A talented group of American ultra-trail runners have arrived in Coimbra, Portugal for this Saturday’s 44 km Trail World Championship race. Along with athletes from over 50 countries, the Americans have settled into Hotel Dona Inês just meters away from the Mondego River. The cool waters may beckon, but first the athletes must tackle the rocky, technical trails of the Louzan Mountain range on the 44 km (2150 meters climb / descent) circuit course beginning and ending at Miranda do Corvo 250 meters above sea level.
The biological park in the Louzan Mountain range contains cultural and human resources including Schist Villages along with the nature and leisure options that this landscape provides. It is home to deer, wild boar and bucks that lurk among cork oaks, chestnut and pine trees. Athletes will pass through this biological park, an environmentally protected area (Mestrinhas Park), a sanctuary (Senhora da Piedade) and a shale village (Gondramaz).
On Thursday the team drove out to the course in the small mountain town of Senhora da Piedade (16 km aid station) at 279 meters above sea level. From here athletes previewed a very technical, rocky, and steep section of the course from 7 km to 16 km. They had a chance to see the final flat, fast 2 km run into the finish in the village center of Miranda do Corvo.
Friday morning the team will walk to the parade of nations & opening ceremonies. The parade route is expected to be packed with locals turning out to view the spectacle. Introduction of the teams, speeches and local performers are expected to be part of the festivities in the old town square.
The race starts at 9:00 AM local time Saturday in Spain. USA team staff will be posting updates and photos on Twitter @usmrt and live results can be found at https://trilhos.abutres.net/en/live-results/
View even more photos and videos of the team at Google Photos.
The women on this year’s team are Kasie Enman, Dani Moreno, Elizabeth Ryan and Corey Conner.
Representing the men’s team will be Evan Williams, Sam Sahli, David Kilgore and Zach Ornelas.
[Editors Note: Several athletes previously named to the team were unable to race due to injury or travel issues.]
Here are the #TeamUSATF athletes scheduled to race in this Saturday’s championship race:
Kasie Enman, 39, Huntington, VT.
Kasie Enman at the 2018 World Mountain Running Championships. Photo by Corsa in Montagna.
Corey Conner, 28, Longmont, CO.
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Elizabeth Ryan, 28, San Diego, CA.
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Dani Moreno, 26, Santa Barbara, CA.
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Evan Williams, 32, Seattle, WA.
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Zach Ornelas, 27, Plymouth, MI.
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David Kilgore, 27, New York, NY.
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Sam Sahli, 23, Evergreen, CO.
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Team staff members for the 2019 Trail World Championships are Richard Bolt (Bend, OR) and Jason Bryant (Elkin, NC).
