MUT Report

I attended 3 MUT meetings and one LDR meeting.  Below is a recap of the meetings.  Attached are the full meeting minutes.

MUT Meeting #1 - Friday December 5, 8AM-9:30AM

Approved 2007 USATF MUT meeting minutes.

Heard report from Andy Carr (Records). 

Records set by several MUT runners including Oregonians Kami Semick and Megan Arbogast will

be deferred because not enough info related to the records is available.

Info needed is: The information that he needs is as follows:  1. Race esults, 2. Course Measurement Certificate and Course Map submitted by race director, 3. A USATF application filed by race director.

Discussed the Headphones issue and heard from David Katz.  My comment was: "Richard Bolt brought up the question of why the insurance companies who insure the USATF National Championships have not banned headphone use during events.  He was told that this is because the incidence of adverse events involving headphones has been, so far, statistically insignificant."  MUT Chair Nancy conducted a straw poll: 12 voted for the compromise #32;  11 voted for #33, which bans headphones at USATF National Championship events and puts the rule in the medical/safety section of the rule book rather than in "aiding", where it currently sits.

A list of designated USATF National Championships follows:

March 1, 2009 – USA 50km Road – Caumsett, Long Island, NY

June 28, 2009 – USA Mountain Running Championships/NACAC Mountain

Championships/Mountain Team Selection Race – North Conway, NH

July 18, 2009 - USA 100 Mile Trail – Tahoe Rim, Lake Tahoe, NV

Aug. 22, 2009 – USA 100 km Trail – Where's Waldo, Willamette, Oregon

Oct. 3, 2009  – USA 50 Mile Road – Tussey Mtn., Boalsburg, PA

*Roy Pirrung indicated that there is a bid being considered and negotiated by AUA to hold an AUA National Championship 24 hour race September 12, 2009.

International Calendar:

May 2, 2009 – World 24 hour race – Bergamo, Italy

June 19, 2009 – World 100km – Torhout, Belgium

July 12, 2009 – IAU Trail Challenge – France

September 6, 2009 – World Mtn Championships – Campodolcino, Italy

September 12, 2009 – World Masters Mtn – Zagreb, Croatia

October 10, 2009 – WMRA – Kaiser Marathon, Austria

MUT Meeting #2 - Saturday, December 6, 2008 – 9 AM

Discussion of MUT Council finances, funding sources for US Mountain

team and Ultra teams.

Elections: An outside panel from L and L was brought in to hold MUT Council election for Chair and Vice Chair.  Nancy Hobbs and Roy Pirrung ran unopposed for chair and vice chair.  Nancy and Roy were re-elected.

Additional Rulings:

1. Though this cannot happen until next year, we've requested that MUT Council oversee the MUT records.  Currently these records go through men's and women's and master's LDR.  Next year is the year that requests such as this can be handled.

2. A new rule is that records still pending after five years will have a U put next to them for "Unratifiable" rather than P which stands for "Pending."

Discussion of the "No Pacing Rule".

Decisions about MUT team championships: Men: For distances 30km and under: in open division, 5 runners score, in age 40-49 division, 5 runners score, and in age 50-59, 5 score.  In the Ultras:  3 men score. Women: For all distances and Ultras, 3 score.  There is no limit on how many you can enter as a team (our goal is to increase participation).  The same athlete can score in multiple groups:  for example, if Roy at age 60 performs in the top 3 of his team, and his team has entered teams in the open, 40-49, 50-59, he can score as a team member in each division.

Discussion and voting on MUT Championships.

Liaisons for the National Championships for 2009:
March 1 – Dave Dunham, Caumsett, Long Island
June 28 – Richard Bolt, US Mountain Running Championship
July 18 – Howard Nippert, 100 Mile Trail Championship, Lake Tahoe
July 25 – Howard Nippert, 50 Mile Road Championship, PA
August 22 – Richard Bolt – 100km Trail Championship
August 29 – Dave Dunham – Trail 10km Championship, NC
October 3 – Howard Nippert  – 50 Mile Road Championship
November 7 – Nancy Hobbs – Trail Marathon - Mt. Ashland

Nancy Hobbs distributed a championships liaison document to each of the liaisons to assist with their duties.

Discussion about Runner of the Year nominations and voting process.

Discussion about US Mountain Team, staff picks, sponsors, selection

races and criteria.
Management team for the USA Mountain Running Team: The following, all
unopposed, were voted in as team management for 2009:
Richard Bolt – nominated by Joseph Gray – Team Leader
Ellen Miller – nominated by Eric Black – Women's Manager
Dave Dunham – nominated by Ann Heaslett – Manager - Juniors
Update on the NACAC Mountain Team:
U.S. 100km team report presented by Howard Nippert:
There was a vote whether or not to extend the qualifying period for
the next World 100km – to be held in Torhout, Belgium, in June 2009 —
from 18 months to 24 months.
Team staff was selected for the 100km team.  All went unopposed and
were selected:
Lin Gentling – nominated by Howard Nippert – Team Leader
Mike Spinnler – nominated by Howard Nippert – Team Leader
Lion Caldwell – nominated by Lin Gentling and Howard Nippert – Team Physician

LDR #1 - As the Men's Mountain Running Rep on the USATF MUT Council it
was my responsibility to make a report at the Men's LDR Meeting.  I
review the US team results at the 2008 World Mountain Running Trophy
and

MUT Meeting #3 - Saturday, December 6, 3:30 PM
There was a question regarding USATF membership for participation on the USA 24 Hour Team. Roy Pirrung answered that yes, athletes must be current USATF members to run on the AUA-funded U.S. 24 Hour Run team.

The IAU Trail World Challenge will be held in France July 12, 2009.  Discussion.

Discussion about a bid which came in today for the USATF National 100km Road Championship for 2010 and 2011 from the Mad City 100km, race director Tim Yanacheck.

Selection Races for the USA Mountain Team.  Discussion and decision.

The following committees have asked to have a representative from the
MUT Council.  MUT Council members were asked to volunteer to be the
MUT representative on these committees:
Officials – Carl Grossbard
Records Committee – Roy Pirrung
Rules Committee – Jim Garcia
Coaching Education – Ellen Miller
Development Committee – Scott McCoubrey
Medical Sciences Subcommittee Ann Heaslett
Scientific Svcs. Subcommittee – Ann Heaslett
Psychological Services - nn Heaslett
Discussion of Ethics – these can be accessed at the USATF website