Race to the Top of VT

This Sunday, August 25th, is the Race to the Top of VT in Stowe, VT.  It's a running, biking, or hiking race up the toll road on Mt. Mansfield with 2564 feet of climbing over 4.3 miles.  There isn't a much better fitness test out there than a constant sustained uphill grind.  I've done it the last two years with my Craftsbury teammates and saw my heart rate max out at over 200 beats per minute both times while I coaxed my legs along to push just a bit harder.  After the finish we hit the Long Trail and run to the summit of Mt. Mansfield for the gorgeous views before descending for a post race BBQ.

Near the finish in 2011

This year due to a foot injury which is bothered by uphill running, I'm disappointed to say that I might have to skip the race.  But whether or not I can climb the mountain, I will be at the race supporting my GRP teammates as well as Liz Stephen, another fellow Vermonter and US Ski Team teammate.  This year, the Race to the Top of VT, is a fundraiser for the VT Winter Olympic hopefuls in biathlon and XC Skiing. Vermont has a long tradition of success in skiing and currently has six Vermont natives who are members of XC and biathlon National Teams.  This list includes Susan Dunklee and Hannah Dreissigacker for biathlon and Liz Stephen, Andy Newell, Sophie Caldwell, and myself in Nordic.  All six of us are training hard this summer with goals of qualifying for the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia and then racing for the medals there in February.  Our VT roots are helping us along the way and providing the toughness and strength for these final months of preparation.

Please join the journey and support our Olympic dreams at  http://www.crowdrise.com/vt2014winterolympichopefuls/fundraiser/idasargent

And for more information on the Race to the Top of VT visit this race website
http://www.rtttovt.com/

We hope to see you there!