Read more about the upcoming summit in the following New Mexican article:

Santa Fe finishes first in race for bike event; Officials say 2012 world summit will pump up leisure tourism

Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican

Santa Fe will be the site of a major gathering of mountain-biking enthusiasts — the 2012 International Mountain Bicycling Association’s World Bike Summit — city officials learned Thursday.

The October event is expected to fill more than 1,200 hotel room nights, as it draws as many as 400 mountain-biking enthusiasts from across the nation and around the globe for a four-day meeting. The event will include conference sessions on bike trail building and other issues at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center as well as organized trail rides at the city’s Dale Ball Trails and La Tierra Trails networks.

The city beat out bids from Lake Tahoe, Nev., and from Jackson Hole, Wyo. Previous World Summit events were held in Park City, Utah, and Augusta, Ga.

Bob Ward, one of the founders of the area’s fledgling Fat Tire Societyfor mountain bikers, said the news has been a well-kept secret for more than week.

“We were just chomping at the bit,” said Ward, store manager at REI in the Santa Fe Railyard. “Only a couple key, key players knew.”

The Fat Tire Society helped organize area businesses and other outdoor-recreation groups to promote Santa Fe as the summit location after a trail-building crew from the International Mountain Bicycling Association worked in the city two years in a row and recommended it as a potential biennial meeting site.

When Convention and Visitors Bureau sales director Chris Madden learned the city was on the short list for the meeting, she offered the association a package worth $100,000 in products and support, including lodging discounts and free use of the convention center for the event. Bicycle Technologies International, a bicycle-parts distributor based in Santa Fe, and other area bike shops plan to provide parts and maintenance to participants. Other businesses, including the local Subaru dealer and the Second Street Brewery, also have promised to help.

Madden said Thursday that the effort was in line with the city’s goal of increasing its marketing for leisure and recreational tourism.

“This will have some carry-over,” Ward said. “If we put on a good show here, it will open people’s eyes, and we will get on the map as a great destination. I don’t think the great-outdoor stuff has been publicized like it really should. I’m really happy to see that the Convention and Visitors Bureau is starting to take that little tack that there is more to Santa Fe than arts, history, culture and food.”

Ward said other partners are working on event plans, including arrangements for participants to help build a new planned trail in La Tierra. They also plan to create a map and brochure that showcase mountain biking opportunities in the area.

Mayor David Coss said credit for getting the event to come to Santa Fe is partly due to the years-long work of the Bicycle and Trail Advisory Committeeand investment in recreation over time.

City Councilor Patti Bushee, who chairs the committee, said the conference represents the coming of age of the bicycling community. Bicycling advocates want to work on adding economic development opportunities to the city, she said.

Officials say recognition of the city as a travel destination continues to grow. Condé Nast Traveler magazine has already told Coss the city will be named as one of its best 2011 destinations. The mayor is going to New York City next month to learn whether the city is at the top of the list. Last year, it was No. 3.

Link To Original Article

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

It looks to be a challenging course travelling from Ft. Marcy to the Buffallo Thunder casino. However, it should be incredibly beautiful as well. Check out the following article from the New Mexican for additional information.

Article:

Half-marathon aims to lure runners for 13 miles of mountain views
By: Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican

A group of accomplished Santa Fe runners who are organizing the city’s first half-marathon this fall hope racers will include elite athletes, adventure tourists and local residents.

The new nonprofit the runners formed, Global Running Culture, would use the 13-mile race from the Fort Marcy Recreation Complex to Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino to raise money for youth fitness and nutrition programs.

“All of us have been competitive runners, so we know the sport from the athlete’s perspective,” said Joseph Karnes, an attorney who is part of the planning team along with Abraham Kosgei, a Pojoaque Valley High School running coach, and Antonio Lopez, a former state track and field champ who won the New Mexico Marathon in 2009.

“All of us have made a commitment to give back to the sport because it has given us so much,” Karnes said.

Karnes was on the board of directors for the Big Sur International Marathon in California for six years. Kosgei, who was born in the Rift Valley of Kenya but now lives in Pojoaque, is an international competitor who qualified for the Kenyan Olympic team in 2000.

The three hope their experience, combined with Santa Fe’s natural beauty and challenging conditions, will contribute to making the Sept. 18 race an annual success.

