Win A Free Pair of Montrails - Climb The Guru List Contest

WANNA WIN A FREE PAIR OF MONTRAIL SHOES?!?

well here is your chance. enter the "climb the guru list" contest.

backcountry.com has a rating system for all it's users. if you've ever bought anything there then you have a user account. the more products you review on the website, the more questions you answer and the more your reviews get helpful thumbs up, the higher you climb on the leaderboard of gurus.

so the contest is simple. in 1 week, 7 whole days who can climb the highest on the leaderboard. the easiest way to do this is review your favorite shoes, backpacks, jackets, skis, etc. the winner gets a certificate that you simple mail in for any pair of montrail shoes!

some rules:

• you must post a comment here with your entire backcountry.com profile url
  mine is - http://www.backcountry.com/store/profile/2463838/Matt-Hart.html
  ** this is my indication you are in!
  ** the deadline is friday nov 21st at midnight (tomorrow night at midnight)
  
  
• you must be a new user - this contest is from scratch (next weeks will be for current users, which everyone who entered and did not win this week will be for eligible for (and you'll have a head start too).
  

TransRockies - Day One

I ran into Adam chase before the race today. Michelle Barton and Adam won the mixed category last year. He told me about the 2:09 marathoner and just how serious the competition was in the men's open race. Because today's stage does not suit our strengths as runners, I told myself (but not Sean) that top 10 would be good. Adam said the same and he knows the competition better than me.

We started a bit hot. Both of us breathing pretty hard. We started at 8,000 and ran most of the race at 8,700 ft. We settled onto a just over threshold pace and ran in 6th for a bit. Before the first and only control at mile 7, a couple teams passed us. We hung just behind them through the control. I surged ahead to get in and out fast (Sean thought I was surging for the camera). We dropped nuun tabs, grabbed a gel and were gone. I looked back and couldn't see 9th place. Up until then we ran the dirt road side by side. For the last 6 miles, I sat right behind Sean, basically drafting him. He was setting the pace and I was just holding on. I told myself I just needed to suffer for at most another 45 mins. So I stared at the Mountain Hardwear bolt on the back of his Montrail jersey and got to suffering.

We finished in 8th overall in 1hr 34 mins.

WTF?! Sean and I struggled to get all out gear in the 3 "official" race bags. That's three total for us two. Bryon used his own massive bags, and way more than his alotted 1.5 - that's some bullshit!

Walking to the start in downtown Buena Vista.

After the race, we just arrived at tent village.

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Anorak Review

mountain hardwear ghost anorak (mhw link)
i am a big fan of super light weight versatile pieces. adventure runs don't typically necessitate heavier jackets and they add to much weight anyway. assuming you are actually running the whole time even if weather rolls in or gets windy i've found that a light weight wind jacket/shirt can provide enough protection from wind and rain in most conditions.

so this mhw ghost anorak first grabbed my attention when it was named "gear of the year" by trail runner. when i was down in portland to speak at the mountain hardwear store i was hoping to check it out, and maybe take one home. but they weren't carrying it. so i was stoked to find out it was part of our montrail ultrarunning team kit. it's only 4oz!.. and has proven to be a fantastic wind protector and seems to be pretty breathable. unfortunately there is an inverse relationship between the amount of protection a jacket provides and how breathable it is. but i've been running in the anorak when it's colder out with great results. it breaths better than i expected actually. i've been road riding in it too because it's less baggy than my actual lg team dart-nuun riding jacket... so it doesn't flap around. i think it's perfect for adventure races and i'll be taking it as my rain jacket/extra layer on my long distance adventure runs this summer. sweetness.

aditional specs
• Articulated sleeves
• Reflective patches
• Adjustable hem drawcord
• 12" welted zip with chin guard at front neckline
• Stretch ripstop with DWR finish
• Concealed zipper side pocket
• Full elastic cuffs

Speaking At The New Montrail/Mountain Hardwear Store

recently the decision was made to move montrail directly under hardcore gear company mountain hardwear. i think this is great news. keep the core products together, and far far away from anything called bugaboo. that means montrail is moving from portland down to the bay area where the mountain hardwear offices are located. they are also opening a montrail/mountain hardwear store in portland, oregon. the grand opening is this weekend, sunday 4.13.08 and they have asked me to speak about ultrarunning. come check it out.. if nothing else there will be some cool photos to look at! =)

below is the press release they created. i had nothing to do with writing this!.. and it's hard to post because it makes me sound cooler than i probably am...

montrail announcement - mountain hardwear announcement - msn money

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Elite ultrarunner and endurance coach Matt Hart is giving a 40 minute presentation on Sunday, April 13th at 2 p.m. Matt’s joining us from his hometown of Seattle where he’s an endurance coach and ultrarunning ambassador for Montrail and nuun active hydration. The ultrarunning presentation will be held at the new Montrail/Mountain Hardwear Store, 722 SW Taylor in Portland. Matt will present his experiences at events such as the Grand Teton 100 Miler and the HURT 100K in Hawaii. You’ll learn what it takes to finish your first ultra (50K) and advice for racing fast 50Ks to 100 milers. Matt says, “Don’t rush into high mileage weeks because you read that is what all the top ultrarunners are doing. It takes years to build the body to be able to handle that kind of load. Build gradually and intelligently.” Matt will discuss race nutrition, training recommendations, and apparel/footwear needs. Following Matt’s talk, Stephen Hatfield and Jeff Hough from the Forest Park Conservancy (formerly known as the Friend’s Of Forest Park) will share their favorite trail running routes and discuss volunteer opportunities and the importance of stewardship. Montrail will provide a stylish beanie to all attendees, plus we’ll have a raffle for additional prizes – including two pairs of free shoes! Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. Your raffle donation will be given to the Forest Park Conservancy. Limited seating, please arrive in advance.
Learn more about Matt at http://coachingendurance.com/

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