Marisa Ruskan (University of Richmond) was crowned the USATF Junior (under 20) National Mountain Running Champion while placing 5^th in the inaugural Collegiate Running Association National Mountain Running Championships held within the 2014 Loon Mountain Race in Lincoln, New Hampshire on July 6.  Ruskan spoke with us following the race, where not only did she win the junior title, she also earned $250 for her 5th place finish in the Collegiate National Championship and also finished 23rd in the U.S. Championship. Based on her performance she has a chance at being selected to the U.S. Junior Mountain Running Team for the 30^th World Mountain Running Championships to be held September 13 at the foot of the Apuan Alps in Casette di Massa, Italy.

After redshirting this past spring, Ruskan enters into her sophomore year at the University of Richmond this fall where she competes on the cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams.  The Loon Mountain Race is her first mountain running race…Last fall during the 2013cross country season she earned Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year honors for her exceptional season and performance at the league championships. Ruskan also earned NCAA All-Region honors in cross country leading the Spiders at the NCAA DI Southeast Region Championships.  She also earned NCAA All-Academic honors in cross country for maintaining a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA.

A record number of entries and participants were on hand for the 2014 Loon Mountain Race in Lincoln, N.H.. For the first time in history college students competed for a National Championship in Mountain Running on July 6, 2014.  The Loon Mountain Race served as not only the inaugural Collegiate Running Association National Mountain Running Championship but also the U.S. National Mountain Running Championship (USATF) with the top 6 U.S. men and top 4 U.S. women earning a spot on the #USMRT for the 30^th World Mountain Running Championship. With new NCAA legislation (August 2013) permitting varsity NCAA DI athletes to accept prize money, the newly formed Collegiate Running Association provided $6,000 in prize money specifically reserved for college students who were enrolled in at least 1 college course at any level (undergraduate, graduate or post graduate) between January 1 and the day of the race. The women’s race was a 4.8 mile climb with over 2,800 vertical feet of elevation gain with the final ascent reaching an incline exceeding 40%. Known in the running world as a race to put on your “bucket list” it’s mystique met every expectation.  An excellent race!

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