Big Sur was one of the first “destination marathons” to advertise tourist attractions alongside a major athletic endeavor, Karnes said. The idea has caught on since then. But given Santa Fe’s lung-crushing, 7,000-foot elevation, organizers opted to try for 13 miles instead of 26.

“Most people live a lot lower than that, and running a full marathon at altitude is really pushing it. But then we said, ‘Wait a minute, there are not many destination half-marathons that we know of,’ ” Karnes said.

The course starts at Fort Marcy and heads north on Old Taos Highway, paralleling U.S. 84/285 and offering views of the Sangre de Cristos and the Jemez Mountains. It then passes the Santa Fe Opera and Tesuque Village Market, and ends at the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino on Pojoaque Pueblo.

The pueblo has organized a 12K race for the last two years, so Kosgei said he’s banking on some of the 200 participants in last year’s Thunder Run to sign up for the longer event. Pojoaque Pueblo Gov. George Rivera, who ran the Boston Marathon in 2009, also is lending support to the nonprofit endeavor this year, Kosgei said.

Kosgei was one of the founders of the AmeriKenya running club, which brought dozens of athletes to Santa Fe from African nations to train. Now, in addition to his duties with Pojoaque Valley High School, he’s also a youth fitness coach at Pojoaque Pueblo Wellness Center and operates an all-ages running club in Northern New Mexico.

Teaching children the value of being an athlete is important, he said, and bringing high-profile athletes to compete in Santa Fe will help inspire youth to eat well and stay fit.

“When we plant that in their mind, they will change,” he said, adding later, “Running is like a prayer. It is like a connection between you and nature. So if you’re running, you pass a certain limit where you are enjoying it, and good things come to you.”

Santa Fean Greg Gonzales, 48, said he’s already planning to participate and is looking forward to a race that requires no travel. In past years, he’s gone to Albuquerque, Phoenix and Los Angeles to run competitively. Years ago, he said, he participated in an event called Santa Fe Run Around and also recalls a local race around the Fiesta season.

“None of them really ever took off,” Gonzales said. “It sounds like what these guys are trying to do would really be something that will put Santa Fe on the map for runners.”

USA Track & Field recently certified the half-marathon course, which means it will be advertised as such for experienced athletes who want assurance that it’s well-organized.

Participants will be able to drive to the casino and park, ride shuttle buses back to the starting line, and then run back to their vehicles. Organizers also plan live music along the course.

Charity beneficiaries include the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Fe, Wings of America, which helps Native American youth get into competitive running, and Gotab Berur, a Kenyan charity that focuses on community improvement.

Cyclists have long visited Santa Fe for the annual Santa Fe Century, a 100-mile bike event that attracts about 3,000 participants and is planned for May 15 this year. The city of Santa Fe’s annual triathlon will be held July 16, and a 5K east-side race that benefits the Wood Gormley Elementary School Parent Teacher Association is scheduled for April 30.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Global Running Culture’s half-marathon from Santa Fe to Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino

When: Sept. 18

Cost: $50, registration opens later this summer

Why: Proceeds benefit the Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club, Wings of America and Gotab Berur, a charity in Kenya

Link to Original Article Here

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

one of those is the Dale Ball trail system. In Santa Fe, unlike the other fitness “meccas”, you can access the trails within five minutes of downtown. The Dale Ball Trails are 17 miles worth of city own and maintained trails in the foothills of the rockies. This trail system also provides access to the Santa Fe National forest, and endless miles of  hiking, biking, running, snowshoeing, etc.

So please, join us in celebrating and personally thanking Dale, for the gift he has given Santa Fe.

The two of us participated in the ride last year, and chances are good you’ll find us out on the course again this year.  We’ve been pretty busy with the whole real estate thing, so neither of us are in tip-top shape, but that hasn’t discouraged us before!  If interested in joining us on this years ride we will be taking off from the Swain, MacKinnon, and Grieco accounting offices(check out their website here) at 6:45 a.m. Their offices are located at 2050 Botulph Road, just south of the hospital. This group usually rides at a pretty fair pace, and often waits for people to “regroup” at the top of the big hills outside of Madrid.

Have a great ride!

Link to the Santa Fe Century website

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

The race consists of a short track ride on Saturday followed by a cross country race on Sunday. With a cap of 250 riders each day, and numbers reaching around 190 by Thursday, the ride is sure to fill up. At this point online registration is no longer available, but you can sign up for one or both races at the race site on Saturday between 10:00 and 5:00 p.m.

