More from Nancy Hobbs about their trip

Today it is raining. Even with the rain it is lovely and calm. There was a slight fog and mist over the vineyards which flank all parts of the mountainside. The region is best known for its pinot noir wines and after Sunday, the World Trophy. We had our first team meeting last night before dinner. Everyone attended and related their years on their team, their hometown and also the first rock concert they attended, or a little known fact. It was enlightening with rock concerts from Ozzy Osborne to Arlo Guthrie and little known facts to include missing a record on the water slide of 80 plus hours. Matt Byre finished fourth in this fine competition with the winner sliding for like 85 hours. Everyone will wave American flags at Saturday parade including our five supporters^. Today will be the team photos and more course preview. All of the other teams arrive today. >There were 50 or so at dinner last night and at lunch today we expect 250 and by dinner 500.
More later,
nancy in sierre and crans montana

World Mountain Running Trophy - Friday

This afternoon I ran the 8.33k course with the junior Mens team. Starting in the narrow streets of Venthone at 840m above sea level, the course ran along paved roads, gravel roads, single track trail, grass fields on the way to the finish in the town center of Crans-Montana at 1500m above sea level. Only one of the 4 junior men have run in a World Championship - all agreed that a conserative start would be wise as there are plenty of passing opportunities in the 2nd half of the race. Many first time juniors tend to start too quickly and loose large amounts of time later in the race. The junior womens race starts in Montana-Village at 1190m above sea level and joins the junior mens course 3.5k from the finish. The junior womens course has a very fast downhill start followed by rolling uphills before the final big climb 1.5k from the finish. Tomorrow will be a rest day for the athletes as team staff will be attending the World Congress and Technical Meetings.

Richard Bolt Team Leader Teva US Mountain Running

Greetings From Switzerland

Received this in email from Team Manager Nancy Hobbs...

Greetings,
I have arrived in Sierre, the start point for Sunday`"s 24th annual World Mountain Trophy Race. The weather here is lovely. No wind the past two days, sunny skies and a bit humid. I took a great run this morning near the Rhone as we are in the Rhone Valley. To get to the river, I had to run about 15 minutes from my hotel. I ran on some trails once I got to the river and passed between some vineyards which are all over the valley, and also an apple orchard. I saw two other people on the trail walking their dogs. The entire run I could hear the river rushing downstream with sediment from the upper glaciers. When I took a drive with the race director yesterday we went to Crans Montana -- these are actually two small villages that abut one another and is also the location of the finish line for the races on Sunday. Our athletes^- The Teva US Mountain Running Team members -- are all staying in Montana just moments from the funicular which is the best way from sierre to get up the mountain -- unless you are running?? There are also buses that go up the mountain roads -- all paved with views that are outstanding. In fact, on a clear day one can see 100 kilometer view of 40000 meter peaks including Mont Blanc. there are two golf courses - that i saw - in Crans. a large golf tourney was just held last week. The village that is hosting the race (finish line) is about 4,5000 residents. in Winter that number grows to 45,000. Big skiing area for sure.

The weather on Sunday may be cooler which would be appreciated by the athletes. Several of our team members have arrived with the rest arriving today. We will have our first team meeting tonight after dinner in Crans Montana. Two of our staff were delayed with flights yesterday. Ellen Miller arrived 12 hours later than expected and Dave Dunham was rescheduled for a departure on Wed to arrive today.
More updates as we move through the week.
Best,
Nance

World Mountain Running Trophy - Thursday

I arrived yesterday in Crans-Montana, Switzerland for the 24th World Mountain Running Championship. The rest of Team USA arrived today; the first official day of the event. We picked up our credentials, race packets and previewed the course. I ran the senior men's course - 11.7k and 1046m of ascent - with team members Zac Freudenberg, Matt Byrne and Eric"quadzilla" Blake. It's a great course that starts in Sierre, climbs up thru vinyards, forests and small villages on the way to the finish on Crans. Of particular interest here is the "funicular", a very steep cable railway that climbs 3000 vertical feet from Sierre to Crans in 12 minutes. The bus or a car takes 20 minutes and the runners will make it in 50 minutes. More info about the World Championship can be found at: 24th World Mountain Running Trophy
Richard Bolt

