Ryan Hall's Blog, page 306

Best of Competitor 2015 — Northwest Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Northwest region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Northwest

Best 5K/10K: Rogue Farms Independence Day 5K, Independence, Ore.

Best Half Marathon: Newport Bay to Brews Half Marathon, Newport, Ore.

Best Marathon: Portland Marathon, Portland

Best Trail Race: Orcas Island 25K, Orcas Island, Wash.

Best Destination Running Race: Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, Blaine to Langley, Wash.

Best Women’s Race: Bridge of the Goddess Half Marathon, Cascade Locks, Ore.

Best Race for Kids: Superhero Showdown, Anchorage, Alaska

Best Running Club: Portland Running Company Race Team

Best Running Shoe: Brooks Adrenaline GTS

Best Running Specialty Store: Portland Running Company

Best Running Shop Group Run: Portland Running Company

Best Charity Training Program: Team in Training

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Girls on the Run

Best Running Celebrity: Shalane Flanagan

Best Triathlon: Lake Meridian Triathlon, Kent, Wash.

Best Cycling Event: Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Run: Warrior Dash

Best Race Swag: Hot Chocolate 15K Run, Seattle

Best Race T-Shirt: Hood to Coast Relay, Mt. Hood to Seaside, Ore.

Best Outdoor Shop: REI, several locations

Best Bike Shop: Northwest Tri & Bike, Kent, Wash.

Best Triathlon Store: Northwest Tri & Bike, Kent, Wash.

Best Triathlon Club: Raise the Bar

Best Sports Massage: Amy Brown, Athena Rehab, Portland, Ore.

Best Health Club: Villasport Athletic Club & Spa, Beaverton, Ore.

Best Fitness Studio: Northwest Personal Training, Portland, Ore.

Best Spinning Class: Tempo Cycling & Pilates Studio, Portland, Ore.

Best Yoga Class: The People’s Yoga, Portland, Ore.

Best Personal Trainer: Josh Adams, Raise the Bar, Seattle

Best Sports Rehab Center: InHealth, Seattle

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: Cheryl Myers, PT, Anchorage, Alaska

Best Sports Supplements: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: Widmer Brewing, Portland, Ore.

Best Summer Resort: Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Ore.

Best Winter Resort: Alyeska Resort, Girdwood, Alaska

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Subaru Outback

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Northwest Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Mountain West Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Mountain West region.

Best of the Competitor 2015 — Mountain West

Best 5K/10K: Bolder Boulder 10K, Boulder, Colo.

Best Half Marathon: (tie) Golden Leaf Half Marathon, Aspen, and Equinox Half Marathon, Fort Collins, Colo.

Best Marathon: Colorado Marathon, Fort Collins, Colo.

Best Trail Race: Bear Chase Trail Run, Lakewood, Colo.

Best Destination Running Race: St. George Marathon, St. George, Utah

Best Women’s Race: Zooma Run, Colorado Springs

Best Race for Kids: Great Candy Run 5K, Denver, Colo.

Best Running Club: Revolution Running, Denver/Boulder

Best Running Shoe: Hoka One One Clifton 2

Best Running Specialty Store: Runner’s Roost, several locations

Best Running Shop Group Run: Flatirons Running, Boulder, Colo.

Best Charity Training Program: Team in Training

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Project Purple

Best Running Celebrity: Kara Goucher

Best Triathlon: Boulder Ironman 70.3

Best Cycling Event: Coldwell Banker Denver Century Ride

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Run: Snowmass Mud Run, Snowmass Resort, Colo.

Best Race Swag: (tie) Hot Chocolate Run, Denver and Human Performance Racing Series

Best Race T-Shirt: Chase the Moon Endurance Run, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Best Outdoor Shop: REI, several locations

Best Bike Shop: Boulder Cycle Sport, Boulder, Colo.

Best Triathlon Store: Kompetitive Edge, Sheridan, Colo.

Best Triathlon Club: Rocky Mountain Triathlon Club

Best Sports Massage: Chris Grauch, Boulder Deep Tissue, Boulder, Colo.