Saturday’s short track racing starts at noon with the Cat 3 riders, and the last wave (Cat 1 and Pro) goes off at 3:45 p.m. The loop is 2 miles long and the Cat 3s go for 20 minutes, the Cat 2s go for 25 minutes, and the Cat 1 and pros go for 30 minutes. 

Sunday’s cross country race is on an approximately 9 mile loop (on some great terrain) with the Cat 3s doing 1 loop, Cat 2s doing 2, and Cat1-pros doing 3. These races start at 9:00 a.m.

For course maps, a map to the race site, and more detailed information, visit the event website below.

Link to Event Website

Have a great ride!

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Click Here For Information About Wood Gormley Parent Teacher Club

The races kick off at 8:00 a.m. with a 5K run and 2-mile walk. At 9:00 a.m. a series of shorter (1K) runs start for each grade level of the Santa Fe elementary schools. Last year there were about 500 participants in all of the races combined.  This year looks to be just as busy, despite the potentially cool temperatures.

The 5k and 2-mile walk course start/finish is at the Wood-Gormley Elementary School on 141 E. Booth street downtown Santa Fe just blocks from the Plaza. The course is an out-and-back with an uphill start from Booth street, and then along Old Santa Fe Trail to Museum Hill… returning for a flying downhill finish! This is a great early spring tuneup event, with chip timing provided by Athlete’s Edge. There will be an aid station with water at the 5k turn around.

The Amerikenyan Running Club will also be in attendance. The Kenyan runners attend this event annually, often running in all of the 1K races with the students.  It’s a great opportunity for the kids to run side by side with world class athletes.

You can register online or on race day at the race site.  However, race day registration closes at 7:30 a.m.

Click Here For More Information Or To RegisterOn Active.com

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

Registration
You can register at Active.com or on the Sante Fe Century Website. You may also register at the Century venue before the ride on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning. A Confirmation Receipt w/ your Ride Number will be mailed to all pre-registered riders. You must bring the Confirmation Receipt w/ you to the registration area to pick up your ride kit. Ride Kit contains a Santa Fe Century Water Bottle, rider number, & route maps.

If you ordered a Santa Fe Century T-shirt, it will be with your ride kit. Ride kits can be picked up on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Course & Routes

Course- All rides start from the Century venue at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center (corner of St. Michael’s Dr. & Hospital Dr.) in Santa Fe. Ride Kits have detailed route maps with ride instructions and mileages to the Food-Stops. All routes are carefully marked with signs along the entire distance.

Century Loop- This is a medium difficult Century with rollers, ascents and descents, but with a major stretch of flats and easy rollers.

Half-Century Loop- This 50 mile loop is more difficult than the 50 mile Out & Back ride.

Other Rides- Out & Back: 25, 50, & 75 miles out & back to Eldorado, Galisteo, and Stanley respectively. One-Way: Starting from the Food-Stops: 79 miles from Madrid, 66 miles from Heart Break, 56 miles from Cedar Grove, 47 miles from Stanley, 25 miles from Galisteo. There is no transportation from the Century venue for the One-Way rides. You’re on your own to get there.

Click Here For A Course Map
 
Support

SAG Wagons patrol the routes to help the riders. In addition, volunteer mechanics will help with repairs, small parts, tires & tubes at the Food-Stops. In case of injury, medical assistance is available from the fire districts along the routes. Phone 911.

 
There are 6 FOOD-STOPS w/ snacks, fresh fruit, energy drink, & water staffed by Volunteers at Madrid (25 miles), Heart Break Hill (38 miles), Cedar Grove (48 miles), Stanley (62 miles/75 mile turn around), Galisteo (80 miles / 50 mile turn around), and Eldorado (92 miles / 25 mile turn around).

We hope to see you there!

Contact Matt Desmond and Ryan Bolton

Upon arrival the blasts of avalance charges set off by the ski patrol could be heard. Due to the large amounts of snow (2+ feet!) over the past few days, avalance control was imperative. After quickly finding a parking spot, grabbing a cup of tea and scones from Black Diamond Espresso, and buying a lift ticket (current prices here), we loaded onto lift 1.