Story on Junior Team Member Paul Petersen

Story on Junior Team Member Paul Petersen

http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/news/2008/sep/07/h-ome-l-ife-flat-out-fast-on-land-thats-far-from/

Simon Gutierrez wins World Masters Running Champs in Czech Republic

September 6, 2008

Dolni Morava, Czech Republic ---- At today’s World Masters Mountain Running Championships is Dolni Morava, Czech Republic, Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team member Simon Gutierrez, 42, Alamosa, CO, won his third straight title. His time of 50:10 over the 11.3 kilometer mostly uphill course bested the second place finisher Gilles Convert of France by 38 seconds.

“I am very pleased to have won my third straight World Masters’ title. Today’s margin of victory was the biggest (of the three)....a good tune up for world’s in eight days,” wrote Gutierrez by e-mail following his victory.

“Traveling to the race venue, (the ski resort of Doni Morava), from Prague was a 4.5 hour drive and proved to be as big a challenge as defending my world title. It is hard to read road signs when you have absolutely no idea what the words mean. I arrived at 4.30 p.m., the evening prior, a bi t weary but happy to have found my English friends in a very nice hotel across the hall from my room.

“The course went by my hotel at the 5.5 km mark so I went for my second run of the day (pre race day) and looked at the first 5.5 kilometers of the course. It was very picturesque and scaled the side of the valley on the way to the ski mountain. This is where the real mountain running began.

“(on race day) I took the lead immediately and lead start to finish. We had three good, steep climbs, while the rest of the course was gradual climbs on forested paths. The total climb was about 800 meters and much to my dismay also had some downhill sections (about 180 meters total) which I jogged (the course went from a low point of 608 meters to a high point of 1254 meters).

“My legs feel fine and I consider myself lucky, as I got picked for doping control which meant I was one of the very few that got a ride down the mountain. For sure I did not want to run=2 0down with worlds (the World Mountain Running Trophy on September 14 in Sierre Crans Montana, Switzerland) only in a week’s time.”

Thanks to Simon for his post event report.

Additionally, Mark Nesfeder represented the USA in the 50-54 age group where he posted a time of 1:20:53 to finish 76^th in his age group. Anna Pichrtova, Czech Republic, was the overall women’s winner timed in 55:50.

A total of 1,868 runners participated in this, the 8^th Annual World Mountain Running Championships. There were 1,373 runners in the 11.3 kilometer race (runners up to 54 years of age) and 495 runners in the 9.9 kilometer race (runners from 55 year of age to 80).

Complete results at:

www.wmmr2008.sportsoft.cz/absresults.aspx?r=1&lng=en

Kitbuehel

Well so far Kitbuehel has been amazing. The food is great, there are meat shops everywhere and a wide selection of shops around town. I got a chance to run the course a few days ago so I knew it would be a tough one. The bad thing about the run up was I had to come back down because I had missed the last gondola so that totally wiped out the legs, but I guess it happens to every mountain runner at some time or another. So the race, it went as expected, Wyatt took it out and two other guys and I went with him, but as we started to climb steep they fell back quickly. I tried to stay with Wyatt as I really would have run by myself had I not and ended up crashin and burnin hahaha yeah I died pretty bad. But I never expected really to beat him by going out with him but I just didnt expect him to run so damn fast in the hot conditions. It was warm the entire race even at the top. The prize giving ceremony lasted about 3 hours so that was super fun, not. Wyatt and I took about a million pics and Im sure his hand was pretty tired because he must have signed every bib number in the building. Overall, the race was good prep for worlds, but the weather and the run up and down the mountain maybe hurt me a bit as far as time goes. UP next a little traveling around euro before headin to crans.