XTERRA Georgia Series Champion: Tara Mooney

Over the past three years, the XTERRA Georgia Trail Run Series has established several traditions.

Tara Mooney (pictured right courtesy Great Action Portraits) emerging as a series champion is one of them.

Mooney, 27, recently won her third consecutive Georgia Series championship for the women's 25-29 age division. She clinched it in style, winning the overall women's division at the XTERRA Deep South Trail Run on Saturday, June 4. That race was the finale of the 2010-11 season for the XTERRA Georgia Series.

"The Deep South course is one of my favorite courses," said Mooney, who resides in Kennesaw, Ga. "The trail is gently rolling and fast. There are less switchbacks and technical sections than other races in the series, making it a good course to let loose and see what happens."

Well, what happened was Mooney let loose and dominated the women's field. She completed the 15-kilometer course in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 29 seconds, which was more than 12 minutes faster than the next female.

"The guys around me helped to push me, and keep my pace consistent," she said. "I also wanted to beat my time from 2010, which I did by five minutes."

Then again, Mooney topping the women's field at a Georgia race is a familiar theme. Over the past three years, she has been the top overall female at 13 XTERRA Georgia races. This season, she finished in the top three of every race she entered.

"The XTERRA Georgia Series was challenging and fun as usual," she said. "(Series director) Tim Schroer and the Dirty Spokes crew do an amazing job of finding the most beautiful trails all over Georgia and making each event special."

It also helps that Mooney is familiar with the territory. She has been running on Georgia trails since she was a youth, and is a former member of the Kennesaw State cross country and track teams.

Her love for running never stopped, and she enters races throughout the year, both road and trail. "I'm always training for a race," she said. "I run a race almost every single weekend, year round. It's kind of my addiction."

Mooney works as an administrative assistant for a company called Body Training Systems in Marietta, Ga. She said the job fits well with her training because employees are allowed to attend group fitness classes every day during the lunch break.

"We have seven different programs and I participate in as many as I can, as often as I can," she said. "It is my cross training. I get my weight training in during Group Power class, my cycling in Group Ride, and work on my flexibility in Group Centergy Class. I think the group fitness classes at work have made me a better runner."

Mooney said she is hoping to compete in the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah, on Sept. 25

Trail runners from across the country will compete in the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship on Sept. 25 at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden, Utah, on Sept. 25. It is open to runners of all ages and skill levels, and there is no qualification process. To learn more about the XTERRA Nationals, or to register for the race, please visit the XTERRA Nationals site.

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