King, Enman lead the way at USA Mountain Running Championships

CONWAY — Team USA will put a quality squad on the mountain in Albania in September for the World Mountain Running Championships. The team was chosen Sunday based on results at the annual Cranmore Hillclimb, which served as the USA Mountain union Championship for the second time in three years.

The race, which featured three up and down laps for the men and two for the women, attracted over 200 men and women from 22 different states for the race which held under ideal conditions.

Max King, of Bend, Ore., took the lead from the first climb on the opening lap at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, and never relinquished it. He finished in a blazing time of 42 minutes and 21 seconds to earn his second berth on Team USA.

Likewise, Vermonter Kasie Enman, who grew up in the Granite State, positioned herself in the lead pack on the first climb, then took a commanding lead for the remainder of the race to win her first USA Mountain Running Championship and earn a spot on her first Team USA.

Joining King and Enman on Team USA are Joe Gray, Lakewood, Wash., winner of the 2009 Cranmore Hillclimb, but second on Sunday in 43:31; Ryan Woods, of Boone, N.C., third, 45:02; Matt Byrne, of Scranton, Pa., fourth, 45:46; Tommy Manning, of Colorado Springs, Colo., fifth, 46:11; and Jared Scott, of Flagstaff, Az., sixth, 46:22, edging Scott Gail, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, by just three seconds.

For the women: Enman won in a quick time of 32:59 followed by three Colorad women — Michele Suszek, of Longmont, second, 34:45; Brandy Erholtz, of Evergreen, third, 35:12; and Megan Lund Lizotte, of Basalt, fourth, 35:13, edging Amber Moran, of Skyland, N.C., by one second.

"Conditions were just perfect for the race" remarked Paul Kirsch, Race Director for the Hill Climb and President of the White Mountain Milers.  "So many Valley residents opened up their homes to athletes, they came out to volunteer in full force on race day and really showed how great of a place the Valley is for mountain and trail running. Many runners remarked how friendly everyone around here is."

"I also have a huge thank you to title sponsor, Northeast Delta Dental" he continued.  "They helped us with sponsorship money so we could offer $3100 in cash prizes.  They have become synonymous with mountain running in New Hampshire, sponsoring both the Mt. Washington Road Race and now Cranmore.   Also a big thank you to product sponsors Inov8, Hammer Nutrition, Julbo and USATF-New England which provided travel funds for out of town athletes."

Sunday's course, according to Kirsch, was set up to mirror the course for this year’s World Mountain Running Championships to be held in Tirana, Albania, on Sept. 11. The course for the men was a three-lap up/down route with a mixture of grassy terrain, single track through the woods and super-fast downhill sections on dirt pathways. Each lap was just under 4 kilometers. The women ran two laps on the course as did the junior men (under 19), while the junior women ran one lap.

King, 31, averaged six minutes per mile on the course. Asked when he felt he had the win, to told Nancy Hobbs, of the National Trail Running Examiner,  “On the middle of the second lap when Joe (Gray) wasn’t catching me. Joe is always a great climber so I knew I had to be fast on the downs. The third lap I was trying to maintain and stay in front of Joe. King’s time of 42:21 bested second-place Gray’s time by one minute and ten seconds."

Asked what he learned from last year’s experience at Worlds, King continued, “The field was good. I don’t want to go in this year with any preconceptions based on last year. I will treat this more like cross country than a mountain race. It plays to my strengths. I think I’m stronger than anyone on the downhills. The technical elements on the trail always help me – they suit my strengths as does the three-lap course.”

On the women’s side, Enman clearly dominated the field from the first lap, extending her lead to nearly two minutes at the finish to make her first mountain running team. Enman, 31, Huntington, VT, finished with a time of 32:59 averaging 6:59 per mile pace.

"Kasie Enman grew up in New Hampshire and after just missing making  the team in 2008 and 2009 then taking a year off to have a baby, she was really focused on making the team this year," Kirsch said. "She also has already qualified for the 2012 Olympic Marathon trials.  She told me, 'This course was great for me, it's the same type of terrain I run on at home (in Vermont) all the time.'"

King provided some advice to the  newcomers on the U.S. team.

“Just relax. Don’t worry that it is an international competition, treat it like any other race. Get your routine down on the way over, figure out the acclimatization and get on European time.”

Race Director Kirsch will be joining the team heading to Albania.  He is the team manager for the Junior US Mountain Running Team (ages 16-19) who will also compete in Tirana at the World Mountain Running Championships.  This will be the second year Kirsch is team manager for the junior athletes.  Last year he accompanied them to Kamnik, Slovenia for the WMRC.  

 "I am looking forward to seeing how this team will do and cheering them on in Albania," he said. "I also have already gotten several strong junior candidates for the team.  I think it could be a good year for the US men, women and juniors."

Sunday marked the ninth year Kirsch has directed the race and he sees no end
in sight for the Hill Climb.

 "Next year will be the 25th addition of the race." noted Kirsch.  "The folks at Cranmore are so great to work with, I look forward to many more years of race directing the Hill Climb.  With the new Adventure Park at Cranmore this is now another of many reasons to visit Cranmore as a year round resort."

Local finishers included: Kevin Tilton, 11th, 47:39; Carl Swenson, 33rd, 57;04; Paul Bazanchuk, 50th, 1:00:19; Paul Kirsch, 60th, 1:02:11; Peter Swenson, 62nd, 1:02:36; Rich Miller, 65th, 1:03:16; Marc Ohlson, 80th, 1:08:10; Frank Hurt, 125th, 1:20:37; Jamie Gemmiti, 132nd, 1:22:30; Roger Marcoux, 138th, 1:24:16; and Tony Federer, 144th, 1:27:30.

For the women: Linda Perry, 41st, 57:21; and Heather Tilney, 42nd, 58:05.

Former Kennett High and Quinnipiac College All America Katie Gwyther was slated to make her trail running debut Sunday, but it has been pushed back.

"Katie didn't run, unfortunately," Kirsch said. "She was burnt out from too much vacation travel and didn't come."