Best Health Club: Colorado Athletic Club, several locations

Best Fitness Studio: Orange Theory Fitness, several locations

Best Spinning Class: 24-Hour Fitness, several locations

Best Yoga Class: Core Power Yoga, several locations

Best Personal Trainer: J.B. Bittner, 24-Hour Fitness, Boulder, Colo.

Best Sports Rehab Center: Red Hammer Rehabilitation, Louisville, Colo.

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: (tie) Dr. Kendelle Krause, Accelerate Health, Denver, and Dr. Heather North, Red Hammer Rehabilitation, Louisville, Colo.

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: Southside Walnut Café, Boulder,Colo.

Best Summer Resort: Vail Resort, Vail, Colo.

Best Winter Resort: Winter Park Resort, Winter Park, Colo.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Subaru Outback

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Mountain West Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — South Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor 2015 winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the South region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — South

Best 5K/10K: Honored Hero 5K, Fort Worth

Best Half Marathon: Bentonville Half Marathon, Bentonville, Ark.

Best Marathon: Cowtown Marathon, Fort Worth

Best Trail Race: War Eagle Trail Races, Rogers, Ark.

Best Destination Running Race: Route 66 Marathon, Tulas, Okla.

Best Women’s Race: Jingle Butt 5K, Arlington, Texas

Best Race for Kids: Mayor’s Race 5K, Dallas

Best Running Club: Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers, Grapevine, Texas

Best Running Shoe: Brooks Ghost

Best Running Specialty Store: (tie) Luke’s Locker and Fort Worth Running Company, several locations

Best Running Shop Group Run: (tie) Rush Running Rush Hour Speed Session, Bentonville, Ark., and Fort Worth Running Co. Monday Funday, Fort Worth

Best Charity Training Program: Team in Training

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Leukemia and Lymphoma

Best Running Celebrity: Kara Goucher

Best Triathlon: (tie) Riverman and Trifecta Triathlon, Palo Pinto County, Texas

Best Cycling Event: Hotter ‘N Hell 100, Wichita Falls, Texas

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Run: Spartan Race

Best Race Swag: River Cities Triathlon, Shreveport, La.

Best Race T-Shirt: War Eagle Trail Races, Rogers, Ark.

Best Outdoor Shop: REI, several locations

Best Bike Shop: Richardson Bike Mart, Richardson, Texas, and Fort Worth Cycle, Fort Worth

Best Triathlon Store: PlayTri, Colleyville, Texas

Best Triathlon Club: Fort Worth Tri Club, Fort Worth

Best Sports Massage: Cyril Russel-Harris, CR Massage, Fort Worth

Best Health Club: Lifetime Fitness, several locations

Best Fitness Studio: Black Box, Forth Worth

Best Spinning Class: Lifetime Fitness, several locations

Best Yoga Class: Bikram Yoga North Texas, Arlington, Texas

Best Personal Trainer: Sharon Jackson, FitBodies, Fort Worth

Best Sports Rehab Center: Active Spine & Sport Therapy, Fort Worth

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: Dr. Brian Mulhall, Active Spine & Sport Therapy, Fort Worth

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: Katy Trail Ice House, Dallas

Best Summer Resort: Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas

Best Winter Resort: Breckenridge, Colo.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Subaru Outback

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

 

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — South Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Southeast Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor 2015 winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Southeast region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Southeast

Best 5K/10K: Peachtree Road Race 10K, Atlanta

Best Half Marathon: (tie) Atlanta Track Club Thanksgiving Half Marathon, Atlanta, and Helen Holiday Half, Helen, Ga.

Best Marathon: Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon, Savannah, Ga.

Best Trail Race: Yeti Snakebite 50/50, Lithia Springs, Ga.

Best Destination Running: Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run, Albington, Va.

Best Women’s Running Event: Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon Weekend, Orland, Fla.

Best Race for Kids: RunDisney Kids’ Races, Orlando, Fla.

Best Running Club: (tie) Yeti Trail Runners and Atlanta Track Club

Best Running Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider

Best Specialty Running Shop: PTS Sports, Roswell, Ga.

Best Running Shop Group Run: Big Peach Running Co., several locations, and Fit2Run, several locations

Best Charity Training Program: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research

Best Running Celebrity: Shalane Flanagan

Best Triathlon: Allatoona Triathlon, Roswell, Ga.

