Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Gray, Erholtz win NACAC Mountain Running Titles

Joseph Gray (pictured right) and Brandy Erholtz (pictured left), both of the USA, were victorious at the 7th North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships on July 9th, 2010. Canadians Taylor Murphy and Ivan Babikov rounded out the podium on the men's side.

American Megan Lund and Canadian Maria Zambrano were the second and third women respectively. The Canadian men narrowly edged out the USA to win the NACAC men's race, while the American women put in a commanding performance to win the NACAC women's race.

In the men's race, the American men led early with the Canadian men close behind. Joseph Gray established an early lead on the first ascent and never looked back, finishing nearly 30 seconds ahead of his closest competitors. The final ascent, the steepest and most demanding terrain on the course, proved decisive for the team finish, with Adrian Lambert passing Brandon Lord in the final 100m to ensure a Canadian victory over the Americans.

In the women's race, the USA team proved too strong for the Canadians, with three of the top four positions being filled by the American women.

The event was held at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta, after grizzly bear activity on the Nakiska Ski Resort forced the organizers to make a last-minute course change. The final course was approximately 7.5 km long, with 600m of ascent and 130m of descent.

Full results : http://www.mountainrunning.ca/news.php?id=41

Special thanks to Adrian Lambert (pictured center) from the Canadian Mountain Running Association for hosting the US Mountain Running Team.

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