Above: Start of the 2023 U20 Classic Mountain Running Race. Photo: WMTRC 2023.
Team USA had many unforgettable moments at the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, held on June 7 to 10, in Innsbruck, Austria. One such moment was had by 2019 World Mountain Running Champion Grayson Murphy who returned to the podium after four years of injury struggles to place third in the Vertical Kilometer and first in the Classic Up/down mountain race. Another moment was realized by the men’s 80-kilometer Long Trail team who worked together to place five, six, and seven, leading the squad to a silver team medal.
Outstanding performances from Team USA were many. Track star and Bowerman Track Club Elite, Liam Meirow, made his debut at the World Champs wearing red, white, and blue placing thirteenth in the Classic Up/Down, and long-time Team USA veteran and three-time World Mountain Running Champion, Joseph Gray, put up another top-five performance in the Vertical Kilometer race. Jennifer Lichter led the women’s Short Trail team to a bronze medal with an impressive fourth-place overall finish. Team USA also earned a bronze medal in the Overall Federation Team Award, which recognized the most successful teams across all events throughout the championship. France and Italy were first and second respectively.
In the American spirit from the recent Fourth of July holiday, we at the American Trail Running Association (ATRA) catch up with several members of the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Team about their experience representing Team USA, favorite memories, and overall experience competing against talented trail runners from around the world.
Lindsey Whitton (Edwards, CO): U20 Mountain Running Team
“My experience running at the World Championships was unforgettable. The race itself was incredibly exhilarating and the exposure to athletes from all over the world was an opportunity that will be hard to come by again in my life. The race itself was incredibly gorgeous, but one of the most challenging and physically demanding courses I have ever run. At one point during the race, I was alongside two of my other teammates, and I remember us urging each other to keep pushing through the uphill. Having my teammates by my side and encouraging me to keep going helped me push myself more than I ever have before. Additionally, the USA coaching staff was incredibly supportive and encouraging of me and all of my teammates. Overall, representing the United States in Innsbruck, Austria was the greatest experience of my life, and the memories and experiences I made while I was there I will carry with me forever.”
Liam Meirow (Portland, OR): Vertical Kilometer and Classic Up/Down Teams
Top Reflections: “My mantra for Austria was to live in the present as much as possible. Being on the highest stage and in my first ever international competition, there was a definite umbrella of pressure and expectation to perform well. With the camaraderie of my teammates and the fact that I was representing my country (and most importantly everyone who was rooting for me back home) the pressure was instantly translated into a calm fire that I was able to carry through my race week.”
Memories: “My partner and my parents were able to make the trip, so being in the beautiful village of Innsbruck with my biggest supporters was an absolute game changer to the experience. Between eating breakfast with my teammates to dinner with my family, you can say that both my heart and stomach were very satiated. The athlete village was also top-notch… I don’t think I walked past the main stage without an artist performing live music.”
Specifics: “The idea was to get out in the lead pack for the first mile. There was an early bottleneck section I didn’t want to get caught up in. I ended up in the lead for the first mile and then race instincts took over from there. The downhill sections definitely play to my strengths at this point of my trail career, but I was passed by twelve people on the uphill and the rest is history!”
Grayson Murphy – 2023 World Champion – Classic Mountain Running Race. Photo: WMTRC 2023.
Grayson Murphy (Flagstaff, AZ): Vertical Kilometer and Classic Up/Down Teams
“It’s always an honor to represent Team USA and I have been waiting for the chance to compete at the World Championships again for four long years. I felt like winning for the second time was even sweeter than the first because of the work and patience that it took to get there. I also love the new format of the championships having all four disciplines (Vertical, Long and Short Trail, and Classic Up/Down) racing over the four days. It was an amazing bonding experience to have with other members of Team USA and I can’t wait to go back in 2025 and defend the title in Canfranc, Spain. I have raced before in Canfranc as part of the WMRA World Cup and I loved the Pyrenees, so I think that having the World Champs there will be super exciting!”
Emkay Sullivan (Reno, NV): 40K Short Trail Team
“This race was the hardest race I’ve ever run, but being pushed by my other teammates was super helpful. Kimber and I went back and forth a couple times trying to push each other each time. People on the course were telling me that Jen was in 4th, so when I made my move from 23rd to 9th I just kept thinking that I had to keep pushing to make up time for the team scoring. We came out with the team bronze and it was a very proud moment!”
Max King. Photo: WMTRC 2021.
Max King (Bend, OR): 40K Short Trail Team
“I’d say my biggest take away from these championships was the scale that this event is getting to be. It’s attracting some of the best and deepest fields in the world now and I think it will continue to do so if each LOC keeps putting this much effort into it. Combining all the disciplines into one event has changed the feel of it to a big event for better or worse. In many ways it makes it more fun to be able to travel with a large delegation and cheer on and watch your fellow runners compete on different days. That’s pretty cool. In some ways it loses that small event feel but I thought that was pretty minimal and you can connect with your teammates and other athletes at different times.