Best Cycling Event: The Atlanta Cycling Festival, Atlanta

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Race: Tough Mudder

Best Race Swag: Best Damn Race 5K/10K, Orlando, Fla.

Best Race T-Shirt: Walt Disney World Marathon, Orlando, Fla.

Best Outdoor Shop: Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, several locations

Best Bike Shop: Mack Cycle, Miami, Fla.

Best Triathlon Store: All3Sports, Atlanta

Best Triathlon Club: Alien Endurance, Miami, Fla.

Best Sports Massage: Florida Sports Massage, several locations

Best Health Club: BTB Crossfit and Boot Camp, Atlanta

Best Fitness Studio: Studio South Fitness, Sarasota, Fla.

Best Spinning Class: 2.2 Fitness, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Best Yoga Class: Green Monkey Yoga, Miami

Best Personal Trainer: Andy Clark, Miami

Best Sports Rehab Center: PT Solutions, several locations

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: (tie) Tye Marr, Acworth, Ga., and Dale Yake, Acworth, Ga.

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: Smokebelly BBQ, Atlanta

Best Summer Resort: Edgewater Beach Resort, Panama City Beach, Fla.

Best Winter Resort: Vail, Colo.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Honda CRV

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Southeast Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Mid-Atlantic Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor 2015 winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Mid-Atlantic

Best 5K/10K: Pike’s Peek 10K, Rockville, Md.

Best Half Marathon: Loudoun Half Marathon, Ashburn, Va.

Best Marathon: Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, D.C.

Best Trail Race: The North Face Endurance Challenge, Washington, D.C.

Best Destination Race: Big Sur Marathon, Big Sur, Calif.

Best Women’s Running Event: Baltimore Women’s Classic 5K

Best Race for Kids: Capitol Hill Classic Kids’ Race, Washington, D.C.

Best Running Club: Ashburn Area Running Club, Ashburn, Va.

Best Running Shoe: Hoka One One Clifton 2

Best Specialty Running Shop: Potomac River Running, Washington D.C.

Best Running Shop Group Run: Raleigh Running Co., Raleigh, N.C.

Best Charity Training Program: Team in Training

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Back on My Feet

Best Running Celebrity: Kara Goucher

Best Triathlon: Outer Banks Triathlon, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

Best Cycling Event: Richmond Gran Fondo, Richmond, Va.

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Race: Spartan Race

Best Race Swag: Baltimore Running Festival

Best Race T-Shirt: Parks Half Marathon, Rockville, Md.

Best Outdoor Shop: REI, several locations

Best Bike Shop: Spokes Etc., Leesburg, Va.

Best Triathlon Store: Transition Triathlon, Leesburg, Va.

Best Triathlon Club: Team Z

Best Sports Massage: Fit Pro Massage, McClean, Va.

Best Health Club: Balance Gym, Washington D.C.

Best Fitness Studio: Solidcore, Washington D.C.

Best Spinning Class: Off-Road Indoor Cycling, Washington D.C.

Best Yoga Class: Spark Yoga, Arlington, Va.

Best Personal Trainer: Craig Brooks, Fitness Unleashed, Accokeek, Md.

Best Sports Rehab Center: Fast Track Sports Medicine & Performance Center, Arlington, Va.

Best Sports Medicine Doctor: Dr. Aleck Wong, Herdon, Va.

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurants: Ray’s Hell Burger, Arlington, Va.

Best Summer Resort: North Wildwood, N.J.

Best Winter Resort: Snowshoe Mountain Resort, W Va.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Jeep Cherokee

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Mid-Atlantic Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Midwest Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor 2015 winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Midwest region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Midwest

Best 5K/10K: Faith & Fitness 5K/10K, Chicago

Best Half Marathon: Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, Chicago

Best Marathon: Chicago Marathon, Chicago

Best Trail Race: Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10-Miler, Darien, Ill.

Best Destination Running Races: Run Disney Running Series, Orlando, Fla, and Anaheim, Calif.

