Gettin' Closer

Hey Everyone,

It's been a while since my last post; I've been getting adjusted to the new fall semester which started on Monday.

When I'm not in class and I'm out on my runs I find myself thinking about the race in Switzerland. Training has been going smoothly so I'll be up to 65 miles this week. I've been very careful with my foot because this is the most I've run since my injury so I ice it a couple times a day. The West Virginia University Cross Country team has started practicing together every afternoon. It's nice to have a big group of people to run with and suffer through the heat and humidity with me. After todays run I dove feet first into an ice bath which felt amazing after 8 miles in the blistering sun.

As for workouts, we did a 4 mile tempo on Tuesday. I averaged 6:12 pace on an up and down course. I was very under control and finished it without a big effort. My coach and I were very pleased with it because it was a lot better than the same workout we did last year even after taking 4 months off. So that is a great sign for the weeks to come.

Next week I'm going to start planning out what to pack for Switzerland. It will be here before we know it! I can't wait to meet all of you; I hope they're ready for us!

Cheers,

Maria

Rickey's Report.

Hello all, Alex Jodidio, the incedental American ex-pat running on our junior men's team, and his kind mum and dad, were kind enough to bring us to the trophy course in Ovronnaz (1450m)earlier today. As I am only an hour's drive away and my curiosity about the course is on the same level as (I imagine) everyone else's the opportunity to preview the course was quickly taken. The following is an attempt to describe the course so that you might be able to get in a couple more specific workouts before your tapering begins. The pictures, taken by Alex, should help out with the visualization. The race looks as though it will begin on the infield of a track (or possibly a parking lot, still not entirely clear) then quickly (within 150m) taper down to an eight foot wide, gravel bike path for a short, quick up-hill. After fifty meters, you will begin a 200m down-hill on a paved road before the course turns left, into the trees and onto a dirt, jeep road. For the next kilometer, the course climbs gradually (by gradually, I mean 5-10 percent... like the "managable sections of both Steamboat and Cranmore - let me know if you need further explanation), through the trees. Passing might be a problem through the first section of the first lap, but patience will certainly pay off, because the final climb is to follow.... The final climb, although not very long, is very steep (equivalent to the steepest downhill sections at Cranmore and the steepest uphill section at Steamboat). At about 80% effort, it took five minutes to ascend. It will take four during the race. It will be this section that either destroys people or lets them carry on. The course then plateaus for a couple hundred meters before you meet the beginning of the down-hill section at km3. The course descends gradually at first, off the trail, through trees and grass, then, as it finds the trail again it descends much steeper (like the steepest down-hill sections of Steamboat or the final downhill section at Cranmore). Then... there is about 250 meters of very steep downhill. This section is a wood-chipped single-track and switch-backs through the trees very abruptly. The switchbacks are abrupt and tight enough that it is possible to cut straight down the center (recklessly), which people will certainly do if the race organizers don't rope-off the course. It is unclear at the moment whether or not they will do this, but certainly something to prepare for. At the bottom of this steep downhill (150m from the finish/next lap), you veer right, curving around the track from above before dropping back down into the infield. 3k up, 1k down. That's it. The course isn't all that rocky. If the weather is bad (which is possible, if not probable this time of year), you'll want every bit of traction you can get. In fact, if it weren't for the downhill, I'd recommend spikes for the course. The ability to transition will prove the most key. Here are my impressions. Take them or leave them. Although the following has been written for the senior men, it applies just as much to the juniors and senior women. This is a very fast race. The winner of the senior men race that was held here recently (Swiss National Championships?) won in 53mins, which means that the trophy race is going to be won in around 51 minutes (weather dependent), or 17minutes/lap. The course is going to suit the faster runners (Clint and Payton) over the more powerful runners (Simon, Paul and myself). Everybody trains differently, but having seen the course, the two workouts that I can suggest are a. 3 reps of 14 minutes on with a 3 minute recovery and b. run steep downhill singletrack (for Boulder... running the steepest singletrack trails that come down Flagstaff are as close as you're going to get). This is mostly a matter of opinion, of course. For those coming early to Switzerland, I can only recommend the two places that I have visited. Zinal - located an hours drive from Ovronnaz at an altitude of 1700m; and Anzere (1500m) - also an hour away and home to the second greatest mountain runner of modern times, Billy Burns (says Martin Cox who helped me write this). Zinal is relatively easy to get to (get a train from Zurich or Geneva, get off at Sierre, catch a bus to Zinal). Anzere is much more difficult to get to, but much more picturesque. As far as previewing the course before our arrival on wed or thurs, that could prove difficult, but not impossible. Using public transportation, it would be a full day excursion from either of these towns. Renting a car is a possibility... if you're up for paying the high gas prices, dealing with maps, etc.

