Richmond's Chris York Selected to USA Mountain Running Team

The Spider runner will compete for the USA in the 26th Annual World Championships of Mountain Running.

Chris York will begin his sophomore year
at the University of Richmond in a USA uniform,
competing in the 26th World Mountain Running Championships
in Slovenia (Dan Petty Photo).

University of Richmond standout distance runner Chris York will run in the 2010 IAAF World Mountain Running Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia on September 5th. He is the latest in a long line of Spider distance runners to represent the United States at the World Championships. The race will include athletes from 36 countries and will be held Sunday, September 5th.

York, who is a rising sophomore, capped a stellar freshman campaign for the Spiders with his 7th place 10K finish in last month’s United States Track & Field (USATF) National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Earlier in the season he ran 31:28.32 under perfect conditions in his first 10K on the track at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, VA on April 2nd… His next 10K was the Atlantic 10K Conference Championships in Amherst, Massachusetts on May 1. He followed his teammates Matt Llano (1st) and Tim Quinn (3rd) to place eighth with a PR of 31:26.91 on a hot day for Amherst, MA. Both of his marks were well under the USATF Junior Qualifying Standard of 32:45.00.

Course Map in Kamnik, Slovenia

“I’m really excited to be selected to the USA team for the World Mountain Running Championships”, said York. “I look forward to competing against the best mountain runners in the world and to seeing the Alps.”

One of the lonely valley's in the Kamnik, Slovenia Alps region.

The race will be held Sunday, September 5 in the Alpine town of Kamnik, Slovenia with the Junior (Under 20 years of age) Men’s 8.5K (~5.3 miles) Race scheduled for 10:00AM. York will be one of four USA Junior Men to race with the team goal of earning a medal by finishing in the top 3 teams.

The 36 competing Countries will include (Alphabetically) Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Macedonia, Montenegro, Mon, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela.

Chris York at the
2009 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships in St. Louis, MO (Dan Petty Photo).

“I’m happy for Chris”, said Richmond Head Coach Steve Taylor. “He works hard and listens to our team leaders trying to emulate their footsteps by making sacrifices required to excel at the highest level of our sport. He knows this is a great opportunity for him and the USA Junior team to medal by making the podium (top 3 teams). That is their goal…He also knows that opportunities are for those ready and willing when they come along. As an athlete, if you want to achieve the most you must be ready when the opportunity presents itself. He has talked about this race and his interest in it for over a year and I’m happy he will have the opportunity. This event takes determination and high tolerance for pain.”

View of host city Kamnik, Slovenia from a nearby mountainside.

According to International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) President, Lamine Diak this will be the first year in the World Mountain Running Championships 26 year history the event will be held in Slovenia. Something not overlooked by the IAAF.

“The IAAF is very happy to continue strongly supporting the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), representing the world of mountain running...” said Diak. “I am also glad to see that this sport is moving outside its traditional heartlands to new parts of the world. In 2009, Africa held its first official Mountain Running Championships as part of the Obudu Mountain Race in Nigeria, and this spirit of global development matches that of the IAAF. Mountain running requires the athletic virtues of endurance and speed, but something special as well, in the sense that instead of a stadium, men and women are able to compete in harmony with some of nature’s most marvelous landscapes."

Lesnik farm above Belska Kocna/Vellacher Kotna

lies in a beautiful place.

The Valley and mountains above it

are seen from a perfect perspective

and every one that passes by stops

and enjoys the panoramic view of the Alps.

The World Mountain Running Championship takes a special set of talents and determination typically not matched in the flatlands as World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) President, Bruno Gozzelino said: “Mountain running is a discipline that excites each individual athlete but it also emphasizes the strength and the spirit of a team, of each nation represented with the opportunity to compete and contribute their best…The WMRA are very happy and grateful that Slovenia will host the event and it is fully appreciated by the IAAF - its President, Lamine Diack, and the General Secretary Pierre Weiss, who, as always give their full support to the Championships.

Farm near Kamnik, Slovenia

site of the 2010 World Mountain

Running Championships

All the information below comes from the Athlete’s Technical Manual:

COURSE DATA click HERE

PREVIOUS World Championship Results (1985-2009) click HERE

The summit of Dedec is rising above the flat meadow

of Korosica. Here it is seen from the Southeast ridge

of Ojstrica. At the base you can see a hut. A popular

destination for climbers looking to get high on adrenaline.