As expected, the skiing was phenominal. There is so much terrain at Taos to ski, and if you are willing to hike, there is even more.  The area definitely has a “Ma and Pop” feel to it. It certainly isn’t a Vail or Aspen, but it doesn’t want to be, and that’s what makes it Taos! The snow was great, the crowds were limited, and the terrain was steep.  All in all, a great day of skiing.

At the end of the day we retreated back to the house, opened some wine, and took a dip in the hot tub.  The house has 360 views of the Taos valley and the surrounding mountains, and the sunset was spectacular. (Click here to check out the vacation rental). And after an eventful day, it was off to bed.

The next morning we loaded up and drove back to Santa Fe.  We were thinking about taking the road through Tres Piedras and Ojo Caliente to stop for a soak in the springs along the way, but busy schedules called, and it was time to get back to work.  Good times were had by all.

Contact Ryan Bolton and Matt Desmond

This video documents our typical Saturday mornings. Ryan and I are part of the Amerikenyan Running Club and spend a good portion of our free time coaching and training with these elite runners from Kenya.

Or club is an important part of our lives. Obviously, we are both fitness fanatics and Santa Fe, NM is of course a great place to indulge ourselves. But more importantly, we feel fortunate to have these athletes in our lives. These athletes make their living by winning races. In Kenya the average salary is about $2000 a year. Our athletes can easily win this much in one race. Most importantly, we have seen that these athletes are taking their winnings back to Kenya and putting the money to good use. One opened a medical clinic in his village, others have invested in real estate and improved infastructure.

Anyway, enjoy the video. I apologize as the camera work is amateur…more to come…it will get better!

CONTACT US if you ever want to join us and the Kenyans for a run!

This article with the readers survey results just came out in Travel and Leisure Magazine. 

Where to find the hard-bodies—and couch potatoes.

From January 2010
By Adrien Glover

For many locals and travelers alike, the path to good health and happiness is often found in a park, on a mountainside, or along a river that makes way for pedestrians and bikers. This year, Travel + Leisure’s America’s Favorite Cities Survey asked the public to rate which U.S. cities have the most active/athletic residents—and the least. And the results are mixed, both predictable and startling.
Now in its fifth year, the survey spans 30 U.S. cities and delivers up-to-date opinions from the American public on such categories as local attractions and family getaways, even holiday travel and the intelligence quotients of residents. Not surprisingly, the number of natural features, the quality of the cities’ green spaces, walkability, and more were all factors in deciding which U.S. cities are in top form.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports, “adults 18 and older need 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week to be healthy; children and teens need 60 minutes of activity a day for their health.”

These goals are easier to reach in some cities than in others. Progressive, bike-friendly Portland, OR—a city that ranked near the top of this year’s fitness list—has no shortage of scenic spots to get the blood pumping. Plus, the local culture practically demands you get moving-and break a sweat.

“Since moving to Portland 10 years ago, my attitude about fitness has changed,” says well-toned 39-year-old Portlander Lia Mills. “Instead of being a chore or ‘something to get out of the way,’ it’s become a way of life for my family and me. And because the city makes exercise so easy and accessible (everyone is doing it!), it’s difficult not to get [and stay] in shape.”

Sunny San Diego—a West Coast city that consistently cracks the top of the list—has its fair share of active locals, who take advantage of the city’s perfect temps and many green spaces, such as Balboa Park. Honolulu, too, benefits from near-perfect weather and a gorgeous seaside location-assets that surely contribute to the Hawaiian city’s high ranking in this year’s survey.

While buff bods abound in some towns, big waistlines and laissez-faire workout attitudes are the norm in others. Atlanta may have hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, but it appears the Georgia city still falls in the bottom third for athletics. St. Louis, too, needs to renew its gym membership.

And while survey takers were not kind this year to New Orleans—a town where all-you-can-eat crawfish boils are considered a sport—there are still a surprising number of ways to exercise and enjoy the Louisiana city.

“Not everyone in food-obsessed New Orleans falls victim to a ‘po’boy belly,’” says Kettye Voltz, creative director of the popular local dance company Tsunami. “There are plenty of options for working off a night of overindulgence, like the brand-new 4.7-mile hybrid path that runs along the bayou.”

No matter whether you’re a type A endorphin addict or an exercise-phobe, there’s a U.S. city to fit your lifestyle. Read on for the 2009 America’s Favorite Cities Survey results.

 SURVEY RESULTS