Photo above: 2019 World Mountain Running Champion Joseph Gray. Photo by Marco Gulberti.
After another exciting season of mountain, ultra & trail (MUT) racing its time to recognize outstanding runners who are members of our Athletics federation – USA Track & Field.
Nominations are now OPEN for athletes who are current members of USA Track & Field and hold US Citizenship. Many athletes have been nominated automatically based on performances in select USATF National Championships and World Championship events. Anyone can nominate an athlete for these MUT Runner of the Year awards.
Nominations must include at least one 2019 race result. Additional supporting race performances can be submitted to strengthen the case for an athlete. Awards are given in open and master categories (open runner is up to 39 years – master runner is 40+ years). Master’s athletes can be nominated for open awards.
2019 World Mountain Running Champion Grayson Murphy. Photo by Trail Running Argentina.
Performance consideration period: November 7, 2018 to November 17, 2019.
Only members of USATF’s Mountain, Ultra & Trail (MUT) Running Council will vote from the nominated athletes. There are over 40 council members from all MUT running disciplines, from every region of the United States and including many active athletes.
The nomination form for Runner of the Year and Contributor of the Year can be found here:
https://forms.gle/E9QrCR82KyJi88Wf8
Nominations will be accepted for the following 17 awards:
- Men’s Mountain Runner of the Year – Lyndon Ellefson Memorial Award
- Men’s Master Mountain Runner of the Year
- Women’s Mountain Runner of the Year
- Women’s Master Mountain Runner of the Year
- Men’s Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Men’s Master Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Women’s Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Women’s Master Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Men’s Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Men’s Master Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Women’s Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Women’s Master Ultra Trail Runner of the Year
- Men’s Road Ultra Runner of the Year – Ted Corbitt Memorial Award
- Men’s Master Road Ultra Runner of the Year
- Women’s Road Ultra Runner of the Year – Ruth Anderson Award
- Women’s Master Road Ultra Runner of the Year
- MUT Contributor of the Year
2019 World Long Distance Mountain Running Champion Jim Walmsley.
Mountain awards automatic nominations go to: Winners of the USATF Mountain Running Championships. Top American man/woman at the WMRA World Mountain Running Championships, WMRA World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge & WMRA & WMA World Masters Mountain Running Championships, NACAC Mountain Running Championships.
Automatic Mountain nominees include: USATF Mountain Running Champions: Joe Gray & Grayson Murphy, top Americans at the WMRA World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships Jim Walmsley and Emily Schmitz, top American man/woman at the WMRA Mountain Running Championship: Joseph Gray & Grayson Murphy; top American man/woman at the World Masters Mountain Running Championship: Sara Wagner and Francis Burdett.
Sub-Ultra Trail awards, automatic nominations go to: Winners of the following USATF Trail Championships; ½ Marathon and Marathon.
Automatic Sub-Ultra Trail nominees include: USATF ½ Marathon Trail Champions: Lee Berube and Sam Lewis: top Masters: Brock Butler & Laura Lunardi; USATF Trail Marathon Champions: Adam Peterman & Chessa Adsit-Morris; top Masters Thomas Knowles & Anita Rawlinson.
Ultra Trail awards, automatic nominations go to: Winners of the following USATF Trail Championships; 50k, 50 mile, 100k and 100 mile Trail. Also the top American man/woman at the 2019 Trail World Championships.
Automatic Ultra Trail nominees include: 50k Trail Champions: Tim Tollefson & Dani Moreno & top Masters:Chris McGovern & Trisha Steidl, 50 mile Trail Champions: Drew Holman & Justyna Wilson & top Masters: Ian Schouten & Justyna Wilson; 100k Trail Champions: Paul Terranova & Nyleva Corley who also took top Masters; 100 Mile Trail Champions will not be announced as the race is the same weekend as the USATF conference; top American man/woman at the Trail World Championships: top US: Sam Sahli & Kasie Enman.
Road Ultra awards, automatic nominations go to: Winners of the following USATF 2018 Ultra Road Championships; 50k, 50 Mile, 100k, 100 Mile and 24 Hour. Also the top American man/woman at the 2018 IAU 100k World Championships.
Automatic Road Ultra nominees include: 100 Mile Champions Mark Hammond and Connie Gardner top masters Sam Skeels and Connie Garder. 50k Champions: Zach Ornelas and Elizabeth Northern & top Masters: Boyd Carrington and Emily Collins. 50 mile Champions: Tyler Andrews and Devon Yanko & top Masters: Todd Wylie and Justyna Wilson; 100k Champions: Isreal Merkle and Caroline Cotsakis and master Billy Mertens and Pamela Chapman Markle. 24 hour National Champions: Harvey Lewis (also top Master) & Kristy Denton along with top female Master Gina Snyderburn. Top American man/woman at the 2019 IAU 24 Hour World Championship: Camille Herron with a new World Record and Oliview LeBlond for 3rd and top US master, and top US master Pam Smith (4th overall).
2019 IAU 24 Hour World Champion Camille Herron. Photo by USA Ultrarunning.
Contributor of the Year (COY): Anyone can be nominated – athlete, staff member, sponsor or race director in the mountain, ultra & trail running community. Nominations must include a written explanation of why this person or organization is worthy of the award. Must be for contributions made in 2019.
Additional nominees for outstanding performances during the qualifying period in non USATF Championship races include:
Kelly Wolf, Keely Henninger, Courtney Dauwalter, Micah Morgan, Sarah Burke, Brittany Peterson, Ladia Albertson-Junkans, Kaci Lickteig, Addie Bracy, Camille Herron, Aliza Lapierre, Camelia Mayfield, Elizabeth Northern, Tara Richardson, Taylor Nowlin, Pam Smith, Trisha Steidl, Meghan Laws, Connie Gardner, Jacob Jackson, Sam Skeels, Chris Mocko, Jeff Colt, Chris DeNucci, Chris Roberts, Luke Paulson, Jeason Murphy, Anthony Costales, Gus Gibbs, Zach Ornelas, Austin Bogina, Drew Holmen, Patrick Reagan, Tyler Sigl, Zach Bitter, Tim Tollefson, Jim Walmsley, Mark Hammond, Olivier Leblonde, Tyler Green, Richard Riopel, Harvey Lewis, Paul Terranova, Jean Pommier, Hayden Hawks, David Sinclair, Mario Mendoza, Emily Schmitz, Ashley Brasovan, Dani Moreno, Rachel Drake and Kasie Enman.
2019 Runner of the Year Awards Timeline:
Performance Qualification Period: November 7, 2018 to November 17, 2019
Nomination period: November 18 to November 29, 2019
Voting period: November 30 to December 4, 2019
Announcement date & awards presentation: December 7 at the USATF Annual Meeting in Reno, NV.
For questions about the Runner of the Year (ROY) nomination process please contact USATF MUT Council member Richard Bolt at [email protected].
[Editors Note: this article was updated on December 7 to show that Sam Skeels was the top master at the USATF 100 Mile Road Championship]