The Course
The men’s course starts in the village “Stranje”, cca 5km from Kamnik Centre. After one km running on the flat local asphalted road (11 km to go), the course turns to the right, to the steep macadam road. The women’s and junior men start is at the end of this part (8km to go). Macadam road turns to 4WD road and reaches the Church at km7. After passing this typical point, a trail takes the runners uphill to the finish. The last three kilometers are on open meadows.

GPS coordinates:

Start Men: GPS - N 46°15’24.79; E 14°36’10.64
Start Women: GPS - N 46°16’12.17; E 14°37’20.14
Start Junior Women: GPS - N 46°16’39.59; E 14°39’18.46
Finish: GPS - N 46°17’53.76; E 14°38’37.16

PROGRAM

Thursday, 2 September 2010
All day Non-European teams’ arrival, accreditation, course inspection

Friday, 3 September 2010
All day Teams arrival, accreditation, course inspection
15:00 WMRA Council meeting / VIP Hotel

Saturday, 4 September 2010
9:00 WMRA Congress
15:00 Technical Meeting
16:00 Press Conference
18:00 Opening Ceremony – Kamnik city centre
20:00 VIP Reception – Kamnik / The Heads of Delegation are invited

Sunday, 5 September 2010
7:30 Start Open Race
10:00 Start Junior Women
10:00 Start Junior Men
10:45 Start Senior Women
11:15 Start Senior Men
18:00 Award and Closing Ceremony – city centre
19:00 Final Banquet for all participants – Start men

Monday, 6 September 2010
All day Teams departure

Host city, Kamnik, Slovenia was founded in 1229,

as a critical trading post on the road between

Ljubljana and Celje.

Host City Kamnik
Kamnik is lovely Alpine town surrounded by green hills and high peaks of Kamnik Alps (2500 m, roughly 8300 feet above sea level; highest peak is Grintovec - 2558m, roughly 8500 feet). It is only 23 kilometers away from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and no more than 15 kilometers away from the international Airport. Due to its central position one can quickly reach all other sights and attractions of Slovenia. Kamnik is an ancient town of a thousand faces, with a rich history and numerous cultural pearls, with beautiful surroundings of natural beauty and a varied tourist offer.

In the Middle Ages, Kamnik was a flourishing trading town its own mint. The town’s wonderful architecture and sacral heritage, as well as the numerous myths and legends are a testament to its prosperous days. Kamnik is protected by Stari and Mali grad (Old and Small Castle on the surrounding rocky hills, and the church of St. Primus, famous for its fascinating Renaissance frescoes, on the slope of the near by Velika planina.

Kamnik is renowned by its visitors as a starting-point for walking tours. The most beautiful part of the town is certainly the old historical centre with the characteristic narrow streets, adorned with medieval and Baroque houses.

The main sights of the town is Zaprice Castle, which has been renewed to host a museum containing part of the private Sadnikar collection, the Franciscan monastery with a rich collection of old books and Plečnik’s Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. Variously thermed performances, concerts and other events are scheduled throughout the year at different venues in town. The Traditional National Costume Festival is an annual event that takes place during the second weekend of September and attracts the largest number of visitors.

The path by the banks of the river Kamniška Bistrica leads to the Volčji Potok Arboretum, where the visitors can stroll through the Baroque park with small lakes and plantations of various different flowers and more than 3000 species of trees and bushes from all over the world. The Arboretum Volčji Potok golf course is situated in a picturesque landscape in the midst of pine forest among ponds and other natural beauties.

To the east of Kamnik lies Tuhinj Valley, where the Snovik thermal spa was founded on the hot water spring.

Going north from Kamnik, you will arrive to the Kamniška Bistrica Valley, where you can enjoy the beauty of its unspoiled nature and its soothing coolness in the hot summer months. Kamniška Bistrica attracts the visits of trekkers, hikers, climbers, hunters and fishers. It is the most popular starting point for visiting the mountains that surround the valley.

Of all the picks in the region, Velika planina is the most visited. A cable car takes you to the summit of the plateau, where you can experience the life of the local Sheppard’s in the summertime and the wonderful walks, while it is a popular ski destination in the winter.

ALL KAMNIK, SLOVENIA PHOTOS SHOWN HERE COMPLIMENTS OF "TREK EARTH"