XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series Champion: Katherine Morgan

Katherine Morgan might still be new to Alabama, but she's got two XTERRA championship certificates from her new home state to show for it.

When Morgan moved to Birmingham, Ala., two years ago, she figured a good way to get to know her new surroundings would be through running. She hasn't stopped since.

As a result, Morgan emerged as the champion of her age group in the XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series both in 2010 and 2011. She clinched the 2011 title last month at the season finale in Pelham, Ala.

"I moved from Athens, Georgia, to Birmingham a couple of years ago, and a friend told me about trail running and all the great trails out there," said Morgan, 37. "I found the XTERRA races online and decided to try it, and I can't get enough of it now."

Morgan is the two-time Alabama champion of the female 35-39 age division. This year, she won it mainly through her consistency. The 2011 Alabama Series featured four races, and she entered all four. She placed first in her age division at one of the races, second in two others, and third in another.

"I enjoy traveling to the different parks around the state," Morgan said. "I like that they offer different distances and different kinds of challenges. Each race is challenging in its own way, and I like that. I always say if it's too easy, then you're not trying hard enough."

Morgan's first trail run was the XTERRA Oak Mountain Trail Runs in 2009, and she finished first in her age group for the 10-kilometer course. She remembers it being a fun race in a friendly atmosphere.

"That was my first time trail running, and there weren't that many people there," she said. "But every year, it's getting bigger and better, so I plan on running it every year."

Last month, Morgan was one of more than 600 runners participating in the XTERRA Oak Mountain Trail Runs. As proof of her personal improvement, she ran in the 42-kilometer marathon course.

"I did the shorter (distances) when I first started, but I love that there was a 42K this year," she said. "I didn't win my age group, but I was happy with my time and felt like it was very challenging."

Morgan said the XTERRA trail runs have also helped her form friendships in her new home state. She said one of her lasting memories from this past season was her experience at the XTERRA Monte Sano Trail Run, where she placed second in her age group.

"That's a tough course, and I fell a couple of times," she said. "But every time I fell, the other runners around me would come up to me and ask if I was okay and needed help. There's a competitiveness in the XTERRA races, but there's also that camaraderie and everybody respects each other."

As an age-group champion, Morgan has qualified for a free entry to the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship at Ogden, Utah, on Sept. 25. Morgan, who is single and is employed as a social worker in Birmingham, is unsure if she will be able to represent Alabama at the XTERRA Nationals.

"I'd love to make it out there, but I don't know if I can afford to," she said. "If not this year, I hope to make it one of these years."

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