New Year, New Shoe

I am excited to announce that my new shoe sponsor for 2014 is La Sportiva. 

Ultra Raptors blazing through the Chuckanuts.

La Sportiva is an Italian company that specializes in making technical footwear for mountain running, climbing, hiking and mountaineering. The La Sportiva factory is located in Ziano di Fiemme, a small mountain village in the heart of the Italian Dolomites. What started out as a mission to create a durable, rugged shoe for the local farmers and mountaineering guides, grew into a global business for mountain-based sports. You can tell the quality of their products just by holding it in the palm of your hand. The footwear is substantial and supportive and I am confident that my foot is protected with each step. The apparel is made with the finest materials to keep you warm, dry, comfortable and still stylish. I have only begun to experience the quality of La Sportiva. I am anxious to delve into all that La Sportiva has to offer and to share my experiences with you.

Another facet of La Sportiva that I am proud to be a part of is that they possess a strong passion for the mountains and the environment. Their zest for sustainability and community is apparent in their active involvement in organizations such as Soles4Souls, Bike to Work Day and Adopt-a-Road.

The North American team is composed of some very talented individuals living throughout the country. Not only are they accomplished athletes, but they are genuine, supportive individuals that come together to share their passion for the mountains and trails.

Focused and ready for 2014.

My racing schedule for the year is tentative, but barring any injury, illness or unforeseen setback, I will be participating in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup Series. The Mountain Cup Series has been going on since 2008. It is comprised of some of the best trail races in North America, praised for their challenging courses, epic beauty and exceptional quality. The top 10 runners in each race will be scored according to their placement and at the end of the series, the scores of the best five races will be tallied for a shot at a piece of the $25,000 prize package.  In addition, bonus points will be awarded to a competitor for every runner beaten in a race who was in the top 10 in the overall standings.

The 2014 La Sportiva Mountain Cup Schedule.

2/15/14 Moab’s Red Hot 33k, Moab, Utah

3/08/14 Hillbilly Half Marathon, Olympia, WA

3/08/14 Assault on Garland Mountain, Waleska, GA

4/05/14 Hell’s Hills 25K, Smithville, TX

5/04/14 7 Sisters Trail Race, Amherst, MA

5/10/14 Don’t Fence Me in Trail Run, Helena, MT

6/07/14 Rothrock Challenge, State College, PA

7/05/14 La Sportiva Vail Hill Climb, Vail, CO

7/19/04 La Sportiva Table Rock 25K, Stinson Beach, CA

8/02/14 Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, Park City, Utah

For more information on the series and the associated race Websites, you can go to the Mountain Cup site at http://www.mountaincup.com/.

Clockwise from Left: Wmn's Boulder X, Wmn's Wildcat, Wmn's Ultra Raptor

To check out the latest line of apparel, footwear and accessories scan the La Sportiva site at http://www.sportiva.com/ . You can also visit the La Sportiva Mountain Running site at http://mountainrunning.com/ to meet the team, read race reports, search for results and catch up on current La Sportiva news.

In addition to competing in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup Series, the U.S. Mountain Running Championships is on July 6, 2014. It is back in Lincoln, New Hampshire for another assault up Loon Mountain. Having run this course before (see previous blog post), it will be nice to go back to a familiar location. There is only room for improvement given my last performance.

Keeping cozy in the Siren Hoody.

My goals for 2014 are ambitious; endeavors that could not be achieved without the help of many. Over the next few weeks I will be highlighting my sponsors who have volunteered their time and expertise to help me get to where I want to be. I am very thankful for all of these opportunities and I am 100% committed to working hard, performing well and representing to the best of my ability.