Best Women’s Race: Women’s Magnificent Mile, Chicago

Best Race for Kids: Pumpkins in the Park, Chicago

Best Running Club: (tie) Elijah Running Club and Chicago Endurance Sports

Best Running Shoe: Saucony Hurricane

Best Running Specialty Store: Fleet Feet Chicago, several locations

Best Running Shop Group Run: Pints Pub Run, Fleet Feet Sports, Elmhurst, Ill.

Best Charity Training Program: Team to End AIDS

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Best Running Celebrity: John Bingham

Best Triathlon: Chicago Triathlon, Chicago

Best Cycling Event: Scenic Shore 150 Bike Tour, Mequon, Wis.

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Run: Tough Mudder

Best Race Swag: Hot Chocolate 15K Run, Chicago

Best Race T-Shirt: Big Foot Triathlon, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Best Outdoor Shop: REI

Best Bike Shop: Wheel & Sprocket, several locations

Best Triathlon Store: Urban Tri Gear, Westmont, Ill.

Best Triathlon Club: Tri-Umph Inc.

Best Sports Massage: Total Restoration Massage Therapy, Oak Park, Ill.

Best Health Club: Fitness Formula Clubs, several locations

Best Fitness Studio: Fit Body Boot Camp, several locations

Best Spinning Class: Fitness Formula Clubs, several locations

Best Yoga Class: Fitness Formula Clubs, several locations

Best Personal Trainer: Rick Applewhite, Exercise Life, Chicago

Best Sports Rehab Center: Aligned Modern Health, several locations

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: Jen Evola, LMT, RD, LDN, CGFI, CFST, Mobile Health & Wellness, Chicago

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: The Scout Waterhouse & Kitchen, Chicago

Best Summer Resort: The American Club, Kohler, Wis.

Best Winter Resort: Breckenridge Resort, Colo.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Jeep Wrangler

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Midwest Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Pacific West Region

Congratulations to all of the Best of Competitor 2015 winners for each of our eight distribution regions!

Competitor magazine is one of the world’s leading running and fitness publications. The free printed edition of the magazine is distributed nationally every month across the U.S. Check out this link to see where to find a copy in your region. The free digital version is available free through Competitor.com or on ISSUU.com, as well as on iTunes. More stories, photos and videos can be found at Competitor.com.

Every year, we ask our online readers and social media followers from around the country to nominate their favorite races, specialty shops, clubs, charity programs, coaches, products and more. Competitor is pleased to announce the 2015 winners for the Pacific West region.

Best of Competitor 2015 — Pacific West

Best 5K/10K: Carlsbad 5000, Carlsbad, Calif.

Best Half Marathon: San Dieguito Half Marathon, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Best Marathon: The San Francisco Marathon

Best Trail Race(s): Brazen Racing Trail Series, East Bay Area

Best Destination Running Race: Boston Marathon

Best Women’s Running Event: Nike Women’s San Francisco Half Marathon

Best Race for Kids: Junior Carlsbad 5000

Best Running Club: San Diego Track Club

Best Running Shoe: Hoka One One Clifton 2

Best Specialty Running Shop: Forward Motion, Danville, Calif.

Best Running Shop Group Run: Fleet Feet Pleasanton, Calif.

Best Charity Training Program: Team in Training

Best Charity to Fund Raise For: National MS Society

Best Running Celebrity: Meb Keflezighi

Best Triathlon: Wildflower Triathlon, Monterey County, Calif.

Best Cycling Event: Bike MS Bay to Bay, Irvine, Calif., to San Diego

Best Adventure/Mud/Obstacle Race: Spartan Race

Best Race Swag: (tie) Hot Chocolate 15K Run and Santa Rosa Marathon

Best Race T-Shirt: Carlsbad 5000

Best Outdoor Shop: REI

Best Bike Shop: Mike’s Bikes, Folsom, Calif.

Best Triathlon Store: Nytro Multisport, Encinitas, Calif.