Hope you find this useful, Best, Rickey

Pictures Ovronnaz.

Today I went running on the course of the World Trophy in Ovronnaz with Ricky Gates and the English runner Martin Cox. We did two loops with Ricky and Martin did three, and then some sprints on the grass. I took a few pictures of the race. The departure is at the Stadium, then we go down a paved road and turn left onto a mountain path, we pass over a bridge and then a few steep, short uphill sections. Than there is a very steep 2000 foot uphill section. At the top, there is a flat bit and thenthe downhill run through the forest, with wood chips on the path. The lap is relatively short (about 2.5 miles). Ricky will send a more complete report soon. More pictures also coming up soon...

I'm Back!

I haven't been Blogging for a while because my high school team had their X-C camp this past weekend up in Grand Lake, CO.Most of our runs were between 9 and 10,000 ft! It was awesome. Here’s the update.

We drove out there Thursday morning and then did our run on the East Shore trail. It’s a nice trail that we call the “Dam Run” because the route we take ends up spitting us out right at the Dam (and because as underclassmen none of us liked the run especially but then it was the Damn run). The trail is pretty flat and cruises right along the lake for the first 3 miles or so and then passes the dam and there is a little climbing. I went out for 40 minutes very relaxed and then came back a bit faster to the trailhead and went an extra mile and a half to end my run at 11.5 miles. It’s a fun run with super soft footing for the whole trail. We followed our run up with a team stretch and a super tough core and strength workout.

The next day we did a 9 miler in the morning. This was a new trail for the whole team but I liked it a lot. It’s about a mile and a half from our cabin, maybe a little more, and then we hang a big left on to an ATV trail. The trail takes us up almost 3 miles with some steady climbing before coming to the Bull Creek Loop. The loop is a mile long, has super technical climbing up, and then mellows out a little once you get to the top. The descent for the loop is really steep though and too rocky and full of roots to take very fast. Then we cruised back to the cabin for a total of about 9 miles. The rest of the day, we all just chilled out at the lake and swam until the late afternoon when we did ANOTHER tough core and strength workout.

Saturday we didn’t run (so it was my day off for the week) but we hiked the 14er Mt. Bierstadt. It’s a tough climb just because it was so hot out. The trail is pretty straightforward, nothing out of control, but on the final ridge, it’s so rocky that there isn’t really a defined trail. That was awesome because we got to sort of Baja up and over a bunch of big boulders and just take our own path. There were some pretty awesome drop offs to the right and the more adventurous got to dangle their feet a bit. After the climb down, (which was tougher than going up) we drove back to camp and did….you guessed it: another core workout.

Sunday we did our last run of camp the “Long run”. It goes on so many different trails and service roads and ATV tracks that you can’t really call it by any of the names and typically it’s the longest run we do at camp so we put our creative minds together to come up with the name “Long run”. It’s a step up from naming one of the runs last year “The Downhill”. Anyways the run is a point-to-point run that we do for anywhere between 8 and 12 miles. The younger kids will do 8 or 10 and the older people will do 12. It goes up some rolling hills on Route 41 for about 4.5 miles and then puts you back towards the Bull Creek Loop run, but you go past it onto a different ATV trail. Then you get about a half-mile of climbing and then a mile of down hill to the water station that our coaches set up. It was super hot and there isn’t a ton of shade on the run so that was much appreciated. From the water station, you get onto Route 4 service road that heads to Stillwater pass. We head down for about 1.5 miles and then take a serious climb up for 2.5 miles. We really pushed on these sections despite being gassed by a bunch of ATVers and breathing in all the dust they were kicking up. Then we sort of just chilled on the last mile down to finish in just under an 1:29. I’m pretty sure that that’s the fastest I’ve ever done the run, and it was a great way to end the camp.

Monday some of us did a pool workout in the morning. Then at practice that night, we had a serious strength workout and some even more serious ultimate Frisbee to recover from Sunday’s run and camp a bit. So that was my day off of running for this week.

Tuesday we did hill repeats…sort of. We did 2 min 3min 4min 2min 3 min 4 min 3 min repeats on our home course which is a hilly one, but the hill isn’t quite long enough to get more than 2minutes going up. We all got a lot of practice running downhill hard though so it was a good workout especially after we did so much hurdle mobility and shin and ankle strength exercises.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. Sorry for the length! I’ve been super busy!

