As we approach race time, it’s usual that a few registered team have to drop out for one reason or another-injury, work or family commitments, or other unforeseen circumstances-preparing for six days of running in the Rockies takes commitment!

This year, their loss is your gain as a few precious team spots for the third edition of the already-legendary GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run. With roughly 10 weeks until the start of the event, there’s still time to give your training a boost and get ready to run 113 miles across the top of North America through Colorado’s high Continental Divide peaks.

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While the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run covers over a hundred miles, we spread it out over 6 days. Some trail running events, such as the Western States Endurance Run from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California, offer runners an opportunity to run a hundred miles in just one day. At least for those who are up for the challenge!

On June 27th, Anita Ortiz of Eagle, CO was up for the challenge. Ortiz, who won the 2008 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run with teammate Katie Mazzia (Team Beaver Creek Super Fly), was definitely up for the challenge, winning the women’s division in her Western States debut. Ortiz finished the 100 mile course in 18 hours and 24 minutes, finishing 9th overall. Of the 399 runners that started this year’s western states, only 238 finished under the 30 hour time cutoff, running through 100 degree temperatures over 18,000 feet of vertical. Ortiz and Mazzia will defend their TransRockies Run titles again this August in Colorado. [READ MORE]

When the weather turns bad, WINDSTOPPER® has been the go-to fabric for crew and participants in the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run. Products made with WINDSTOPPER® fabric are designed for the runner who enjoys an active outdoor lifestyle. Their unique performance features make them ideal for a wide range of aerobic activities in any weather condition - making WINDSTOPPER® products perfect for the challenges of the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run. You can choose from a versatile product offering, including jackets, vests, pullovers, pants, gloves, and hats for running, hiking, mountaineering, cycling, skiing, or for just for everyday wear.

WINDSTOPPER® Active shells are the lightest, most packable products offering total windproofness, maximum breathability and water resistance. They keep you comfortable which allows for enhanced performance during long mountain runs or dead-of-winter training. Look for WINDSTOPPER® fabric in these great brands: Salomon, The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Merrell, Nike ACG, Mammut, Cloudveil, and GoLite.

TransRockies US LP is proud to announce that PEET Dryer will return in 2009 as the official supplier of Shoe Dryers in the “PEET Shoe Drying Tent” at the GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run.

PEET Dryer chose the TransRockies Run as an ideal platform to showcase the benefits of having dry footwear for running performance and comfort. “Running with dry feet means that you are running in comfort,” said Andy Kennelly, Vice President of PEET Dryer. “An event like the TransRockies Run exposes runners to a wide variety of conditions, including multiple stream crossings and occasionally wet weather. We’re happy to help them start each stage with dry shoes!” [READ MORE]

Proper hydration is a critical component for athlete training and competition, and at higher altitudes such as in the Rocky Mountains, athletes must drink even more fluid to stay adequately hydrated, and consequently, keep their bodies performing at peak levels. Higher altitudes mean lower air pressure, which results in the more rapid evaporation of moisture from the skin and from the lungs. Most high altitude areas are also very low in humidity, which means evaporation also occurs more quickly. The combination of those two factors means that the higher up an athlete is, the more fluid he or she needs to keep their body functioning properly.

[READ MORE]

The GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run organizers are taking steps to make this an environmentally sustainable race. We encourage all participants to calculate and offset the carbon footprint of your travel to and from the event via the Colorado Carbon Fund. You can use the online carbon footprint calculator to estimate the impact of your travel and then make a donation to offset that amount. All contributions to the Colorado Carbon Fund are tax-deductible and are used to support new clean energy projects in Colorado to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks for helping us to respect and protect the environment we enjoy during this run!

Visit this website to get started!

http://www.denver.org/convention/green/travel-calculator.

The cream of the crop in North American trail running will be lining up to compete in this year’s GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run on August 23-28. Included in the starting line-up will be winners of some of the most prestigious ultra races including Helen Cospolitch, women’s winner of the 2008 Leadville 100; and her partner Dean Karnazes, probably the best-known ultra runner in the World and a past winner of the Badwater Ultra.

Last year’s winning women’s team, Katie Mazzia and Anita Ortiz-Team Beaver Creek Super Fly, will be returning but they’ll be racing in the 80+ Women category in 2009. One potential winning team in the Open Women’s category is the North Face Girls– Kami Semmick and Nikki Kimball, who between them have won numerous ultras like Western States, MiWok, and Kettle Moraine.  They’re running the TransRockies for the first time and will see if that speed in single-day events translates into the stage race format.

Participation is up across the board and we anticipate thrilling competition in every category as the elite racers push themselves during six days of running for a share of the $20,000 prize purse.

In the last newsletter, we highlighted Doug Malewicki’s upcoming 70th planned birthday adventure of trail running 70 miles in three days to raise money for charity. We organize some of the toughest stage rages in the World and this seemed like exactly the right way to celebrate a big birthday!

Well he dropped us a line once it was all over to let us know that he pulled it off and, just because he’s an Old Goat, he threw in an extra 8+ miles for a total of 78.38 miles by the time the 3 day adventure was done!

He accumulated the 78 miles as follows: 26 on Day 1, 31+ on Day 2 (with 10,000′ of climbing!) and the final 20+ on Day 3. Throughout the three days, he was supported by friend and family who took turns running with him and waiting at the finish line with treats, including beer. His fellow SoCal Trail Headz running club member Kirk Fortini  paced him through all three days as a “recovery” session from a 100 miler a couple of weeks earlier. (We’re not quite sure how running 78 miles counts as “recovery”, but we’re weird that way I guess!)

Please join us in congratulating Dougon his big 70th birthday and feel free to drop in and check out the pictures, numbers and stories from the 70at70 run here http://www.californiaoldgoats.com/70at70ResultsSummary.htm.