{"id":225,"date":"2014-07-21T18:18:46","date_gmt":"2014-07-21T18:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/?p=225"},"modified":"2014-07-21T18:21:04","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T18:21:04","slug":"erholtz-leads-us-women-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/news\/erholtz-leads-us-women-success","title":{"rendered":"Erholtz Leads US Women success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Brandy<\/a><\/p>\n

AJIJIC, Mexico – On the grueling Chupinaya Mountain Race course in Ajijic, Mexico, which boasts nearly 3,800 feet of climbing and equal descent over the 13.8-kilometer route, Coloradoan Brandy Erholtz blazed the trail to set what race organizer Ivan Romero Garnica, a.k.a. El Chupinayo referred to as \u201can amazing time.\u201d Her course-record performance of 1 hour, 39 minutes, 1 second bested the previous record, which was set in 2011 by American Maria Dalzot, by more than seven minutes. For the record, Erholtz earned 1200 pesos.<\/p>\n

The event, celebrating its 18th running this year hosted not only the open race with more than 500 competitors, but also the 11th annual North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships with teams from Mexico and USA competing.<\/p>\n

Erholtz (pictured, right) led the women\u2019s team to a gold medal with her fellow teammates, Dalzot (Bellingham, Wash.), Christine Lundy (Sausalito, Calif.), and Amber Reece-Young (Asheville, NC), finishing second, third, and sixth place respectively. With the top three scoring, Team USA finished with a perfect performance of six points, followed by Team Mexico with 16 points.<\/p>\n

Erholtz spoke of her training and racing post-birth of her first child Asher, in September 2013. \u201cThis whole year has been fun and with each race my fitness has improved. Today was really the fist day I\u2019ve felt like I\u2019m back to where I was. Since this is the only time I\u2019m wearing USA across my chest (this year), I wanted to race well. Every time you put USA on, it elevates your performance. Everyone counts on you, so you don\u2019t want to let anyone down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the race course Erholtz said, \u201cIt is one of the most challenging courses I have done. I don\u2019t think I\u2019d want to do it again, but I\u2019m glad I did it today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her favorite part of the course was her specialty\u2026climbing. \u201cMountain courses should all be that steep,\u201d Erholtz said. \u201cOnce I got to the top, there was still more climbing, plus I got to take in some views and that\u2019s always a good part of a race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The views from the top, which crested at nearly 8,000 feet, showcased Lake Chapala and the town of Ajijic below. The course followed the ridge line of Chupinaya, and then ended with nearly four miles of gnarly descending over single-track trail, rocks, switchbacks and grassy sections. The course started and finished in the town square with the first and final kilometer on uneven cobblestone streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never so happy to see cobblestone,\u201d said Erholtz \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t even like them at first.\u201d She confirmed that the cobbles were much easier to navigate than much of the downhill which preceded it.<\/p>\n