Best Triathlon Club: San Diego Tri Club

Best Sports Massage: SF Restoration Therapy, San Francisco

Best Health Club: 24 Hour Fitness, several locations

Best Fitness Studio: Orange Theory Fitness

Best Spinning Class: Fly Wheel Sports, Los Angeles

Best Yoga Class: Core Power Yoga, several locations

Best Personal Trainer: Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles

Best Sports Rehab Center: Rehab United

Best Sports Medicine Doctor/Therapist: (tie) Dr. James Chen, San Francisco and Dr. Benjamin Liang, Los Angeles

Best Sports Supplement: Nuun Hydration

Best Post-Race Restaurant: In n Out Burger, several locations

Best Summer Resort: Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu

Best Winter Resort: Northstar California, Truckee, Calif.

Best Active Lifestyle Vehicle: Subaru Outback

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

RELATED: Best of Competitor 2015 Winners Announced!

The post Best of Competitor 2015 — Pacific West Region appeared first on Competitor.com.

USA’s Ashton Eaton: IAAF’s 2015 Male Athlete of the Year

American decathlete Ashton Eaton had another banner year in 2015. He improved his own world record in the decathlon while winning the gold medal at the 2015 IAAF World Championships on Aug. 28-29 in Beijing, scoring 9,045 points to top the field by more than 300 points. The winner of the world championships or the Olympics—which Eaton won in 2012 in London—has historically earned the title of “World’s Greatest Athlete.” For this year, he was named the USA Track & Field Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year and the male IAAF World Athlete of the Year. (Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, who shattered the world record in the 1,500, was named the female IAAF World Athlete of the Year.)

Here’s our tribute to Eaton and his world championship win through the photos of Victor Sailer and Andrew McClanahan of PhotoRun.net.

RELATED: Competitor’s 2015 Runners of the Year

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

The decathlon consists of 10 events held over two days. Eaton started off Day 1 by setting an IAAF World Championships decathlon record of 10.23 seconds in the 100 meters. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

The next closest athlete to Eaton in the 100 was Canada's Damian Warner, who ran a 10.31. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Next, Eaton dominated the long jump with a best of 7.88 meters or 25 feet, 10 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton had the ninth-best shot put throw out of all competitors, throwing the 16-pound steel shot 14.52 meters or 47 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton tied for 16th best in the high jump with a best of 2.01 meters or 6 feet, 7 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton concluded Day 1 by winning the 400 by more than 1.8 seconds and breaking a 40-year-old world decathlon record with a time of 45.00. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton started Day 2 by placing second in the 110-meter hurdles competition with a time of 13.69. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton placed 11th in the discus competition, tossing the 4.4-pound metal disc 43.34 meters or 142 feet, 2 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton cleared 5.20 meters (or 17 feet, 3/4 inches) in the pole vault to place fifth in that event. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton wore a prototype of Nike's new cooling helment between competitions. The intent of the helmet is to cool the head and skin to keep athletes more mentally and physically ready for competition in hot venues like Beijing or Rio de Janeiro. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton had the fifth-best javelin throw at the world championships, tossing the 8-foot, 2-inch metal spear 63.63 meters or 208 feet, 9 inches. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton was within reach of the previous world record when he was introduced before the start the the 1,500-meter run, the 10th and final event. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton ran one of the best 1500-meter runs of his life to close the competition, finishing in 4:17.52 to finish second in his heat and third overall. That converts to a 4:38.04 time for the mile. Not bad for a guy who is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Shortly after finishing the 1500, Eaton found out he scored 829 points in that event, giving him 9,045 points—breaking his old world record of 9,039 points that he set at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. The win was his second world championship to go along with the world title he won in 2013. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton, a former University of Oregon star who still lives and trains in Eugene, Ore., was named the 2015 USA Track & Field Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton earned a $100,000 bonus for breaking the world record.

Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

Eaton was also named the 2015 USATF Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year. (American sprinter Alyson Felix was named the USATF Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year.) Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Ashton Eaton: 2015 IAAF Athlete of the Year

In 2016, Eaton will try to become only the third person in Olympic history to repeat as the event's gold medalist. Bob Mathias (U.S.) did it in 1948 and 1952 and Daley Thompson (U.K.) did it in 1980 and 1984. Photo: PhotoRun.net

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Max King’s Essential Tips for Winter Trail Training

It’s that time of year again—when cold temperatures, icy trails and blowing snow make it a heck of lot more difficult to get out in the wild the way you normally do most of the year.