-Jonny

My 1st Blog.......ever :0 )

Hello to everyone and huge congrats on being part of the USA mountain team !!

This is really a cool idea ! Thank you Paul K.....

Real fun and interesting reads on everyone so far.

So here I go......

First I just want to let everyone know if my plans to preview the course. Saturday the 8th of Sept. I am planning on doing a workout etc on the course...I have been in contact with Alex and Rickey so if there is anyone else that wants or can to try and meet maybe Sat AM at the hotel LEs Bains parking lot we can take a bus up the mountain and spend some time on the course...I hope Alex can make it as he will have first knowledge of the course.

Then I think 3-4 days relaxing in Zenal might be in order....looking into lodging there etc...more info later.....

Otherwise, after a dismal spring my training is back on track. July was alot of mileage and weekly drives to Pikes Peak since I am racing Pikes Peak Ascent on Saturday. Starting Sunday it is 3 hard weeks of fartleks and specific downhills ( yuck) to prepare for the Trophy race.

As for the pix ?? Anyone that can guess where I am at wins a genuine TEVA MOUNTAIN RUNNING singlet.....Paul Low and Dave Dunham are excluded from this once in a lifetime offer :)

All the best to all

Simon

Sierre-Zinal.

Hi everyone,

yesterday i ran in the Sierre-Zinal race ,the junior part 19 k . Nice weather , a bit of snow and the downhill was very difficult and technic . I started not too fast, i was 8 th position in Tignousa , then i passed 5 juniors and i was 3rd untill the 15 K . I finished the race in 6th place in 1h35 so i am very happy. I met Rickey gates who finished 21 th place in Sierre-Zinal , we are going in Ovronnaz on Thursday on the WT race. So i will send you a lot of pictures , i will try to put this on the blog as soon as possible.

Keep you posted

Great Race XXX

Today I competed in the Great Race in Auburn, NY with Zach. I had a great race until Zach punched me in the face when I went to pass him. haha no i was just kidding about that but I did have a great race and Zach had an even better race. I ended up 5th over in the 10k with a time of 32:55. My mile splits were 5:16, 5:20, 5:24, 5:20, 5:27, 5:04 and I ran the last .2 miles in 60 seconds. Zach was 3rd in 32:44 I believe. My team ended up 5th overall improving on out 12th place finish from last year. It was a great last turn up before Suisse. I felt great the whole race and i ran 38 seconds faster than I did last year so I was very very happy. Hope everyones training is going well.

One Snake. Two Snakes.

Hello Everyone! Today I ran about 11 miles in the foothills of Albuquerque. I ran around the southeast end of the mountains. I have noticed that when I run here I usually see a snake. I don't know why I usually see one here and not any where else in the foothills. Today however, I saw two snakes. That was a first for me. The first one was a rattle snake which a couple had chased off the path. They were excited about their accomplishment so I stopped and looked at the snake for a couple of seconds before thanking them and going on my way. When I was almost done with my run I saw another snake. This one was dark, skinny and not really that long but I still had to jump over it as it scurried into the bushes. Other than that the run was long but went well. I also wanted to share some of my favorite places to run with everyone. Here are some pictures .

Enjoy!

Rachael

Switzerland Travel Tips

Just in case all you "bloggers" don't check your email, here are some handy travel tips from Dave Dunham. - Richard Bolt

Drink plenty of fluids, and remember that alcoholic beverages and caffeinated beverages have a dehydrating effect. The tap water in Northern Europe is generally safe to drink, although its high mineral content can cause minor upsets if you’re not used to it.

To avoid Jet-lag it is best to try and get an overnight flight to Europe and sleep as much as possible on the flight. You should then try and get on European time as soon as possible (don’t take a nap; it may make getting to sleep the first night very difficult).

Currency exchange facilities are widely available in Europe. There are exchange offices at airports and central train stations, in the central business districts in cities and at border crossing points. They are often open extended hours in the summer and during vacations. Most hotel reception desks also will exchange currency. Exchange rates are normally displayed and are available in newspapers. Your best bet may be to take your Debit card if you need cash - - but check with your bank on charges for withdrawals. Credit cards (see below) are great for most purchases and the exchange rate is calculated which saves you on transferring money to another currency and you invariably end up with extra Euros or Swiss Francs when you return home!

