Good News!

Wednesday I got an exciting e-mail:

"Greetings:
Congratulations are in order! This message is to notify you of your selection to the 2011 U.S. 100Km Team. The IAU 100km World Championships event will be held in Winschoten, the Netherlands on September 10, 2011. We will gather more information about each of you in the near future and then submit a formal press release to USATF for publication."

I am not sure if "we will gather more information...and then submit a formal press release" is code for "please don't talk about this until we've gotten the word out on our own time," but I saw Facebook and Twitter posts in regards to the team announcement, so if USATF wants to be the disseminators of information, they either need to say that more directly in their e-mail or they need to get their act together to put out a timely press release!

I was pretty certain I would be on the team, but still I was giddy the rest of the day after reading this. I am so excited to be part of this team. Actually, I am quite star-struck and awed - this team is amazing!

These are the ladies representing the US this year in Holland:

-Meghan Arbogast, 50: Meghan was the 50 mile trail, 100k road and 100k trail national champion last year, plus she was second at Western States. She's won the US National 100k master's championship at least a couple times, and oh yeah, she's qualified for the Olympic marathon trials FOUR times!

-Annette Bednosky, 44: Annette has won more ultras than I have started! She is the reigning 100 mile national champion and she's got a Western States cougar decorating her mantle.

- Devon Crosby-Helms, 29: Devon's a speedy ninja with 50 mile and 100k national championship titles. She's won Vermont 100 and has the phenomenal women's course record at JFK.

- Kami Semick, 44: Kami was the 2009 100km WORLD CHAMPION as well as the winner of the 50k world trophy. She's got several national championship titles as well as wins at Waldo, AR50, the North Face Endurance Challenge, Vermont 100, and Miwok (actually a whole bunch of wins there). She's fresh off an impressive third place at Comrades marathon, the largest ultra in the world, and she's headed to the Olympic marathon trials this January.

- Carolyn Smith, 45: I don't know as much about Carolyn, partly because of geography and partly because she doesn't race as frequently, but from what I gather she is pretty bad ass. She's got 100k and 24 hour national championship titles to her credit, a marathon PR of 2:45, and a Badwater finish. She was 7th in the world last year at the 100k World Championship. And because of her, I am not even the only Dr. Smith on the team!

- Last (and certainly least) is me. I don't have any 100 mile victories or national championship titles to my credit. My marathon PR embarrasses me (tentative plans to change that this fall). All I have is a pretty fast 100k time (7:53), but fortunately that is enough to get on the team! Thank goodness I won Miwok last month or I seriously wouldn't have any big name win to put here.

The women's qualifying standard is 8:40 for 100k, but all of the women on this team either have broken 8:00 or have gotten pretty darn close. The third woman on Great Britain's gold medal winning team last year ran 8:15. Just saying. ;)

The men's team is equally stacked with the guys putting up some smokin' fast qualifiers.

Men's Team:

1. Joseph Binder 2011 Ruth Anderson 100K 7:00:19
2. Andy Henshaw 2011 Mad City 100Km 1st 6:47:34 (AUTO)
3. Chikara Omine 2010 IAU 100Km WC 9th 6:58:09 (AUTO)
4. David Riddle 2011 Mad City 100Km 6:59:59
5. Michael Wardian 2010 IAU 100Km WC 3rd 6:49:18 (AUTO)
6. Matt Woods 2010 IAU 100Km WC 6:58:36

The thought of this overwhelms me- being part of a team, getting to know such amazing people, traveling to a new country to run, representing the US. I feel so honored and excited.

I just have to get through this little hundred mile race next weekend first. ;)