University of Richmond Athletics
Benford Clinches Spot On U.S. National Mountain Running Team
07/26/2009 | Cross Country
July 26, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - University of Richmond rising senior Andrew Benford finished second overall at the Cheyenne Cañon Mountain Race Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colo. and earned a place on the 2009 USA Mountain Running Team.
The 2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Track Athlete of the Year faced some of the nation's top mountain runners and will now represent the United States at the 25th World Championships in Campodolcino, Italy on September 6th. His performance also places him in the history books as the first U.S. runner to make the junior team (2006) and senior team (2009).
Benford has lived in Colorado Springs this summer and has been training for the event and the upcoming cross country season in the high altitude and thin Rocky Mountain air. He has lived at the base of prestigious Pikes Peak Mountain which reaches an impressive 14,000 feet in elevation on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. His time training has been spent on the trails that would serve as the back drop for today's event.
"I came out here to prepare for this race and ready myself for the fall races", said Benford. "I'm so excited and feel blessed with the opportunity. Without question, I consider this among my greatest running accomplishments. Anytime you can represent your country, it's something special. I can't tell you how excited I am."
The men's race covered 12 kilometers of rough, mountainous terrain in the Cheyenne Cañon area with the elevation starting at 6,000 feet and climbing to over 7,000 feet. The course was roughly a 4k loop repeated three times for the senior men.
The loop included extreme uphills exceeding 20% gradient on single track trails followed by rugged downhills that tested the technical abilities of the most seasoned trail runners.
"I knew the course pretty well since I've been here all summer", said Benford. "Coach and I talked about the course and really felt the key was to establish position on the first lap and then push the second lap followed by an aggressive third lap to the finish. That's exactly what I did. I felt really, really good out there."
Gunnison, Colo. resident Tim Parr won the race with a time of 47:13, with Benford being clocked at 47:48. The 27-year-old Parr, a three-time member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team ('04, '05 and '06), pulled away on the final downhill to secure the win and a spot on the team.
Benford ran with Parr throughout the race pulling even on the uphill portions of the course and losing ground on the downhill portion.
"I felt great on the uphills", said Benford. "Then Tim would pull away on the downhills. He was more aggressive on the downhills, especially on the last lap. I knew I was on the team when we topped out the last climb. Dan Petty (UR teammate) was there, along with my brother, telling me exactly where everyone was. The last downhill was sweet. I knew I was running my way onto the U.S. Team. It's a great feeling."