It’s important to get out the door and the best way to do this is to make sure you’re going to be comfortable and efficient when the mercury starts to drop. But what you do when you get out? This is often left up in the air.

What training you do is going to depend on your individual race schedule, your location, and goals for the new year, but in much of the U.S. snow, ice and cold weather can relegate you to the treadmill. In general, a lot of us are going to use a spring race to knock off the rust and kick ourselves back into serious training, have a summer race schedule that will take everything we have to make it through healthy and uninjured, and finish off with either another big fall race or a fun local fall race series before packing it in for the winter season.

And that’s exactly what you should do. But here are a few things to change this winter to optimize your winter activities so that you can have fun and be better prepared when you realize there are only two weeks until your first race of the year. Winter training should be a break from your typical regimen of tempo runs, intervals, and long runs that rejuvenates your spirit and motivation when spring rolls around. Just don’t sit on the couch all winter.

Get Stronger

The stronger you are going into spring, the longer you’ll be able to reap the injury-reducing benefits of the strength training as the summer progresses.

Reducing your intensity during running workouts will allow you to focus more on functional strength, reactivating long lost stabilizing muscles and redistributing strength to muscles that generally don’t get a lot of attention while running. You don’t have to go to a gym—there are plenty of exercises and body-weight workouts you can do at home—but good trainer can help you with lifting form and to dial in a workout that will be helpful to a runner in the offseason. And if you go to a gym, you can focus on heavy squats, deadlifts, one-legged stability exercises and mobility exercises.

Cross-Train

We’ve all been told to cross-train during the winter, but be smarter with your cross-training by focusing on activities that will strengthen peripheral running muscles and have similar movement patterns. Along with lifting specifically for running, finding an aerobic activity that takes stress off your joints but has similar movement patterns will help you get back into running faster when the time comes. Find an Eliptigo to ride, go for a mountainous hike or snowshoe, burn some calories cross-country skiing, or get into the hot new sport of Skimo. All of these mimic running but with significantly reduced stress on joints. That’s key to winter cross-training—getting fit without getting hurt or wearing down.

If you are going to be running, look forward to what your goals are for the rest of the year and focus on running activities that will help you reach those. It may be adding in some hills by cranking up the treadmill or long slow runs in the hills that you might not normally feel like doing when in full on training mode later in the year. Focus on aerobic workouts (long slow runs to threshold effort progression runs) to develop a strong aerobic system that will carry you through a race season where many of your workouts are focused on anaerobic capacity.

Winter downtime is a great time to work on correcting that running form that keeps throwing you out of whack by the end of the summer. Find a good physical therapist, practice corrective exercises, or teach yourself about your body and become a student of running lifestyle. Take some time out of your daily running to focus on restoring balance to your body. Find a few drills that work on correcting running mechanics that you can do every day before and after your runs. After a month or so they should become habit.

The holiday season can be busy and overwhelming but it can also be a time that you can use to build a healthier running body for the months of training ahead. Use this time to take a mental break and do something different that will also benefit your running later in the year. Take your mind off running for a while and move your body in different ways. Find your weaknesses but work on your strengths, and always keep an eye toward your future goals. In August, your body will thank you—trust me!

About The Author:

Salomon Running athlete Max King has won numerous USATF trail running national titles, as well as the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships and the 2014 IAU 100K World Championships. He lives in Bend, Ore., where it can be downright cold and snowy during the winter months. Check out his adventures around the ultra world at maximus.runnerspace.com or on twitter @MaxKingOR.

The post Max King’s Essential Tips for Winter Trail Training appeared first on Competitor.com.

Competitor Magazine’s 2015 Covers

Before we bid farewell to 2015, let’s take a look back at the 12 covers of Competitor Magazine from this year.

Which one is your favorite? Scroll through the 12 cover images below and let us know!

 

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January 2015

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February 2015

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March 2015

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April 2015

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May 2015

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June 2015

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July 2015

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August 2015

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September 2015

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October 2015

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November 2015

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December 2015

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The post Competitor Magazine’s 2015 Covers appeared first on Competitor.com.