Dalzot, second for Team USA in 1:42:05, compared her race to that of 2011. \u201cLast time I didn\u2019t have any expectation because it was my first NACAC team. This time, I had expectations. I felt more pressure this time. Last time was a dream – everything went perfectly and I knew that would be hard to recreate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt at Loon (Loon Mountain Race on July 6, the USA Mountain Running Championships) I ran cowardly,\u201d reflected Dalzot. \u201cI\u2019d been talking to myself the last few days to put myself in a position I\u2019m comfortable with. Today I started hurting one and a half miles into the race going into oxygen debt – which living at sea level, was not surprising. I was just keeping it moving. Pushing it. I felt that I did that today giving it my all. I felt like I ran brave.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued \u201cI wanted to make it to the finish line without completely falling apart. My legs were shot when we hit the cobblestones. I know we ran hard \u2014 we were under the course record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dalzot agreed the race was more difficult this year. \u201cAny time you\u2019re leading the race, (like she was in 2011 at this event), I feel like you get an extra super power – a sense of adrenaline. This year I knew Brandy was ahead and Chris was behind me. I wanted to maintain my position and didn\u2019t want to let up so I really pushed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such an honor to be on this team. You never take that for granted,\u201d said Dalzot who was very happy with her finish position and time. \u201cI get emotional about it, the whole experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lundy, who bested her finish time from 2011 by nearly five minutes, finished in 1:43:34. Asked to describe the course in one word Lundy thoughtfully responded, \u201cBoulders.\u201d Her reason, \u201cBecause we had to climb a lot of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparing her experience to that of 2011, Lundy said, \u201cMy time was five minutes faster. I think it was all in the descent. The traction was much better this year, not as slick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was also in better shape for this race than last time. I\u2019ve been doing a lot of training on steep climbs at home and I felt like I\u2019d be stronger on the uphill. I think I just felt the altitude on the climb and I didn\u2019t feel that great until I got to the ridge. I\u2019m happy with my time and place.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the race, Lundy was taking a four-day vacation which would include surfing in Sayulita. \u201cI\u2019m here and it\u2019s a great place to surf,\u201d said Lundy, \u201cWhen in Mexico you shouldn\u2019t go home without enjoying the countryside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Lundy and Dalzot, the final women\u2019s team member Reece-Young also ran the course in 2011. However, unlike her teammates, it wasn\u2019t her best day. \u201cMy legs were flat,\u201d said Reece-Young. \u201cIt was a faster course today, but my legs just didn\u2019t respond. They felt heavy and the climb didn\u2019t go as well today.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe course was a fun adventure though,\u201d Reece-Young said with an upbeat smile. \u201cThere were a lot of spectators out on the course cheering us on.\u201d<\/p>\n

That cheering certainly helped Team USA to victory. \u201cI\u2019m happy with the experience and I\u2019m really proud of the team,\u201d added Reece-Young. \u201cAll (three went) under the course record. It\u2019s awesome to be on a gold-medal team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erholtz summed it all up for the team in her final comment, \u201cThe organizers and everyone here has been so great and made us feel so special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Men’s Race Recap<\/p>\n

In the men\u2019s division, Mexico fielded an \u201cA\u201d team and a \u201cB\u201d team finishing in gold and silver-medal position with eight and sixteen points respectively. Team USA finished with a bronze medal amassing 21 points.<\/p>\n

The grueling 13.8-kilometer course boasting nearly 3,800 feet of climbing and equal descent was described by Danny Martinez, one of the youngest members of Team USA, as \u201cbrutal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old Californian said of the longest race he\u2019d done to date, \u201cI know for sure it\u2019s absolutely the toughest race I\u2019ve ever done. I thought Poland was tough (Martinez represented Team USA as a junior last year at the World Mountain Running Championships in Poland), this made Poland feel easier. Obviously that was a tough course, but if I went back to Poland I wouldn\u2019t be worried after doing this race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martinez struggled on the course after rolling his ankle, but soldiered on to finish fourth for Team USA with a time of 1:47:55.<\/p>\n

First for Team USA was Eric Blake, West Hartford, CT, who finished in seventh position overall, fifth in the NACAC division with a time of 1:27:39.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a way it went as I expected,\u201d said Blake. \u201cI would have liked to place better. I lost about five spots on the downhill and I lost a little bit of time going up by the waterfall when Jordan (Blake\u2019s teammate Jordan Chavez) and I took a route which wasn\u2019t the quickest way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew the downhills would be tough. I felt good climbing. I felt within myself and I felt strong. I wanted to get through safe. I grabbed a few trees going around the switchbacks on the descent. I took a few tumbles \u2014 missteps really \u2014 no falls. A couple times I lost control a bit, but managed to stay upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the waterfall (on the way down), to the finish I didn\u2019t lose any places. It\u2019s a great finish – a great race,\u201d continued Blake. \u201cDownhill is not my strength. I thought a great day would be getting in the top three, but I guess top 10 is not bad. It\u2019s my first up\/down course since 2009 (Blake was on Team USA at the Cranmore Mountain Race which hosted the NACAC Championships).\u201d<\/p>\n

