 | | | Owens races down the mountain during the 13 mile Skyrace Photo Matt Owens | | | | | | This past August the U.S. Youth Skyracing team selected Andrew Owens, a senior at Acalanes High School, to compete in the Youth Skyrunning World Championships. Skyrunning is growing in popularity in the U.S. and around the world and is a form of trail running that incorporates vertical mountain climbing.
More than 190 athletes from 28 countries participated in the three-day event that took place at Gran Sasso ski resort in the Italian Alps. The event included two races, the V1K which is a 3.5 K race with 1 K (3,200 feet) of vertical climb straight up the mountain, and the 21K (13 mile) Skyrace, which included over 6,900 feet of vertical climb. Owens had the experience of a lifetime and finished 16th out of 40 racers in the men's 18 to 20 age group. Team USA posted a fifth place finish overall. In addition to his success running, Owens especially enjoyed bonding with his U.S. teammates who came from all over the country, as well as meeting and celebrating with fellow racers from Spain, Italy, Brazil, Hungary, South Korea and New Zealand, to name a few. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA