Alabama Series
2010 Alabama Series Schedule
09/13/09 - XTERRA Cheaha 10km Trail Run - Delta, AL
10/25/09 - XTERRA Monte Sano 15km Trail Run - Huntsville, AL
03/14/10 - XTERRA Oak Mountain 10km Trail Run - Pelham, AL
06/12/10 - XTERRA Mud Run - 5/10/21km - Pelham, AL
Plan ahead for the start of the 2011 season this fall...
09/19/10 - XTERRA Cheaha 10km Trail Run - Delta, AL
10/24/10 - XTERRA Monte Sano Trail Run 5/15km - Huntsville, AL
11/14/10 - XTERRA Oak Mountain 10/21km Trail Run - Pelham, AL
Contact Tim Schroer at tim@dirtyspokes.com or 404-310-3628 for more information or visit www.dirtyspokes.com.
Bradley Williams started trail running only a year ago in the hills of Alabama. Now, he is a regional champion who can’t get enough of the exhilarating sport.
“I think it’s a blast,” said Williams, who is from Birmingham, Ala. “I used to do a lot of road running, but now I would say I do 90 percent trails and 10 percent road. I just like the variance you get with the change of scenery … and you don’t have to worry about any cars coming at you when you’re on the trails.”
His practice paid off in June, when he clinched the championship of his age division of the inaugural XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series .
The Alabama series featured four races, and Williams entered all four. In the men’s 35 to 39 age group, the 38-year-old Williams won three races and placed third in another. He was also a consistent top-five finisher in the overall standings.
As an Alabama regional champion, Williams qualified for the XTERRA Trail Running National Championship at Bend, Ore., on Sept. 18. He and his wife, Cindy, will both compete in the national championship race.
“I have friends in Portland, so they’re going to help us on the trip,” Williams said. “As far as the race itself, I’m sure it’ll be a different level over there. I’ve been finishing in the top five (in Alabama), but I’ll be surprised if I’m in the top 100 (at Bend).”
Williams said he discovered the XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series by chance, but is now committed to it.
“I saw an advertisement and thought ‘oh, that might be fun,’ and so I signed up,” he said. “I had always wanted to do something like that, but never really had the opportunity until now. I’m definitely going to do it again.”
Williams was apparently not the only runner in Alabama who took a liking to the XTERRA trail runs. The Alabama Series drew more than 300 participants in 2010, and is looking to expand in 2011.
“Everything went great for our first year in Alabama,” series director Tim Schroer said. “We saw a lot of new trail runners and a lot of them got hooked immediately. Some of them followed us (to XTERRA races in) Georgia and North Carolina.”
Schroer said the 2011 XTERRA Alabama Trail Run Series will again feature four races, but with additional distances for runners to choose.
A list of the 2010 Alabama Series age-group champions can be seen below.
2010 XTERRA Alabama Series Champions
| First Name | Last Name | Age | Hometown | State | Age Group |
| Jarret | Chambers | 21 | Piedmont | AL | M20-24 |
| Rachel | Winford-Eison | 25 | Birmingham | AL | W25-29 |
| Brandon | Mader | 26 | Huntsville | AL | M25-29 |
| Amanda | Blake Coile | 33 | Birmingham | AL | W30-34 |
| Joshua | Horsager | 32 | Columbus | GA | M30-34 |
| Katherine | Morgan | 37 | Birmingham | AL | W35-39 |
| Bradley | Williams | 38 | Birmingham | AL | M35-39 |
| Kellie | Bourland | 41 | Birmingham | AL | W40-44 |
| Nick | Gardner | 40 | Prattville | AL | M40-44 |
| Cyndi | Lyons | 47 | Indian Springs | AL | W45-49 |
| Buddy | Wilson | 49 | Madison | AL | M45-49 |
| Mike | Hill | 51 | Millbrook | AL | M50-54 |
| Margaret | Riser | 55 | Vestavia Hills | AL | W55-59 |
| Dennis | Dunn | 55 | Anniston | AL | M55-59 |
| Eddie | Lewis | 61 | Hanceville | AL | M60-64 |