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King, Fleshman to Defend Titles

More contenders have come to the forefront, but Max King remains at the front of the pack as the runner to beat at the 2010 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship.

More than 500 runners from around the world are expected to be on the starting line for the XTERRA Nationals, which is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Bend, Ore.

King is the two-time defending XTERRA national and world champion of trail running, and again appears to be the overwhelming favorite for Saturday’s race. For starters, the 30-year-old King works as a bio-chemical engineer right in Bend, so he is familiar with the trails and conditions. He also happens to be one of the fastest trail runners in the world, regardless of the location of the race.

Last year, King completed the 21-kilometer (13.1 miles) championship course in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 46 seconds, which was more than six minutes ahead of his closest competition.

Among the runners looking to keep pace with King are several first-time entrants in the XTERRA Nationals. Oregon runners Scotty Carlile, Sean Meissner, Greg Mitchell and Mike Olson are all making their inaugural appearances at the XTERRA Nationals after experiencing successful seasons in 2010.

Japan’s Fujio Miyachi is also entering the XTERRA Nationals for the first time. He placed fifth overall at the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in 2009.

In the women’s field, Lauren Fleshman of Eugene, Ore., has decided at the last minute to defend her XTERRA title. Fleshman announced on Thursday – two days before the race – that she would be racing in Bend. She finished last  year’s XTERRA Nationals with a time of 1:19:10, which was good for fifth place overall and two minutes ahead of the next female.

Hometown Bend runners Kami Semick, Pam Bradbury, Katie Caba and Stephanie Howe are all considered contenders. Out-of-state elites include Rachel Cieslewicz of Utah, Claudia Spooner of Texas, and Michele Suszek of Colorado.

The 21-kilometer trail in Bend is considered a relatively-flat and fast course. Howe, who often trains on the trails near the Deschutes River in Bend, said: “I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, the technical difficulty of the course is a 5. The race is on trails, but they are pretty tame compared to many of the other trails around here. There are not a lot of twists and turns.”

Still, the course will offer its share of challenges, especially for out-of-state runners. In particular, the elevation in Bend (3,600 feet above sea level) and potential for chilly temperatures could come as a surprise to newcomers.

In addition to the overall titles, more than 25 age-group championships will be awarded at Saturday’s race. The youngest runner in the field is 7-year-old Zoe Allen of Hillsboro, Ore.; the oldest is 85-year-old John Keston of Sunriver, Ore.

What’s more, a record 30 age-group regional champions from the XTERRA U.S. Trail Run Series are in the field.