Collegiate Mountain Running National Championships returning to New Hampshire
RACES TO BE HELD JUNE 3, 2017 IN NORTH CONWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Cranmore Mountain Race, held annually at the Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, New Hampshire, will host the 2017 Men’s and Women’s Collegiate Mountain Running National Championships on June 3, 2017. The races will be held concurrently with the 2017 USATF Mountain Running Championships as well.
“We are excited to return to New Hampshire for the Collegiate Mountain Running Championships,” said Collegiate Running Association Co-Founder Steve Taylor. “North Conway and Cranmore Mountain Resort offer a wonderful destination for everyone with a passion for the outdoors. Cranmore Mountain Race Co-Directors, Paul Kirsch and Chris Dunn of acidotic RACING have a history of hosting quality national championship events and providing all participants, regardless of level and ability, with an epic mountain running experience. Every year the number of college students participating in the mountain running championships has grown. We are looking forward to being part of this event and look forward to an even larger number of college students participating again next year.”
For the 4th consecutive year, this unique ‘race within a race’ format will provide college students the opportunity to compete in the Collegiate National Championship and the USATF Championship race simultaneously. Additionally, college students will be racing for prize money in both events and to earn a spot on the 2017 U.S. Mountain Running Team.
“Chris (Dunn) and I understand the responsibility and prestige of hosting a National Championship event,” said co-race director, Paul Kirsch. “Our goal is to provide a premier course, event and experience for both the out of town and local runners at Mt. Cranmore in 2017. To be hosting both the U.S. and Collegiate National Championships within the 2017 Cranmore Mountain Race is really exciting as this segment of the sport continues to grow.”
The weekend will consist of four races along with a post-event awards party at a local brewery (the Tuckerman Brewing Company in Conway), which will also double as the Collegiate Running Association’s ConnectCRA event. The ConnectCRA initiative provides college students with an opportunity to meet and network with business professionals and other college students from across the country during each of the Collegiate Running Association’s National Championship weekends.
“One of our goals when we host National Championship events is to provide our college students with networking opportunities,” said Collegiate Running Association co-founder Jon Molz. “It’s great when our participants can meet and get to know each other and others in the community as well. We try our best to make our events a more than worthwhile experience for those that participate.”
The weekend’s races will start on Saturday morning with a 5K loop course on the mountain, followed by the men’s championships two-loop course (10K). Ninety minutes later, the women will run the same two-loop course as the men. On Sunday, a shorter uphill mountain race will be staged. All the events are open to the public.
The only requirements for those interested in competing in the Collegiate Running Association National Championship is that the participant must be a free member and enrolled in at least one college course at any level between January 1 and June 3, 2017. This requirement will provide the opportunity for a true collegiate national championship that transcends all college levels and divisions (See eligibility facts).
In the past three years of the U.S. and Collegiate Championships being held concurrently, nine college students have earned spots on the U.S. Mountain Running Team to represent the U.S. at the World Championships. In 2016, former Collegiate National Champion, Joe Gray, won the World Championships title and led the U.S. to the Gold Medal among teams. For the women, 2016 Collegiate Champion, Bethany Sachtleben helped the U.S. Women’s Team earn the bronze medal among teams.
Top finishers in these national championships will earn prize money. 2013 NCAA legislation allows current Division I student-athletes to accept prize money equal to the necessary sport related expenses for participating in the sport through an entire calendar year — so long as student-athletes are able to present receipts for the expenses to a compliance officer upon request. Postgraduates and students without remaining NCAA eligibility don’t have limitations on the amount of money they can accept.