Friday, April 30, 2010

OrthoLite Joins the American Trail Running Association as the Official Insole

Colorado Springs, CO ----- OrthoLite recently signed on as the official insole of the American Trail Running Association (ATRA). OrthoLite is the world’s leading supplier of open cell foam insoles in the performance footwear category.

“We are thrilled to announce OrthoLite’s corporate sponsorship. OrthoLite has been a dedicated partner of ATRA for three years and this new level of involvement is greatly appreciated by our board of directors and will enable ATRA to further develop programs for our membership,” said Nancy Hobbs, executive director ATRA.

Some of ATRA’s programs include a comprehensive online calendar of national and international trail and mountain running events, a quarterly newsletter entitled Trail Times, e-blasts throughout the year announcing special events and products, and surveys which help ATRA gather demographic information on our sport.

“OrthoLite is excited to serve as the official insole for ATRA,” said Pam Gelsomini, President of OrthoLite. “We have a shared goal of providing an insole product that gives trail runners the comfort and durability they need on all types of terrain.”

OrthoLite headquarters are located in Amherst, MA and their website can be accessed at www.ortholite.com.

For additional information visit the websites listed below:

American Trail Running Association
www.trailrunner.com

OrthoLite
www.ortholite.com

OrthoLite Company Overview: OrthoLite, headquartered in Amherst, MA, is the world’s leading supplier of open cell foam insoles found in more than 100 million shoes each year including, Asics, New Balance, Merrell, Nike, Puma, Adidas, Vans and Timberland. OrthoLite combines polyurethane and recycled rubber to provide superior cushioning, comfort, breathability and durability. OrthoLite was originally founded in 1997 and is a product of O2 Partners LLC.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

U.S. Team Announced for 2010 NACAC Mountain Running Championships


Colorado Springs, CO --- Canada will host the seventh North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championship in Canmore, Alberta on Friday, July 9. The Canmore Challenge uphill course at Nakiska Mountain includes approximately 3000 feet of vertical gain over a 12 kilometer route and will act as a tune-up for NACAC teams in preparation for the World Mountain Running Championships to be held in Kamnik, Slovenia, on September 5.


The U.S. hosted the NACAC event in 2004, 2005 & 2009, Mexico hosted in 2006 and 2008, and Canada hosted in 2007. Team USA won men’s and women’s gold medals the first two years, but didn’t compete in 2006. In 2007 Team USA was again victorious in both the men’s and women’s divisions. In 2008 Team Mexico won the men’s competition with Team USA finishing second and Team Canada finishing third. The U.S. women were victorious followed by Mexico and Canada. Team USA won both races in 2009.


“We are looking forward to the NACAC competition in Canada this July. The course at Nakiska will test the speed and strength of the athletes and with Team USA comprised of experienced mountain runners, most with international experience, we’re sure to be in the hunt for gold medals,” said USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council Chairperson and USA Team manager Nancy Hobbs.


“This is certainly a strong squad that we’re bringing to Canada this year and represents the breadth of mountain running in the U.S. with athletes representing seven states. All but one athlete on our U.S. Team has World Championship experience at either the junior or senior level,” added Team Leader Richard Bolt.


The men’s team includes: (age on race date) Brandon Lord, 18, Hixson, TN, Zach Freudenburg, 32, St. Louis, MO, Joseph Gray, 26, Lakewood, WA and Tim Smith, 20, Roanoke, VA. The women’s team includes Christine Lundy, 39, Sausalito, CA, Sarah Wagner, 38, Flagstaff, AZ, Brandy Erholtz, 32, Bailey, CO, and Megan Lund, 26, Basalt, CO. The team was selected based on their finish at the World Mountain Running Championship in 2009. If an athlete declined their spot, members of the 2008 U.S. Team at NACAC were offered spots. Bios of the 2010 team are available upon request.


For additional information on the USA Mountain Running Program visit www.usmrt.com, www.trailrunner.com, and www.usatf.org.


Nancy Hobbs, Chairperson, USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council: (719) 573-4133 trlrunner@aol.com


Thursday, April 15, 2010

Joe Gray finishes 10th at Carlsbad 5000

US Mountain Running Team member Joe Gray (Lakewood, WA) finished 10th in 14:38 and was the top American in the Carlsbad 5000 - dubbed the "world's fastest 5k" race.

ELITE MEN (gun times) -
1. Eliud Kipchoge, 25, KEN 13:11 DB $5000
2. Dejene Gebremeskel, 20, ETH 13:18 DB 3500
3. Bekana Daba, 21, ETH 13:24 2000
4. Markos Geneti, 25, ETH 13:35 1000
5. Simon Ndirangu, 24, KEN 13:41 800
6. Alistair Cragg, 29, IRL 13:44 700
7. Juan Luis Barrios, 26, MEX 13:53 500
8. Ali Abdosh, 22, ETH 13:53 400
9. Haron Lagat, 26, KEN 14:01 300
10. Joe Gray, 26, Lakewood, WA 14:38 200

Complete results can be found here:
http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=91016

Monday, April 12, 2010

Joe Gray featured in May issue of Running Times

Mountain Runner of the Year and US Mountain Running Team member Joe Gray (Lakewood, WA) has been featured in the May 2010 issue of Running Times magazine. The article titled "Going Up" was written by trail runner Brian Metzler and talks about Joe's road from a 3000m steeplechaser (8:44) to fit but novice mountain runner to world class mountain runner. Joe finished 16th at the 2009 World Mountain Running Championships in Italy will be gunning for a podium finish at the 2010 World Champs to be held in Slovenia this coming September. The May issue of Running Times is on news stands now.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Team member Brandy Erholtz featured in recent news story

Brandy Erholtz (Bailey, Colorado - pictured second from right) has been featured in a news story in the The Journal (International Falls, Minnesota). Brandy won the 2008 Mt. Washington Road Race (USA Mountain Running Championship) and finished 11th in the 2008 World Mountain Running Championships in Switzerland.

Mountain running with a smile on her face
By JIM JOHNSON, Sports Editor

"Brandy Erholtz traveled the rugged road to stardom — literally. A road that takes the shape of a rocky trail filled with large obstacles, sharp elevation changes and treacherous terrain. Altitudes at over 8,000 feet and a training regime that begins before the Boise Inc. overnight shift ends. A road where mountain lions effect training schedules and entire races travel uphill."

Read the complete story here.