TransRockies Stage Four: Regroup

Stage Four of the 6-day GORE-TEX TransRockies Run is a favorite of return participants for several reasons: the RUN3 participants have departed, dwindling the camp down to 100 teams (200 people), the route is comparatively short, covering 14.2 miles, and features a long, steep incline followed by a long, fast, and technical descent (Europeans found this terrain especially familiar). Runners endure 2800ft of climbing, but are rewarded at the finish with fish tacos and margaritas in the tiny town of Red Cliff, Colorado.

The Men's Open category was once again dominated by Team Flagstaff's Mike Smith and Rob Krar, who tore up the course in 1h43m. Team Colorado's Justin Ricks and Jim Rebenack took second, ten minutes behind in 1h53m. Team RunReg.com finally hit the podium for third in 1h57m.



The Women's Open podium once again held two La Sportiva teams: Pam Smith and Jenny Capel took first in 2h27m; Nicola Gildersleev and Shauna Connaughton took second in 2h47m. Team GoGo Girls' Robyn Kaplan and Cynthia Hartford took third in 2h49m. La Sportiva is the official shoe sponsor of this year's race.

The Open Mixed category was aced once again by Team North Face Bendites' Zach Violett and Stephanie Howe in a fast 2h7m. Team Inov-8's Amy Ruseki and Dave James took second in 2h18m, and Team Sam's Amy Schneeberg and Geoff Reid rounded out third In 2h22m.

Team EverymanTRI (unclassified) finished the stage in 2h44m.

For more information on the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run go to www.transrockies-run.com.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Flagstaff Rocks the Rockies

The third stage of the 6-day GORE-TEX TransRockies Run began in Leadville, Colorado and ended at Camp Hale. Stage 3 covered 24.3 miles, with 2,700ft of elevation gain. As we are now halfway through the event, signs of cumulative fatigue are beginning to show in many of the racers - the massage and medical tents are busy!

In addition to the team-based 6-day event, the GORE-TEX TransRockies offers a RUN3 event, in which racers participate solo for just three of the stages (58 miles). The RUN3 event has concluded, with Oregon-based Max King (Montrail) and Flagstaff-based Alicia Shay dominating the Men's and Women's categories. King covered the 24.3 miles of trail in 3h8m and Shay blazed through in 3h15m. Shay's times have been surprisingly close to speedster King's all week, which indicates she is definitely someone to watch in the trail scene.



For the 6-day GORE-TEX TransRockies Run, the Stage 3 standings remain largely unchanged. Team Run Flagstaff's Mike Smith and Rob Krar crushed the course in 2h44m, topping the Open Men's category once again. Team Salomon's Mario Mendoza and Jorge Maravilla came in a distant second in 3h2m. Team Colorado's Justin Ricks and Jim Rebenack crossed the line in 3h9m.



In the Open Women's category, the two La Sportiva teams took first and third place: Pam Smith and Jenny Capel finished first in 3h53m, and Nicole Gildersleev and Shauna Connaughton took third with 4h31m. Lorin Pierce and Sarah Carter narrowly beat La Sportiva with a 4h30m for second.

Team EverymanTRI continues to race, finishing the day in 4:32.

For more information about the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run, or the full list of results, go to www.transrockies-run.com.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Smith and Krar In Control

TransRockies veterans Mike Smith and Rob Krar (Team Flagstaff) continued their fine form over the 12,500ft Hope Pass today to win Stage 2 in a convincing 1h50min.

Max King, led the way in the TR3 men's division winning the stage, but could not hang with the open men's leaders, finishing in 1h59m. His nearest rival Josh Korn came home in 2h03m.

Alicia Shay won the Women's open division in a time of 2h06m from Gina Lucrezi who was 19 min off the pace in 2h25m.

In the 80+ Mixed division Katie and Jeff Kaba continues their dommination of the division winning the 13.4 mile stage in 2h25m.

Team Everymantri runners Paul Shippey and Lori Lyons had a rough stage today with Shippey calling it quits on Hope Pass. A viral infection has plagued the Boulder runner since the start and he was forced to retire today. Lyons, who appears to have shaken off early altitude issues has found her stride and will continue the race.

Location:Leadville, CO

TransRockies Run Stage One Results

The Gore-Tex TransRockies Run kicked off from South Main Street in Buena Vista, Colorado, elevation approximately 9,000 feet, to Railway Bridge. The stage covered 20.8 miles of sun-exposed, sandy terrain, with a modest elevation gain of 2550 feet. Stage One rewards those who are already well-aclimatized to the altitude, comfortable in the heat, and fast on the flat sections.



TransRockies veterans Mike Smith and Rob Krar (Team Flagstaff) handily won the Men's Open in a blistering 2 hours 15 minutes. (Max King, who challenged Team Flagstaff in 2011, is competing solo in - and dominating - the TR 3-day event.)


In the Women's Open category, La Sportiva had teams in the top two positions, and Team Backcountry.com was third. Both La Sportiva and Backcountry.com are official sponsors of this year's event.



In the Mixed Open category, Zach Violett and Stephanie Howe (North Face) once again proved their strength in the Rockies with a stage-winning 2 hours 47 minutes.

The GORE-TEX TransRockies Run is a six-day stage race covering 120 miles of trails from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, Colorado. Team EverymanTRI will be racing and reporting from each stage.



