A loss for mountain running worldwide

On the morning of February 9 I received an email from abroad - the U.K. specifically - letting me know that our World Mountain Running Association (www.wmra.info) president Danny Hughes had died that morning at his home in Gosforth. Surprise, shock, disbelief were my immediate emotions for I had just run with Danny in January following our council meetings on a Saturday afternoon in Monaco. There was certainly no indication that this spry and energetic 72 year old would succumb to a sudden heart attack.

I had known Danny since 1995 when I first attended the World Mountain Running Trophy events at Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of the first U.S. women's mountain running team. Over the past 14 years I spent time with Danny in my changing role from athlete to team manager, and since 2000 as a member of the WMRA Council. We traveled together in the U.S. during a site visit to Alaska prior to the 2003 World Trophy. Danny came to Colorado in 2006 for the WMRA World Long Distance Challenge held at the Pikes Peak Marathon. That year he rode to the top of the mountain with Pikes Peak Marathon Race Director Ron Ilgen on Ascent day and then hiked back down the Barr Trail to Manitou Springs - some 13 miles - a great accomplishment for a 69-year-old flatlander. Danny was himself a runner, an event organizer, and a leading force in the worldwide mountain running movement. He will be missed at this year's 25th World Mountain Running events - events that received championship designation from the IAAF (www.iaaf.info) for the first time this year - something Danny fought for during his tenure at the helm of the WMRA. I, like so many others, will miss the sparkle in his eye, his passion for our sport, and most importantly his friendship.

I visited Danny's home this past week when I flew to the U.K. for the services. It's no wonder he always spoke so fondly of his family and of his life in the Cumbria region and the Lake District.

I arrived in Manchester on the Monday (February 16) and was met at the airport by a long-time Kiwi friend from Wales via Canada and New Zealand. Kelvin Broad competed on the New Zealand Mountain Running Team for the first time in 1994 and was instrumental in getting the Canadian Trail and Mountain Running Association formed. During the nearly three hour drive to Nether Wasdale in the Lake District (which would have been longer if we were not armed with a GPS tracking system telling us precisely where to go at every turn and juncture in the crisscrossing motorways), we marveled at the scenery which reminded both of us of New Zealand. Narrow, winding roads, sheep dotting the landscape, lush green hillsides, and farms far and wide.

Upon arriving at our destination, the Screes Inn for me in Nether Wasdale and another B and B for Kelvin in nearby Wasdale, we decided to go for a run. We started on the road marveling at the lush fields around us and looking for a pathway to connect us to a trail system. We were heading toward Wast Water, a lake which is approximately 4.6 kilometres (almost 3 miles) long and 600 metres (more than a third of a mile) wide. It is the deepest lake in England, at 79 metres (258 feet), and is owned by the National Trust. The head of the Wasdale valley is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in England, including Scafell Pike (3,209 feet) Great Gable and Lingmell. The vistas were magnificent. What we found instead of a "trail-specific" system were a series of bridle paths which connected farm to farm and meandered across the lower valleys between the fells and wound up the scree fields. There was a bit of cloud cover and the skies were turning grey at about 5:00 p.m. There was not a breath of wind on this late afternoon and temperatures were a humid 48 or so. We ran among the Herdwick sheep, a variety familiar to this region and bred for its mutton rather than its coarse dark-colored wool. Kelvin, a PhD in language studies and a professor at the University of Calgary, specializes in literacy studies. He spends much of his "free" time these days with his brood of border collies - some 14 - of all ages bred to herd sheep. Kelvin and his wife Angie compete in local sheep trials and moved to Wales to pursue their passion for the sport. During our run we stopped to watch a local farmer put his dog through training with his small herd of sheep. It was fascinating to watch the dog run at lightning speed to gather sheep which had strayed from the herd. We ran across the grass - moist and sponge like from the ever-constant moisture nearly sucking our shoes off our feet especially in the muddier sections by creek beds. Our hour-long run was a perfect way to enjoy the countryside and for me to unwind after a long flight from Colorado Springs via Denver, Chicago, Frankfurt, and finally Manchester.

The Screes Inn is a quaint pub/five-room bed and breakfast owned by Danny and Norma's daughter Rachel and son-in-law Nick. The middle son - Johnny - served as head chef. The eldest of the three - David - worked as an engineer at a nearby facility. It was so special to meet and spend time with the family sharing memories and learning about Danny's life beyond running. Tuesday was spent at the services with friends and family all celebrating Danny's life.