As a mountain race, Blake said this course was \u201cdifferent.\u201d The only true up\/down course Blake had run on the World level besides Cranmore was in New Zealand in 2005 when he competed at the World Mountain Running Championships for Team USA. \u201cThe downhills (today) were extremely tough. It was hard to keep a decent pace. I know at this point in my career I\u2019m an uphill runner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next up for Blake is the Pikes Peak Ascent on August 16, where he will again represent Team USA as the race is hosting the WMRA World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge.<\/p>\n

Ryan Woods, second for Team USA, finished seventh in the NACAC competition timed in 1:29:43. Asked to describe the course in one word, Woods said, \u201cYou want to get the steepness and the rockiness in one word\u2026challenging. Wait, let\u2019s go a little more extreme – how about monster\u2026yep, it\u2019s a monster.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of lived up to my expectations,\u201d continued Woods who hails from North Carolina. \u201cI knew the climb would be steeper than it looked on the profile. I was a little disappointed in my climbing – I did decent. I was in the top ten when I reached the downhill.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the descent, Woods said, \u201c\u201cThe downhill was relentless – you expected the uphill to be relentless. I felt that I was putting the brakes on, but the Mexicans were flying by on the downhill. I\u2019ve never been passed by so many people on a downhill. They were aggressive and out of control. Those guys were so impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

His favorite part of the course turned out to be the cobblestones which were part of the course for the first and last kilometers of the keyhole a.k.a. lollipop-type course. \u201cMy first mile was about six minute pace, much of my last mile was under five minute pace. I was flying at the end. Yesterday I thought the cobblestones would be tough, but I could really run that. It was awesome. I was so happy (after the descent) to be on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jordan Chavez (South Lake, Texas), rounded out the team scoring with a ninth-place NACAC finish timed in 1:35:51. This was Chavez\u2019s second appearance on Team USA having been on the junior team with Martinez last year in Poland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an insanely fast start,\u201d said Chavez. \u201cEveryone was cautious on the cobblestones. I was in the front of the pack. Once we got on the trail, I was leading a group of people and I kind of went the wrong way. I had to bushwhack back on the trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was third basically the whole time and about ten minutes before the end of the climb, Eric passed me and we were in third and fourth place. I was pretty exhausted at the top,\u201d recalled Chavez. \u201cI was fifth to the ridge line. By the time the very steep downhill started to come, I could feel my hip, knee and ankle tighten up. My whole left side was hurting. I wanted to be as cautious as I could going down. I honestly couldn\u2019t believe how fast they were going. They were flying down the hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to keep it together to the finish. At the end of the lollipop, I just tried to stay on my feet. I didn\u2019t want to risk anything on the way down,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe cobbles were pretty rough.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to making his first senior team, Chavez said, \u201cI\u2019m super excited. I hope this is one of many Team USA races I do. I definitely see a good career in mountain running. I feel I\u2019ve had a good few weeks here and at Loon (Loon Mountain Race hosted the USA Mountain Running Championships on July 6 where Chavez finished seventh). I\u2019m looking toward a successful mountain running career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AJIJIC, Mexico – On the grueling Chupinaya Mountain Race course in Ajijic, Mexico, which boasts nearly 3,800 feet of climbing and equal descent over the 13.8-kilometer route, Coloradoan Brandy Erholtz blazed the trail to set what race organizer Ivan Romero Garnica, a.k.a. El Chupinayo referred to as \u201can amazing time.\u201d Her course-record performance of 1 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,226,1,25],"tags":[183,228,229,230],"class_list":["post-225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-mtn-run","category-news","category-usa","tag-183","tag-brandy-erholtz","tag-chupinaya","tag-mountain-race"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions\/227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/trail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}