Athletes from four states and ranging in age from 20 to 44 will represent Team USA at the 12th North American, Central American & Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships. The 2015 NACAC Mountain Running Championships, sanctioned by the World Mountain Running Association, will take place at Cypress Mountain, located just north of Vancouver, BC, Canada, on Saturday, July 18.
Both individual and team competition will be staged, with American, Canadian and Mexican athletes competing head-to-head. Teams are comprised of up to four men and four women with the top two finishers scoring for their respective country. Team USA includes the following athletes.
Women:
Megan Lizotte, 31, San Diego, CA. “I’m so excited and honored to be representing the USA in that coveted jersey! The team we are sending is a powerhouse! I can’t wait to race alongside these three amazing women! I’ve always wanted to see Vancouver so in addition to the race, I’m excited to experience the city and its mountains.”
Christine Lundy, 44, Sausalito, CA. “This will be my 6th NACAC mountain championships and I’m excited to compete for Team USA on what looks to be a very challenging course on Cypress Mountain.”
Mandy Ortiz, 20, Eagle, CO. “I’m so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to represent the U.S. in the sport that I love.” Mandy won the 2013 World Mountain Running Championship junior race in Poland.
Megan Roche, 24, Sunnyvale, CA. “I am honored to be a member of Team USA for the NACAC Mountain Running Championships! I am looking forward to running an adventurous, challenging course in Vancouver with talented teammates. All of the events surrounding Mountain Running Championships are exciting and I am anticipating having a lot of fun with Team USA throughout the entire experience!”
Men:
Jordan Chavez, 21, Southlake,TX. “I am honored to again be selected to Team USA competing at the NACAC championships in Canada. The location looks beautiful and the course will be a great challenge but I think we have a team that will do very well. Anytime you get to race with USA on your chest is an amazing experience, and I am looking forward to this one. “
Josh Eberly (pictured above), 34, Gunnison, CO. “always feel privileged to wear a Team USA Jersey. I live right in the heart of the mountains, so I am constantly running on single track and hills. I am very excited to have another go at a great competitive mountain race.”
Jeffrey Thies, 20, Huntington Beach, CA. “Being on Team USA is such an honor. It has always been a dream of mine to race for team USA, and mountain running has now given me two opportunities to do so. I couldn’t be more excited for July 18th.”
Ryan Woods, 36, Boone, NC. “I’m excited to represent the USA and hopefully lead us to victory. The up and down format is my strength and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to compete.”
The team leader is Richard Bolt from Mountain View, CA. Richard is also the Director of Online Marketing for the American Trail Running Association and a Salomon / Suunto sponsored athlete.
This is the twelfth consecutive year that the NACAC Mountain Championship have been held, with the event rotating being the U.S., Mexico, and Canada http://mountainrunning.ca. This is the fourth time for Canada to serve as host, having been the venue for the championships in 2007, 2010, (at Canmore, Alberta), and 2012 at Cypress Mountain.
The course will be an up-and-down course to mirror the format of the World Mountain Running Championships which are up and down in odd-numbered years and uphill-only in even numbered years. The route will include loops at the top of the ski hill, rather than running from Horseshoe Bay to the top – the route in 2012. The proposed course for the men’s race can be viewed at this link. The women’s race would likely follow a similar route, but would cut off the first loop at the bottom (the Yew Lake loop).
Results from past NACAC Mountain Running Championships can be found on the WMRA website here.
For more information on USA Mountain Running visit www.usmrt.com and www.usatf.org/Sports/Mountain—Ultra—Trail.aspx.
– Team USA announced for NACAC Mountain Champs –
