Collegiate Running Association's Mountain Running Championships to be held alongside the USA Mountain Running Championships at the Loon Mountain Race
A total of $6,000 in prize money to be awarded to college students
January 28, 2014 - RICHMOND, VA – The Collegiate Running Association announced today that the first Collegiate Running Association Mountain Running Championships will take place on July 6, 2014, at the Loon Mountain Race, hosted by acidotic RACING, in Lincoln, New Hampshire. A total of $6,000 will be distributed to the top 5 college finishers in the Men's 12k and Women's 8k race.
Additionally, the Loon Mountain race will also serve as the USA Mountain Running Championships, which is the lone selection race for the 2014 Senior Men’s and Women’s US Mountain Running Team. The top 6 overall finishers in the men’s race and top 4 finishers in the women’s race will automatically qualify to represent the US at the 30th WMRA World Mountain Running Championships on September 14, 2014, in Cassette di Massa, Italy.
“When we created the Collegiate Running Association, one of our goals was to get college students more involved in Mountain and Trail Running,” said Jon Molz, co-founder of the Collegiate Running Association. “Our hope was that by introducing competitive championship opportunities in these areas specifically for college students, ultimately Team USA would become even stronger at the international level. To be able to partner with acidotic RACING and the USA Mountain Running Championships at the Loon Mountain Race in our first year is a dream come true. A $6,000 college prize purse, coupled with the opportunity to qualify for the World Mountain Running Championships as a member of Team USA, should attract some of the best college runners that might not have otherwise taken an interest in this side of the sport at this stage of their careers.”
“The Loon Mountain Race is one of the premier mountain running races in the U.S. and has an outstanding reputation as a great event and a very challenging course,” said Steve Taylor, President and co-founder of the Collegiate Running Association. “The Loon Mountain Race is mountain running at its finest. Race directors Paul Kirsch and Chris Dunn, along with the Loon Mountain Resort operate a first class event that will serve as a destination location for college students wishing to challenge themselves on the New Hampshire Mountain.”
Loon Mountain Co-Race Director, Paul Kirsch, expressed similar excitement over the partnership with the Collegiate Running Association, saying “I think this is the next logical step in opportunities for more people to get exposed to this amazing sport. This gives collegiate runners the chance to toe the line with the best mountain runners in the country. As mountain and trail running have continued to grow, I think it's important for collegiate runners to see opportunities past what they can do on the roads and track - opportunities that can include international travel with Team USA.”
In order to be eligible to compete in the Collegiate Running Association Mountain Running Championships, participants must either be enrolled in a college course at the time of the race or have completed a course during the spring semester of 2014. In order to be eligible for Collegiate Running Association prize money, participants must be free members of the Collegiate Running Association. In order to qualify for the US Mountain Running team, participants must be members of USATF.
"To see what the Collegiate Running Association has achieved in the past six months speaks volumes about their commitment to our sport. This is just one more step in creating fantastic opportunities for collegiate runners who hope to realize their athletic dreams and perhaps make a US Team. I'm looking forward to the inclusion of this championship division in Loon this July," said Nancy Hobbs, USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Council chairperson.
The prize money structure for the Collegiate Running Association Mountain Running Championships is as follows (men & women):
|
Place |
Amount |
|
1 |
$1,000 |
|
2 |
$750 |
|
3 |
$600 |
|
4 |
$400 |
|
5 |
$250 |
To become a free member of the Collegiate Running Association, click here.
Registration for the Loon Mountain race is now open and is just $20. Register today.
Previously, the Collegiate Running Association announced their first national championship race, a 10k Road Race that will be held in conjunction with the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k presented by MARTIN's on March 29, 2014. For more information, click here.
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About the Collegiate Running Association
The Collegiate Running Association was formed in order to expand opportunities for college students in the sport of running and to promote healthy lifestyles among college students. Open to all college students enrolled in at least one class, the Collegiate Running Association hosts national championships in road racing, mountain running, and trail running for social and competitive college runners. To learn more about the College Running Association, visit www.collegiaterunning.org