My favorite memory from this trip will be the three guys in the 80k going 5, 6, and 7, sprinting down the finishing chute. Grayson’s tactical race to win another world title was pretty spectacular as well.”
Casey Campbell (Bend, OR): Classic Up/Down Team
“I was so excited to get an invite to represent Team USA I didn’t even tell anyone for a week thinking it wasn’t real. Not only was it my second trail race out of my home state, but I’d never even been out of the country before. I got my passport months before on the “slight chance” the dream would come true.
I was actually the last person to race the entire week, as I raced the Classic race on Saturday. Honestly, that was a super cool experience. I loved watching everyone pour it out on the trails in the weeks before, so by the time Saturday rolled around I was chomping at the bit to do the same. I had a rough first lap of the Classic race, getting a really bad side stitch coming down back into Innsbruck. But there are no words to explain how awesome it was to come back through the start, where the course is lined with fans and your team is pulling for you with everything they have. It revitalized me during my second lap entirely. Running for something more than myself has always driven me in my endeavors and this was the peak of that. I had missed running with a team; and now, I was running for my teammates and everyone back home.
To put it simply, it was the honor of a lifetime to represent Team USA at a World Championship. If I didn’t have the photos and the number, I’d think it was a dream. I never would have imagined when I started running, that it would lead to this, and I hope and pray that this is just the beginning!”
Joseph DeMoor and Jonathan Aziz. Photo: WMTRC 2021.
Johnathan Aziz (Colorado Springs, CO): 40K Short Trail Team
“I was just reflecting on what a powerful experience it makes to bring a full team and team staff. Firstly, it brings together so many friends that you might only see on occasion if you happen to line up at the same race. It fosters so many new connections and friendships with those whose names you recognize from race results. Second, the diversity of experience from our juniors to seasoned veterans also sets up exciting mentorships and a passing of the baton that you can witness in real-time. By veterans I mean both the team members returning to their umpteenth championship and the team staff who just kicked butt frankly at amping us up, keeping us organized, and supporting us on the course. Finally, by bringing a deep bench each race, we’re in some sense throwing darts at the wall and we know going in that there are going to be both successes and failures. Let’s not call them failures, but just “bad days” performance-wise. I tanked in the final 1/4 of my race, for instance, and some teammates didn’t finish. Our large team, however, rallied around us with support, and gave us some “wins” (in successes, not exclusively 1sts) to celebrate, in Grayson, Joe, women’s short trail, men’s long trail, and probably someone I omitted. Anyway, this all has me amped up to try again to be a part of the TEAM in 2025.”
Allison Baca (Golden, CO): 80K Long Trail Team
Top reflections: “This was my first World Championships experience racing for Team USA. It was truly an incredible experience to race an ultrarunning race as part of a team. Usually ultra-running is more of an individual sport so feeling somewhat of a “cross-country” style vibe was an exciting new type of racing for me! For the Long Trail race, the team scoring was not based on place but on combined time of the top-3 runners on each team. At the end of ultras it can be difficult to push yourself but every second counted in this style of racing so everyone was pushing themselves until the finish line.”
Memories: “One of my favorite memories was from the opening ceremonies. It was so exciting to march through the city of Innsbruck lined with fans and tourists who happened upon the World Championships! It felt so special to represent the USA and to meet runners from all over the world. We were waiting for the team presentation behind the Ugandan team who were dancing up a storm. It was so fun to watch them having such a blast and wishing I had those kinds of dance moves.”
Specifics on my race: “The Long Trail race was so interesting because I started the race not even sure if I would be able to finish it! The finish line was literally my goal going into the race considering the amount of climbing (about 21,000 to 22,000 feet depending on which GPS file you look at). To run on these incredible mountain tops and ridge traverses and then to finally drop back down into the city of Innsbruck and run through the streets lined with fans was one of the most exciting sporting experiences of my life! The Team USA staff were also just incredible and so supportive of all the runners on Team USA. They were there at every aid station helping each of our team members move through the stations efficiently while providing words of encouragement and dumping lots of water on us! I cannot thank them enough for all of their help during the week but also in advance of the race. I am excited to try to make Team USA again for the next World Championships in Spain!”
Garrett Corcoran (Salt Lake City, UT): 40K Short Trail Team
“Racing is usually more of a personal journey for me, but wearing USA across my chest added another layer of motivation and enjoyment to the experience at the world championships. It was a truly special opportunity to get inspired watching my teammates race in the vertical the day before competing in my own race. The crowds and energy on the course for each race was unlike anything I had ever experienced. For 4.5 hours I was never alone while racing in the “short trail”– the entirety of the 44k course was lined with people, all of whom were cheering for every runner in their own language, and that paired with the honor of representing the stars and stripes helped to keep pushing to the best of my ability. Multiple times during my race I stumbled and found myself laying in the dirt, and I may have stayed down for longer if I was only representing myself. But looking down and seeing “USA” on my jersey was enough to allow me to dig deeper and get to the finish line faster, because it wasn’t just about me – it was about all of us performing as a whole unit for our country.”