Credit cards are an easy and trouble-free method of payment to use when traveling abroad. AMEX, MC, and Visa are the most widely accepted; check with our credit card company prior to departure if you have any doubt about its use abroad. Keep a record of your card number in a separate place and note the international phone number to report card loss in case yours is misplaced or stolen.

Leave valuable jewelry at home, ostentatious displays mark you as a prospective target for theft. Never leave your bags unattended. Train stations normally provide lockers or check desks where you can leave a heavy bag while sightseeing. If traveling by car, keep your doors locked in slow-moving traffic or when driving through busy urban areas, and put everything in the trunk while the car is parked.

Currency – the Swiss franc (SF) is divided into 100 centimes or “Rappen” the denominations for Franc bills are 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000. There are coins of 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimes and 1, 2 and 5 SF. For more info visit: http://travelpete.com/planner/money.shtml

Electricity – 220 volt power. Electrical sockets take plugs with two round pins. SU appliances will need a plug adapter and a transformer if they do not have a dual-voltage facility. You can pick converters up at WalMart, Target, Walgreens, etc.

Driving – Drive on the right. Police can impose on-the-spot fines for speeding. Seat belts must be worn in the front and back seats at all times.

Rest rooms – Most toilets (Toiletten) are clean and well maintained. They are indicated by a variety of signs such as “WC”. Women’s may be designated “Damen, Fauen, Femmes, Dames, Signore or Donne”; Men’s may be designated “Herren, Manner, Hommes, Messieurs, Signori or Uomini”.

Phones – You can make international calls from most European telephones. You can use cash or a prepaid phone card (Kartentelefon). Most phones have direct dialing for international calls.
Emergency numbers
Police= 117
Fire= 118
Ambulance= 117 or 144.

Trains – most countries in Europe have a national train system, with trains operating across national borders. Service is generally efficient although local routes with frequent stops can be slow.

Stores – Typically close in the afternoon on Saturday by 4 or 5 PM. Many stores close from noon- 1:30 for lunch.

Switzerland
Reflecting Switzerland’s location in central Europe, the Swiss speak four different languages; Schwyzerdutsch, a Swiss-German dialect; French; Italian; and Romansch, and ancient Latin tongue. 18% of the population in SW Switzerland speak French and south of the Alps Italian is spoken. Most Swiss (65%) speak German. An attempt to say a few words in any of Switzerland’s languages will always be appreciated.

Trains run punctually, hotels are clean and comfortable, opening times for attractions are reliable, and everyone connected with tourism speaks English. Switzerland is also generally expensive.

Although most Swiss are excellent linguist, it’s polite to ask if they speak English before starting a conversation or asking a question.

Be polite – bitte, prego or je vous en prie is the equivalent of “you’re welcome” and it’s important to use one of these expressions when you’re thanked.

The traditionally French “raclette” is undergoing a revival in Switzerland and is quite good. A whole block of cheese is cut into slices and melted, then draped over boiled potatoes and is eaten with gherkins, smoked ham and sausage.

Training

Every other friday I am suppose to do an Anerobic Threshold run. I was supposed to a 4 miler at 5:50s. The weather has been very miserable near me for the past 2-3 days. It was raining a little this morning but I always run well in the rain. My run today was awesome. I ran 5:49 for the first mile, 5:36, 5:52, 5:34. The 4 miles was on a dirt road in State Land about 10 minutes from my house (depending on how many cows are out). I am competing in the Great Race this sunday with Zach. It should be a great race and I would also like to set a PR as well. I think that there will be lots of chances to do that. On tuesday before I leave for Colorado, I am going to run my training loop. I am going to try and do 7 laps for 10.5 miles. I plan on doing it in the morning unlike when I ran 6 laps and started to feel like crap. I usually average about 11:30 for the 1.5 mile loop. I have been working on my descending as I think that is where I could use the most work. I am very excited that Alex will be sending pictures of the course. Hope everyone's training is going great. See you all in a little over a month. Straight ahead!!
-Christian

Geez, it's hot!

Hey Everyone,

This morning I took my Chemistry final exam so summer school is officially over! This is a big relief because now I don't have to worry about it in the fall and can concentrate on training for the WMRT and cross country season.

