
2004 Mountain Running Award
Winners
December 1, 2004
Low & Haefeli Named
2004 USATF Mountain Runners of the Year Ames & Ortiz Take Masters
Honors
On Saturday, December 4, the
2004 USATF Mountain Runner of the Year awards will be
presented at the Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon during
a breakfast banquet as part of the USATF annual
convention. The USATF Mountain Runner of the Year
award recipients in the open category are Paul Low,
Amherst, MA and Laura Haefeli, Del Norte, CO and Andy
Ames, Boulder, CO and Anita Ortiz, Eagle, CO in the
masters category.
Paul Low, 30, Amherst, MA
was a member of the Teva US Mountain Running Team earning
his spot on the team as the top American finisher at the
Mt Washington Hill Climb (USA Mountain Running
Championships). Low was the top US finisher at
international events including Sierre Zinal and the WMRA
Grand Prix race in Susa, Italy where Low and teammate
Simon Gutierrez finished fourth place in the team
competition. Additional top finishes in 2004
included 19th at the World Mountain Running Trophy race
in Sauze dâOulx, Italy (2nd American) and 3rd at the
Teva Vail HillClimb, host of the first NACAC Mountain
Running Championships where Low and teammates Simon
Gutierrez, Peter de la Cerda, and Mark Werner were the
winning team. Low was born and raised in Mount
Pleasant, Michigan where he graduated from Central
Michigan University in 1999 with a B.S. in Biology and
Geology. He recently finished his graduate studies at
UMass Amherst in Geoscience and is enrolled in the
doctoral program at UMass Amherst. Low represents the
Central Massachusetts Striders (CMS) running
club.
Laura Haefeli, 37, Del
Norte, CO. Haefeli earned her spot on the 2004 Teva US
Mountain Running Team as the second US finisher at Mt
Washington and finished a solid 15th place at the World
Mountain Running Trophy (second American to Anita Ortiz).
She is the 2004 USATF 10K Trail National Champion and
winner of the 2004 Teva Vail HillClimb. Equally talented
in summer biathlon (running and marksmanship), Haefeli is
a seven time National Champion in the sport
(Î90, Î94, Î98, Î00, Î01,
Î02, Î03) and a nine-time National Team Member.
Running since the sixth grade, she competed in the 800m,
1600m, and cross country in high school, was an
All-American during her senior year in college at the
University of Dayton and was twice named All-Ohio Runner
of the Year. Her PRs include 34:47 for 10K, 8K - 27:33,
5K - 16:50. Laura and her husband Tom are beekeepers
and sell honey and wax. She is the mother of
three young children.
Andy Ames, 41, Boulder,
CO. A long time mountain runner, 2004 is Amesâ first
time to be named to the Teva US Mountain Running Team and
the only mastersâ runner on the team this year where
he finished a solid 47th overall. Ames was the second
American masters runner and 6th overall in the WMRA
Masterâs World Mountain Running Championships the
week preceding the WMRA Trophy Race. He was the top
masters finisher at the Mount Washington Hill Climb (6th
overall) and Teva Vail HillClimb (8th overall) as well as
the US Trail Running Championships (5th overall). He is a
two-time winner of the Vail HillClimb as well as twice US
Skyrunning Champion in the Vertical Kilometer. Also, an
accomplished Duathlete, Andy is a two time medalist in
Duathlon World Championships and was named Male Duathlete
of the Year by USAT in 2000. Ames is a buyer for the
bicycle mail order company Excel Sports.
Anita Ortiz, 40, Eagle,
CO. Ortiz is a two-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year
(2002 and 2003), three-time Teva US Mountain Running Team
member, and top American at each of the three WMRT events
she has participated in (11th in 2002, 8th in 2003, 11th
in 2004). Ortiz came back from an early season stress
fracture which prevented her from racing on the trails
much of the season. Fortunately she maintained her
fitness through elliptical training, versa climbing, pool
running, and mountain biking and won her fourth Pikes
Peak Ascent in August setting a new masters record this
year. She was the overall winner at the WMRA World
Masters Mountain Running Championships the week before
the WMRT. Ortiz is a graduate of Colorado State
University and received her Master in Education at
Florida State with an impressive 4.0 average. Ortiz
teaches kindergarten at Eagle Valley Elementary and has
four children.
This is the sixth year for the USATF Mountain Runner of
the Year awards. Past winners include Colorado athletes
Danelle Ballengee, Matt Carpenter, Cindy O'Neill, Anita
Ortiz, New England runners Craig Fram, Dave Dunham, and
Eric Morse.
Criteria for this yearâs selection included top
results in US mountain/trail competitions and
international competitions during 2004, current USATF
membership, and serving as an ambassador for the
sport.
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