For more information on the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run or full results for Stage One, go to www.transrockies-run.com.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

GORE-y Details

GORE-TEX has been the primary sponsor of the TransRockies Run since the race's inception, so at last year's race I was able to see GORE-TEX products on display and in use. I think I know a fair amount about gear, but I began to realize how little I actually knew about the structure surrounding the Gore-Tex name. Here are two key things I have learned since:

1. It is a massive company.
I was formerly under the false impression that Gore-Tex was a 'company' specializing in waterproofing technology. In reality, Gore-Tex is just one of the many technologies within the still-privately-held parent company W. L. Gore & Associates, which seems GE-esque in its size and divisional breadth. They make everything from cables to medical products to the protective suits our firemen wear.

2. GORE is also a freestanding gear brand, serving runners and cyclists.

Gore-Tex is the technology behind OTHER great brands, in an 'Intel Inside' kind of way, and the list of companies that leverage Gore-Tex is rather impressive. What I hadn't previously known, however, is that GORE also makes non-waterproof gear under the GORE brand.  If you consider the brain trust in a company like W. L. Gore & Associates, with their deep expertise in materials science and The Great Oudoors, then it only makes sense they also develop apparel and accessories for those of us who run and bike.  W. L. Gore also produces a Windstopper technology that is available in many of their running and cycling apparel products.  Check out the Gore Apparel website.

Since GORE Running Wear is a new sponsor of TransRockies this year, we ordered shirts from the website that will soon be emblazoned with 'Team EverymanTRI' (the Gore Apparel site does a good job of describing fit, something we are both picky about).  We chose shirts that will vent and breathe well, since TransRockies weather during racing hours tends to be quite hot.  Stay tuned and we will let you know how they perform!

Paul's Team EMT shirts
GORE Flash Shirts

Lori's Team EMT shirts

GORE Essential BL Lady Singlet, and Essential Lady Zip Shirt

The Real Deal

Ryan Sutter announced his participation in the 2012 GORE-TEX TransRockies Run with teammate Johnny LoFaro.

Whether or not you are a fan of reality TV, you have probably heard of Ryan Sutter.  He became a household name in 2003 when he won the heart (and hand) of the Season One Bachelorette, Trista Rehn.   But unlike most in the reality television arena, Sutter has admirably chosen the pursuit of more meaningful things in life, over pursuit of the spotlight.  He remains grounded in his quiet life as husband, father, and firefighter in Vail, Colorado, making use of his public persona primarily to benefit the causes he cares about

Firefighting is one of the most physically demanding careers, so it is no surprise that Sutter is a dedicated and diversified athlete.  His background includes, among other things, professional football, triathlon, mountain bike racing, and trail racing.  Sutter sees his engagement in extreme physical challenges as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for his favorite charities.  

Rapidly approaching on Sutter's race calendar is an altitude-filled sufferfest most athletes would find unthinkable.  In August, and within a painfully short 10-day timeframe, Sutter will complete the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race, rest for two days, then embark on the 116-mile GORE-TEX TransRockies Run.

“Racing the TransRockies and Leadville ʻdoubleʼ will be the most epic 10 days of racing of my life,” Sutter said. “There will be times when I will feel like I simply cannot pedal one more stroke or scurry up any more vertical, but I will have my amazing teammate from the fire department [LoFaro] keeping me motivated, along with the inspiration of knowing I am contributing to two hugely meaningful charitable organizations.”

Sutter and LoFaro will be racing on behalf of FirstDescents, which provides empowering outdoor adventures to young cancer survivors, and GrassRoot Soccer, an HIV-awareness organization founded by friend and fellow reality-alumnus, Ethan Zohn. 

The GORE-TEX TransRockies Run is a six-day stage race, August 14-19, from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, Colorado.  Check the website to follow these remarkable firefighters on their quest to make a difference. 

--Lori Lyons

Trail Running High

This is the third year I'm deep in training for the GORE-TEX Trans Rockies Run and I must admit, its about this time of my program that I'm reminded how much I love trail running. My running career started in school track and field, with sprints, 400 meters and then progressing to 800 meter events. I ran my first marathon aged 18 and over the years have competed in many road races. 

Generally the preparation for these races was long and brutal, especially having to train through the winter for the Boston Marathon in April. I got so bored with running on pavement, icy sidewalks in winter and dodging vehicles as they drifted across the road in a text induced funk. I had to resort to running with music, friends, dogs and almost any distraction I could find, to make it through those bone jarring training runs and do the requisite mileage.

Then I started running trails and oh how my perspective has changed.  In contrast to road running I now have my nostrils filled with the fresh scent of pine instead of carbon monoxide, the surfaces I run on constantly change from gravel, to rock, mud and soft beds of forest duff.

The stride is very seldom the same, my body shifts constantly in motion and best of all, I get to run though fields of wildflowers. Then there's the view. I stood atop of Devils Thumb pass this past week and took in an eye- popping view of the Continental Divide and lakes glistening in the valley below. The sound of  the wind filled my ears and I was truly in a state of bliss.

No music could have sufficed to make me any happier on this run. No din of traffic, honking of horns or sirens, just nature at her finest.  All I can say is that preparing for a race like Trans Rockies is truly a fulfilling experience. And there more to look forward to... In August we get to race for 6 days in another scenic part of the Rockies from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek. Can't say I miss pounding that pavement anymore!

Paul Shippey