My training has been going well; this will be my fourth week back running after taking almost four months off with a stress fracture in the third metatarsal of my foot. I cross-trained like crazy maxing 162 miles a week on my bike, but I could only handle 50 minutes on the arm-bike each day. Even for making it to 50 minutes my coach said I should have a mental evaluation because that thing is as fun as getting teeth pulled. I will hit close to 60 miles this week, mid 60's next week, and if all is well, I should be around 70 miles a week by mid-September. It has been extremely hot and humid in Morgantown with the heat index at 101. Today it felt like I was running with a plastic bag over my head. But I'm not complaining...I'm just glad to be outside training.

Like all of you, I was thrilled to receieve all of my gear in the mail. It was like Christmas in August! I wore my uniform to bed the night I got it and haven't taken it off since. I figure I'll have to sometime next week to wash it. A big thank you to our sponsors!

I'm off to get an early start on my weekend.

Cheers,
Maria

Time to fly....

Howdy,
This is my first of many blogs on here. My name is Zach RIvers, this is my second WMRT, my first was last year in Bursa, Turkey. I am hoping for a much better performance than last year were I finished 43rd. As for now my training is going much better than last year at this time. I am running much faster up Bristol Mountain were I enjoy to train. Bristol is a small ski mountain, more hill than mountain, but it is 1,200 ft high over 1.5 miles. So too mimic the world course I run up the blue square trail and then go straight down the black diamond trail. Then I rinse and repet. As for other runs latly i have been doing my normal xc training were i am hitting about 65 miles this week with a few hard runs/ workouts in there. I like doing one workout on the track and another on grass. This week I did 400, 200, 400, 200, 400, 200, 400, 200, 400, 200, with a easy 200 inbetween each set. for the 200's I was hitting around 32, and for the 400's around 67, nothing really fast but pretty good for my first time on a track in over a month and a half. I also like doing fast 10 milers, were I start off at 6:20 pace and pick it up too about 5:30 pace to finish in around 57-58 min. I am really trying to make the best out of this trip and race. As for races coming up I am going to be doing The Great Race, a 10K on the roads. Christian and Jeff Beck will be in the race, so I am really hoping it will be fast, trying to imrove on my pr of 33:15, which I believe I can do right now.
I absolutly love the gear we got this and would like to thank all of our sponsors for all of the greats clothing and extra stuff.

Okay I am out for now, later,
zach rivers

Sierre-Zinal.

I participated last Sunday in the Thyon-Dixence race in the Valais area of Switzerland. I came in 2nd amongst the Juniors. It was a nice run. The race started at 6562 feet and ended at 7546 feet, and the highest point of the race was at 8038 feet. Then I stayed at 9500 feet in a mountain refuge for three days, and trained a bit. I woke up this morning and it was snowing!!! 20 inches of snow at 9500 feet. I came back home quickly, but it was quite dangerous to go down.

On Sunday , i will run the Junior part of the Sierre-Zinal race (Chandolin-Zinal 12 miles). I really hope to do well in this race, if I finish in the top 3 I would be very happy. Some Swiss juniors who are competing in Ovronnaz will be there, so it will be a quick race, il have to run smart and not start fast. And I also hope that the weather will be a bit better. Then after this race , I will go in Ovronnaz to train a bit more before the race. I will post pictures of the course and departure and show you the steepest part of the race on grass and then the crazy descent to the stadium on the blog




Ps: Rickey gates will run Sierre-Zinal 31 k on Sunday, hope that he will do well.

Hope that everyone is training well, good luck.

Keep you posted.

alex.j

Saillon or Bust!!!

This is Jonny Stevens and this is my first post on this blog. I haven't been online as much because I'm done with my summer job (finally!) and I'm trying to stay outdoors as much as I can before I go back to school. I'm super excited to go to Switzerland next month and run in the World Trophy Race! I've been training on the mountain and trails up here in Vail,CO almost every day and I feel like I'm in as good of shape as I ever have been. I typically get two or three really steep runs in a week and try and mix it up between runs on the road or bike paths and runs on less hilly trails. I've also been in the pool and on the bike more this summer; trying to avoid an injury like last year's (stress fracture in my right foot).

My x-c team is off to our annual running camp tomorrow until Sunday night and we're all stoked because we're right on Grand Lake in Granby, CO. The camp is pretty fun, we run every day at at least 10,000 feet elevation on a bunch of really cool trails and service roads. On Saturday we all hike the 14ers Greys and Torres Peak which is awesome if the weather is good because at the top you can see a couple different ski resorts.

Can't wait for the cross season to start and then in just a couple weeks we're off to Europe! The course video looks pretty cool and the city looks awesome. I'm excited for this race, I feel like I'm better at the "up and down" courses and this one looks like it will be a fun downhill.

