The USA 10K Trail Championships will remain in the Rocky Mountains for a fourth straight year with Steamboat Springs taking over the reins from former three-year host Vail, Colorado. The championship event will be held on Saturday, June 30 and will also serve as a selection race for the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team with the top two U.S. male finishers and the top U.S. female finisher earning automatic berths on the team.

The Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team will compete in the 23rd World Mountain Running Trophy in Saillon, Ovronnaz, Switzerland, during the weekend of September 14-16, 2007. This year's Trophy races are up/down events (as opposed to even- numbered years when the events are held on uphill courses) with the senior men running three loops of the 4.050 kilometer course for a distance of just over 12km, the senior women and junior men running two loops of the 4.050 course for a distance slightly over 8km, while the junior women run one loop of the course at 4.050km.

The other team selection races include the USA Mountain Running Championships hosted by Mt. Cranmore on June 24 in North Conway, NH. The top two U.S. men and the top U.S. woman finisher at Mt. Cranmore will receive automatic berths on the team. Traveling to the West Coast on July 15, competitors will enjoy the third and final selection race, the Teva Mountain Trophy Race in Sausalito, CA where the top U.S. male and top U.S. female finisher will receive an automatic team berth.

The championship bid was awarded to Steamboat Springs over Northfield, MA at the USATF annual convention in Indianapolis December 2006. One of the determining factors for selecting Steamboat was the guarantee of $5000 in prize money dedicated to USATF athletes. "We have seen nationwide interest in our trail and mountain running program and we are looking forward to welcoming our top U.S. trail runners to Steamboat this June," said Nancy Hobbs, USATF Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council chairperson.

The USA Trail Championship course will start and finish at the base of the Steamboat Ski area with a base elevation of 6900 feet. It will be a double loop course with total elevation gain of 2,200 feet. "This will be a marquee event for our Steamboat Springs' 14-race running series. The course will be new and the start and finish at the Gondola Square is ideal for spectators to watch the race unfold," said John Chapman, Steamboat Springs Running Series and the event sponsor. He further added, "There will be two races contested with an open race where age group winners will win a pair of new trail shoes, along with the $5,000 purse event for USATF members competing for a spot on the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team."

2007 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team Selection Process
The women's team includes four athletes with the top three finishers scoring for the team. Six athletes will represent the men's team with the top four finishers scoring. The junior men's team includes a maximum of four with top three scoring while the junior women's team is a maximum of three with the top two scoring. Team manager Nancy Hobbs, Colorado Springs, CO, team leader Richard Bolt, Portland, Oregon, team manager for the juniors Dave Dunham, Bradford, MA, and women's team manager Ellen Miller, Vail, CO will accompany the team to Switzerland.

At the USATF annual convention in Indianapolis December 2006, the Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) Council chose three races from which automatic qualifiers to the U.S. team will be selected. The USA Mountain Running Championships will be hosted at Mt. Cranmore slated for June 24 in North Conway, NH. The top two U.S. men and the top U.S. woman finisher at Mt. Cranmore will receive automatic berths on the team. The USA Trail Championships on June 30 in Steamboat Springs will serve as the second selection race where the top two U.S. men, and top U.S. woman will receive automatic berths. Traveling to the West Coast on July 15, competitors will enjoy the third and final selection race, the Teva Mountain Trophy Race in Sausalito, CA where the top U.S. male and top U.S. female finisher will receive an automatic team berth.

The remaining members of the squad, (one male, one female), will be selected by the Mountain Ultra Trail Council with input from the team staff based on results at the selection races, past World Trophy events, national and international racing experience including mountain, road, cross country, and track. Athletes MUST run a selection race in order to be considered for the team. To be considered for the team all team members MUST be current USATF members prior to running a selection race. Interested athletes should submit running resumes to:

Richard Bolt (r_boltski@yahoo.com) and Nancy Hobbs (trlrunner@aol.com)

The team will be selected based on the following criteria (Note: Must be current USATF members prior to the selection race):

* The top two U.S. males and the top U.S. female finisher at the USA Mountain Running Championships (June 24) receive automatic berths.
* The top two U.S. males and the top U.S. female finisher at the USA Trail Champs (June 30) receive automatic berths.
* The top U.S. male and top US. female finisher at the Teva Mountain Trophy Race (July 15) receive automatic berths.

The remaining team members will be selected by the Mountain Ultra Trail Council with input from the team staff based on:
- Results in the above named races.
- Prior World Mountain Running Trophy performances.
- International mountain results.
- National mountain results.
- Regional mountain results.
- Trail and road results.

Juniors Team Selection - 2007 Teva US Mountain Running Team

For team consideration, the junior athlete:
* Must have posted a 16:45 or better (junior men) and 19:30 or better (junior women) in a 5K road or cross country event. (Equivalent times - from an alternate race distance that translate to the aforementioned time criteria - will be considered for distances other than 5Km.)
* Must have experience running (in training and preferably racing) on courses similar to the event.
* Must be mature, motivated, with a positive attitude to proudly represent the United States and sponsors internationally, under the rules of USATF and the event governing bodies.
* A letter of recommendation from a coach, parent, or mentor-runner must accompany the athlete resume.

Resumes (including road, trail, track, and cross country results and current training info) will be accepted through July 15. Late breaking information and results can be added until July 31. Team members will be announced by August 1, 2007.