Elliott and McLaughlin Second at USATF Mountain Running Championships to Qualify for the World Championships

Colorado Results Scoreboard

The 2023 USATF Mountain Running Championships were held on Sunday (30-April) at Mt. Sunapee Ski Resort in North Conway, NH. The event served as the Team USA selection race for the upcoming World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai, Austria June 7-18

The nine-mile two-loop course (4.5 miles/loop) started at the base of the ski resort on service roads for the first three miles, before reaching the summit and heading down an open field ski run and through forested glades on extremely technical footing complete with tree roots, moss, and churned up mud. In total, participants gained 3000 feet of climbing and an equal amount of descent.

Twelve (12) athletes from Colorado were among the 147 competitors in the USATF championship races.

Allie McLaughlin, 32, of Colorado Springs and Morgan Elliott, 31, (pictured above) of Salida each ran to runner-up finishes and secured Team USA spots for the world championship squad. McLaughlin, the 2022 bronze medalist in the event, ran 1:11:53 to finish 2:56 behind race winner Grayson Murphy of Arizona. McLaughlin will also represent Team USA at the world championships in the Vertical Mountain Running event. She earned that spot as the defending world champion. Grace Morgan, 27, of Boulder finished 10th in a time of 1:23:28. Liz Lierman, 44, of Denver finished 25th overall and was third in the masters 40-44 division.

Elliott ran 1:02:51 to earn his silver medal and a return trip to the world championships (last year he finished in 42nd at the world championships). The race was won by Dan Curtis of Vermont in a time of 1:01:04. Cole Campbell (Gunnison), Aesop Brown (Colorado Springs), Adrian Macdonald (Fort Collins) and Noah Williams (Leadville) finished 9th through 12th, respectively.
 
Chris Grauch, 50, of Nederland won his second masters title of the weekend as he won the 50-54 division. A day earlier he won the masters 50-54 title at the Vertical Mountain championships.

Click here for the complete Colorado results scoreboard