On Wednesday some of my fellow WMRA Council members - Bruno and Tomo - enjoyed time with Norma and the family and even watched some movies (transferred to DVD) of fell runs that Danny organized in the mid 70s. Late in the day Bruno and I departed by train from Seascale to Stockport, a suburb of Manchester boasting some 300,000 residents.

Alan Barlow, chairperson of Mountain Running within UK Athletics, and his wife hosted us for the evening and would take us to the airport in the morning. I got up for a pre-flight run at 5:30 a.m. assuming I'd go out solo. Bruno doesn't run and Alan had given me instructions the pervious night to locate the key and unlock the door. Imagine my surprise as I descended the stairway in near darkness to find Alan dressed for a run awaiting my departure at the bottom of the stairs. He said he didn't want me to get lost and would go with me. I told him he needn't go with me that I had run all over the world and I'd be fine. He insisted, so off we went. Our 41 minute run started out at a good clip and maintained a precision pendulum-like pace for nearly the entire run. Alan has been running for 50 years and at age 62 there are no signs of him slowing down. I learned his age when, between footfalls I inquired how old he was. I then asked if he was a four-minute miler as a youth. He chuckled a bit and with an "of course you must be joking" attitude said, "No, my best was just 4:08." He followed that up with a note of his PB at 800 meters - a modest 1:54 to which he added that so many other Brits were way faster. I was glad that I ran with my guide since doing even an easy out-and-back would have been a recipe for disaster. Combine short, twisting roadways, numerous street crossings, dark pathways, and nearly non-existent street signs that were too low to discern in the darkness, and getting lost was a near certainty.

Before leaving for the airport, Alan supplied me with a few copies of The Fellrunner magazine, the thrice-yearly publication of the Fell Runners Association. The last time I saw the magazine (some 20 years ago) it was a rather short and non-descript newsletter. Now a full glossy publication, the magazine serves as a tribute to the growth and interest in the sport throughout the UK.

As I think about the upcoming World Champs in Campodolcino without Danny at the helm, I become reflective. I look forward to continuing on the path that Danny helped form - one that will surely include continued growth in our sport, further worldwide participation, and opportunities for athletes and administrators to share ideas and their love of mountain running.

Cross Country Nationals

It was my second foray into Cross Country (XC) running and my first time racing in spikes. The event - USATF Cross Country Nationals - was held Saturday, February 7 in Derwood, MD , at the 410-acre Agricultural History Farm Park located in the Montgomery County Park system. My race was the masters women's 8 kilometer route, same distance as the men's masters would race (there would be different distances for each division - www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAXCChampionships/. My team, the Fleet Feet Boulder Fast Women, would race in the 40-49 division. My teammates were seasoned harriers with Lisa Goldsmith and Lesia Atkinson for sure in the hunt for individual medals. This would of course bode well for team scoring, yet all three of us would contribute to the final score in the competition.

I arrived in Maryland on Thursday to spend some time with family friends in Chevy Chase located about 20 minutes from the Park. I headed to the course for a short workout on Friday morning at a time to coincide with the 9:45 start time of our race on Saturday. I wanted to check out the conditions of the terrain for that time of day which was really smart in retrospect. My arrival to the Park was perfect for a few laps around the hilly 2 kilometer loop course, some strides, and then a visit to the pre-race press conference. Six athletes who would race in the open category were on "stage" to answer questions about the course, their fitness, their strategy for the race, and whether they would accept a spot on the U.S. National Cross Country team(should they finish in the top six) who would travel to Jordan in March for the World Cross Champs. Edward Moran, like me, would be racing in his second cross country race, "I'm in the base phase of my training and looking toward May-June-July track season. The race tomorrow fits well with my training." For Samia Akbar, one of the top women contenders and a Virginian like Moran, "The race is a measuring stick for fitness and a nice way to get another really good, hard effort." For Meb Keflezighi, this would be his first cross country race since 2003. "Cross country is unique. This (course) is very true cross country - challenging and a great spectator course. A great field assembled here. It's a benchmark where I stand. It is a stepping stone for the season basically." Jorge Torres agreed with Keflezighi about the course, "Speaking on behalf of all cross country runners, we like true cross country - mud, hills, challenging." Of last year's course in San Diego, Emily Brown related, "San Diego seemed like a track to me." Akbar followed up with some race strategy saying, "With any hilly course and lots of turns you have to decide how to come off the turns and the downhills. There is more strategy than you would normally think. You really sink your teeth into it."

