as the 2014 USA 10 Km Trail Championships, attracting elite runners and top age group athletes from across the country.  So you can have the opportunity to race with them or just be running the same trails with the elites as they lay down smoking times.  Prize money will be awarded to the top USATF finishers and the top NC resident USATF members in the open and masters categories.  This year we are expecting previous winner David Roche (who just made the USA Mountain Team), and his new wife Megan Roche (who also just made the USA Mountain Team) who will be running Continental Divide as part of their honeymoon.  Last year’s champion, Mario Mendoza, will also be returning to challenge the mountain. NC Mountain runner Ryan Woods (2 Time member of the USA Mountain Team) returns trying to move up 1 spot from his numerous 2nd place finishes here.  Another NC Mountain runner, Amber Reece-Young (Runner-up at the 2012 Xterra World Championships) returns to compete for the national championship tag.  To compete in the national championship, you need to be a USATF member, however USATF membership is not required to run the race and everyone is eligible for the Continental Divide age group awards.

Video from the 2009 Continental Divide Trail Race

If you want to spend more time in the mountains, Higgins Lodge has hotel rooms available or you can reserve a bunk in one of the summer camp cabins.  It is also only less than an hour from the mountain town of Boone, an excellent choice for a weekend getaway.

The 2014 Continental Divide Trail Race will take place on August 23, 2014.

For more information, visit www.mountaingoatracing.com.

Press Release by Race Director Jason Bryant.

Max King's Running Tip of the Month - August 2014

The following article was written by Max King and originally printed in The Footzone Bend's August e-mail newsletter.  Reprinted with permission from The Footzone Bend and +Max King. 

We've talked a lot at the shop lately about how we run, specifically what we run in, and we all came up with "lots of stuff". We're shoe geeks and we like to try out different things. I'm lucky enough as the shoe buyer to get to rotate between many different shoes but the one thing that we all had in common was that we like specific shoes for specific runs. A good trail shoe won't necessarily run well on the road and vice versa, a lightweight trainer can make you feel fast on those quicker workouts where your normal trainer doesn't work as well.

So, we need to address the shoe quiver again. I believe it's an important part of every runners gear. A do-it-all shoe is a great way to go, and there are indeed some shoes that will perform for all of your needs if you stick to a few routes. If you get a bit adventurous, and I hope you do at some point, then adding another pair of shoes you can rotate in can be a big benefit.

Here are a few recommended additions to your standard road shoe: If you're adding in rougher trail I would highly recommend a good trail running shoe. Working up to a faster half marathon time? Adding a lightweight trainer will help. If you use your running shoes for your gym or CrossFit workout you can extend their life by picking up a training shoe that will perform better during your strength sessions. I like to go with a more well cushioned shoe for those days where I want to get in a run but I also need some recovery from the pounding.

Whatever it is, there are multiple reason that you might need a second or third pair. Don't be afraid to go that route, your primary shoes will still be there when you need them with extra life to spare. It's an extra up-front investment but evens out over the life of the shoes. You might think I'm just trying to sell more shoes, but trust me, that's not my goal. My goal is to keep you motivated, keep running fun and help you get the most enjoyment out of your runs.

For more information on weekly group runs at the Footzone, check out their website: http://www.footzonebend.com/events/events_calendar 

Qualifying Standards for the 2015 Long Distance Mountain Running Championship Team

USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Executive Committee just approved qualifying standards for the 2015 Long Distance Mountain Running Championship Team.

1) the top US male and female from Pikes Peak Ascent (August 16, 2014) will be automatically qualified for the 2015 US Long Distance Team, regardless of place.  2) Any US athlete who is in the top 3 overall at Pikes Peak Ascent (August 16, 2014) will qualify.   3)  Top finisher from US Trail Marathon Championship (Moab, Utah - November 8, 2014) will qualify; 4) Remaining spots will be chosen by resume (as few as 1, and as many as 3 for  both male and  female team).

The US Long Distance Team will be comprised of five men and five women; top 3 score (cumulative times from the three top runners).

The 2015 WMRA Long Distance "Championships" (name is proposed to change from Challenge to Championships at the 2014 WMRA Congress meeting in Casette di Massa, Italy in September) will be hosted by the Zermatt Marathon on July 4, 2015.