Field to face the famed "rock climb" on a course with 1500 feet of elevation gain
LAUREL SPRINGS, N.C. - The USA 10K Trail Championships, hosted again by Continental Divide Trail Race in Laurel Springs, North Carolina, will be held Saturday, August 28, 2010, and top men's and women's fields are expected to take on the challenging course. It includes a 20-yard section affectionately known as "the rock climb" that organizers describe as requiring hands-on effort to scramble up. A total of 1500 feet of climbing is part of the picturesque 6.2 miles just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The race starts and finishes right on the Eastern Continental Divide with the course sending runners on loops off both sides of the divide.
The men's field is led by last year's national runner-up, Ryan Woods, who is coming off a win in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup series. Local runners Bobby Mack and Patrick Morgan, both fast on the track, are entered. Mack was a USA team member for the 2010 World Cross Country Championships.
The women's field includes Gina Lucrezi (accomplished mountain trail runner and Massachusetts resident), Amber Moran (a top area runner and school nurse), Holly Ortlund (competitive on the XTERRA circuit and resident of Georgia) and Emily Potter (captain in the U.S. Army and competitive runner).
The Masters field (40 and older) includes defending champion Andy Ames as well as Chad Newton and Dave Dunham on the men's side and Annette Bednosky in the women's race. Bednosky won the USA Women's 100 Mile Championship title last month.
Get more info at www.continentaldividetrailrace.com and also check out the video of the 2009 race.
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