It's always enlightening and certainly inspiring to listen to top competitors share their stories and experiences. And for athletes in the citizen races, masters' races, and junior races…what an opportunity to be racing on the same course as these elite runners. I went away from the conference jazzed and ready to race my best…especially after asking Coach Larsen to snap a photo of me with Meb - who was super gracious about this new XC groupie hoping to get close enough to an Olympian that some speed, strength, and gritty determination would rub off through osmosis. At about 3:30 p.m. I was heading back to the course to meet Lisa, Simon, and Andy, after I had collected our race numbers at the host hotel just 10 miles from the Park (about a 20 minute drive with traffic and 40 or so if you get lost like I did - no excuses for getting lost because USATF Long Distance Running Director Jim Estes gave me excellent directions which I read, but didn't digest - apparently). Lisa arrived into Dulles airport with Simon Gutierrez and Andy Ames who would be racing the men's course. Simon would be defending his XC Club National title from December's downright brutalweather conditions in Spokane. Simon didn't miss a beat in Spokane because the conditions weren't any worse than what he faces daily in his home - a.k.a. the nation's ice box - Alamosa, Colorado. Andy would be racing for the 45-49 championship category. Both men were members of the second-place masters' team in Spokane although they didn't have a full team for this event. Lisa ('97 and '06), Simon ('02-'08), Andy ('04), and I ('95) have collectively been on 11 U.S. mountain teams. There would also be a few of our junior team members racing to include Alex Dunne (bronze medalist in '08), Tim Smith (5th man overall in '08), and Zachary Rivers ('06 and '07). Lisa, Simon, and Andy met me at the course and we four headed out for a run. Course conditions had somewhat changed/ie: deteriorated through the day and there were stretches of mud at several intervals on the course. Something that hadn't changed was the off-camber sections of the course. I said that the conditions would most likely return to those I experienced earlier in the day due to the overnight freezing temperatures that were expected. I said the ground would probably feel like concrete and the mud would turn to hard-packed dirt overnight (this was the case on Saturday although the ground was loosening up a bit by 10:30 or so). Lisa and I ran one loop of the course and I opted to do a few strides in my spikes while Lisa did another loop. The guys did at least three loops.

From the race course we headed to the grocery store to pick up fixins' for dinner which we would cook in our large two bedroom/two bathroom suite complete with full kitchen and living room…and three televisions. Lesia would arrive by about 7 p.m. It was super comfortable for all five of us and a great way to work together and plan strategy for the race. Simon had more spikes in his arsenal than any team coach would have on race day. He was set for any course condition and spoke eloquently about the nature of spike length and even had a few secret weapons in his stash - some kind of short screws that would help balance on slippery turns.

There was time to experiment with taping (feet, shins, whatever), choose the right race-day apparel, and figure out how to cinch the IPICO chip onto our racing shoes. For anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to race on a team, consider it. The element of camaraderie is fantastic and on race day, not only do you score as an individual, you also get a team score. Race day provided ideal race conditions. Although it was chilly in the morning when we arrived at the course, the temps would slowly creep up to the forecast high of 52 by early afternoon. Lesia, Lisa, and I did our warm-up running the loop backward and watching the 4km citizens' race make their way around the course (their start was at 9 a.m.). After the loop, we opted to run another mile or so out and back on the road. It was time to lace up our spikes strip down to shorts and singlets and head to the start line. A few pre-race strides and we were ready. Lisa led us in the team cheer, "It's OUR day." Pre-race announcements quickly followed including a command to get to the line. The starter pistol fired and we were off! My strategy was to maintain loops between 8:30 and 9 minutes having done my warm-up laps at an easy 10-11 minute pace. I was right on target the whole way and finished in just over 35:30. Lisa led our team in second place overall Lesia was sixth, and I rounded out the team with 20th place. Our team score of 14 (only athletes running for a team were scored) was good enough for the gold medal spot with the second place team garnering 19 points. We were thrilled with our finish.

We headed back to the start line to gather up our sweats and change shoes (except for Lisa who kept her spikes on - to be honest, my calves were screaming and I was thankful for my cushy road shoes). After waiting at the start to collect some gear from Simon and Andy, I went back on course to find Lisa and Lesia to cheer on the guys. Simon took off with a commanding presence and the race unfolded with Simon (age 42) and newly-turned masters' runner Ray Pugsley battling out through the entire 8 kilometers. Coming up the nearly 400 meter straightaway (slightly uphill) to the finish, Simon and Ray were step for step. Slowly, but deliberately, Simon pulled ahead. With a quick glance over his shoulder, Simon pumped his fist in the air and with a broad smile ran to the tape for the victory. Andy had a great race as well. He finished in the top ten overall, but got out-kicked in the finish stretch for the 45-49 age group title. Lots of hardware for the Coloradoans and great memories to last a lifetime.