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I'm getting excited for the XTerra National Trail Running Championships in Bend, OR, this weekend. Looks like I won't be the only fast Dunlap there!

Lots of new faces, none in my age group. Perfect! ;-)

-SD



XTERRA CHAMPIONS FROM ACROSS AMERICA GATHERING IN BEND
A RECORD 30 REGIONAL CHAMPS AT XTERRA NATIONALS

Sept. 13, 2010 – If Oregon has some of the best running trails in America, then it is appropriate that some of the best trail runners in America will gather there for the 2010 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship.

A record 30 XTERRA Regional Champions have registered for the XTERRA Nationals, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 18 at Bend, Ore.

Regional age-group champions from as far east as New York, and as far west as Southern California, will participate in the 21-kilometer championship race at Bend.

“It will be a really neat experience,” said Sean Dunlap, the men’s 30-34 champion from North Carolina. “It kind of reminds me when I was running (cross country) in college and you saw all these different schools on the starting line.”

Dunlap is a former member of the Fort Lewis College cross country team, and this will be his first trip to the XTERRA Nationals in Bend. He will be one of two regional champions from North Carolina in this year’s race.

“I think it’s an honor to represent your state at a race like this,” he said. “There’s a lot of good runners here in North Carolina, but you just don’t know what to expect when you go to a big race like this one. That’s part of the excitement.”

Ten different regions across America hosted an XTERRA Trail Run Series in 2010, and the age-group champions from each respective region received free entries to race in Bend. As a result, some of the fastest runners from those 10 regions will be in Bend.

The 10 XTERRA regions in 2010 were Alabama, Northern California, Southern California, Georgia, Long Island, North Carolina, Ohio, Philadelphia, South Carolina and Texas. Each region will be represented by at least one age-group champion in Bend.

“I am excited just to be a part of it,” said Laura Reber, the women’s 30-34 champion from Georgia. “I was looking at the list of some of the runners and their times, and wish I had trained a little more.”

The XTERRA Nationals is not just for runners from the XTERRA regions. In fact, more than 500 runners from 23 states and five different countries are expected to be on the starting line on Saturday.

Many of the fastest runners in the field are from the home state of Oregon, including the two-time defending XTERRA National Champion, Max King.

“I’m actually a little nervous to be in the same race against people I’ve only read about in the trail running magazines,” Reber said.

The influx of runners is also expected to provide a boost for the Oregon economy, especially in Bend.

“I’ve never been to Oregon, but I’ve heard so much about the trails,” Dunlap said. “This is going to be a great opportunity to run there and visit the place at the same time. I just wish I had more time to stay, but I have to get back to work (on Monday).”

For more information on the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship, visit www.xterratrailrun.com.
Here’s a list of the XTERRA Trail Run Series Regional Champions who will participate at Bend:

ALABAMA
Rachel Eidson (women 25-29)
Bradley Williams (men 35-39)

GEORGIA
Laura Reber (women 30-34)
Len Waymeyer (men 70-74)

LONG ISLAND
Christopher Bauer (men 20-24)
Roy Sevigny (men 35-39)
Stephen Quirk (men 50-54)
Geoffrey Vincent (men 55-59)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
David Zevely (men 20-24)
Omar Parra (men 25-29)
Ed Carter (men 30-34)
Tatjana Trout (women 40-44)
Brian Moffett (men 45-49)

NORTH CAROLINA
Sean Dunlap (men 30-34)
Stacey Libbert (women 35-39)

OHIO
Laurie Schroeder (women 25-29)
Joan Cottrill (women 45-49)
Ken Harrison (men 70-74)

PHILADELPHIA
Glenna Champion (women 20-24)

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Jaxon Rickel (men 15-19)
Sean Kievning (men 25-29)
Tiffany Meyers (women 40-44)
Katy McNamara (women 45-49)
Max Esquivel (men 45-49)
Sooki Raphael (women 55-59)
Amy Galbraith (women 65-69)
Mike Moffat (men 65-69)

SOUTH CAROLINA
Jaclyn Brianne (women 25-29)

TEXAS
Matty Weston (men 35-39)
Claudia Spooner (women 40-44)