At the 16th annual Birkie Trail Fest in Hayward, Wisconsin on Saturday, September 30, ATRA’s Director of Marketing Richard Bolt was presented with the 2017 Cindy Brochman Memorial Snowshoe Magazine Person of the Year award. The upper Midwest was a fitting spot to celebrate Bolt’s accomplishments as a snowshoe ambassador and role model, since the inaugural award winner and the award’s namesake Cindy Brochman, skied the American Birkebeiner along with her husband Kevin.
Richard at the 2014 U.S. Snowshoe National Championships in Woodford, VT.
At the 2007 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Minneapolis, U.S. Team member, Cindy Brochman organized the event and handled all the details as race director. This popular athlete received the inaugural Snowshoe Magazine Person of the Year award at a presentation during the medal ceremony that year.
In December 2008, Brochman contracted a rare form of cancer and passed just one year later December 27, 2009, at age 44. The Snowshoe Magazine Person of the Year changed names to honor her. Now entering the second decade of the award, Bolt becomes the eleventh recipient of the highest honor in the sport.
Richard at the 2016 U.S. Snowshoe National Championships in Ogden, UT.
Phillip Gary Smith, senior editor, Snowshoe Magazine, in recognizing Bolt said, “Richard is a person championing the sport of snowshoeing, and leads with a strong work ethic and a sense of purpose. He reflects a fiery passion for snowshoeing, fitness, and healthy living and is a dedicated outdoors’ athlete who encourages others with empathy…laced with a bright sense of humor. Furthermore, he innovates, researches, and implements methods to advance the status of the sport of snowshoeing.”
Richard after setting a course record at the 2004 Curly’s Record Run snowshoe race.
Bolt, surprised by the honor, humbly accepted the award during the USATF Half Marathon Trail Running Championships award ceremony. He was attending the event to share details about the American Trail Running Association both at a pre-race function at the River’s Eatery in Cable, Wisconsin on Friday evening, September 29, and at the Birkie Trail Run Fest expo on Saturday.
Richard at the 2009 U.S. Snowshoe National Championships and a 5 Peaks trail race in Canmore, Canada.
To read more about Bolt’s accomplishments and the original article on Snowshoe Magazine’s website, click HERE.