Really looking forward to the whole experience!

Jonny

Back For Round 2!

Hey everyone, this is Kathryn. I just have to tell you that I'm extremely excited to run in Switzerland next month! Time is flying by and before we know it we'll all be really close friends. I went to New Zealand with the team two years ago and made so many friends from around the world that i still talk to regularly. Those of you who have not gone will absolutely love it, i'm pumped! The only bad thing is the long flight but with all the excitement, it goes by pretty fast. The mountain in NZ was quite possibly the steepest thing i've ever seen, and then we had to run up it...well, with some walking, let's be honest :) It was intimidating but in the end it was the funnest race i've ever competed in-just to think you're competing with the best from around the world! I've been training for the event with some intense hill workouts and long runs to build up my endurance. I take my Yorkipoo, Chip, with me on long runs he's only 5lbs but can outrun me, he's a soldier lol. Good luck with your training everyone, and can't wait to meet you all.

The top pic is of mt. victoria and the bottom one is the junior team at the base of the mt.

The Death Trail

Hello fellow mountain runners! I look forward to seeing all of you and your supporters in Switzerland. I hope Everyone is training well. I just ran the La Luz Trail Run (My friends and I renamed it the death trail. It's a little dramatic but makes it sound more exciting.) here in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday the 5th of August. The race is 9.0 miles and starts near the base of the Sandia mountains and finishes at the top. I ran almost a minute faster then my fastest time this year. Simon Gutierrez also ran the race this year and was the first person to the top.

To the left are the only stairs in the race but they are pretty tough because once you reach them you have less then a half mile left to run. I will admit that I walked up the stairs. They are intense when you are tired. To the right is a view of the rock slide that you have to run across about two thirds of the way into the race.

Keep up the good work!

Rachael

Finally figured it out

Hi!

It's Louis, Rachael's dad. I work with computers, servers, and networks all day long but it took me a while to figure out how to post on this blog. I guess I'm not as smart as I look!

You have to sign in with the username and password that was on the email from Saturday, August 4th. Obviously I can't show it on this post because then it would be open to everyone in the world including malicious malcontents. However, if you already deleted the email or can't find it just email me and I'll send it to you. You'll find my email address in the spreadsheet.

I'm really interested in what everyone is doing before and during the world meet in Ovronnaz. So post whatever you can and include a favorite picture. (This is not my "favorite" picture, it was just handy)

Regards to all.

Louis

The Training Begins

Hey Everyone,

On Thursday I began my first day of specific training for the Mountain Running World Trophy. I drove up to the Wisp Ski Resort in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland to run up their main slope, The Face. The closer we drove to the slopes the more intimidating the mountain looked....and it's only half the size of the mountain that we are going to "face" in Switzerland! I began my climb and from the bottom all the way to the top it took about 7 minutes...for a half mile with 500 ft elevation gain! So needless to say after doing that 3 times, I'm quite sore. This was expected which is exactly why I want to be training on it.

See that little dot wearing the red shorts and the new Tevas? That's me.

I'm so excited to be a part of the U.S. Mountain running team. It has been a dream of mine to be able to represent my country doing something I love and, on top of it, to be able to do it in Switzerland...wow, I can't wait. It has already been such a great experience, so thanks to USATF, Nancy, Dave, and my coach, Sean Cleary for letting me be a part of it.

Cheers,
Maria

World mountain trophy Ovronnaz -

Hi everyone,

My name is Alex and i am 17 .I am looking forward to participate to the World moutain running trophy on the 14-15 in Ovronnaz. It Looks like we have a really good Junior men's team this year, hope to do well on this race ! l live in Grimentz ,in a little moutain village in Switzerland, Ovronnaz is only 50 min by car from my village ,so i can train a lot on the race . Also in 2008 the World trophy will be held in Sierre on an up-hill race.

The race in Ovronnaz will be tough , steep up-hills and down hills , two laps for the Junior men's . I expect to not go to fast on the first lap and go much faster on the second. Now ,i am actually preparing for a race on Sunday, 16 km in Thyon. Hope to do well.

Keep you posted,

Alex Jodidio

Team Preparations

It has been an exciting running season as we prepare for the Trophy races. Three great selection races -- some automatic berths -- followed up by at-large picks to round out the senior team. And of course there are the juniors. We have representatives on the team from 8 states, some newcomers and also medal winners from past teams. Everyone will be looking for a podium spot this year, that is for sure!
Nancy