Quick hits for a Tuesday:
— Olympian Rachel Smith announced on Monday that her time as a Hoka-sponsored runner is over.
Contracts are up for many pro athletes as the end of the year, and Hoka has perhaps had the most changes of any major brand in the running world. Earlier in the month, Hoka NAZ Elite announced many significant changes to its marathon roster, as Kellyn Taylor, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Stephanie Bruce, Lauren Hagans, Alice Wright, Matt Baxter, Futsum Zienasellassie and Nick Hauger all would not be offered new contracts.
Now, Smith.
The 2020 Olympian had a rough year in 2024, battling injuries. She competed in the Olympic Trails last summer but obviously was not at full strength. However, Smith, 33, did win two USATF road racing championships in 2024: the 15K title in Florida in March and the 8K title in Tennessee in July. The latter title came less than a month after Smith finished ninth in the 5,000 in the U.S. Olympic Trials and did not finish the Trials’ 10,000 meters.
There has been widespread online speculation that Smith will sign with Nike, which will be starting a group in Flagstaff in June led by Smith’s husband and coach, Mike.
On Instagram, Smith delivered the news of her Hoka departure with her accustomed positive attitude, stating, ” With this chapter ending, all I can say is I’m very excited for the beginning of this next chapter… I’ve got some big goals/dreams to chase – both with running and outside of it!”
— Flagstaff ultra runner Jeff Browning’s busy 2024 didn’t end with his fastest known time on the Colorado Trail in the fall. No, Browning, who also finished second in the Cocodona 250, decided this weekend to jump into Aravaipa Running’s annual Across the Years series of races. Browning ran the timed 6-hour event and, of course, won, covering 43.7 miles in 5 hours 49 minutes 33 seconds.
Perhaps most impressive, Browning ran on flat concrete — quite a change for the legendary mountain goat.
— Registration for that Flagstaff running celebration known as Soulstice Mountain Trail Races opens Tuesday at 6 p.m.
If you register for the lottery between now and Jan. 5, you can save $10 on the registration. The Lottery will be held on May 1.
Race director Neil Weintraub also announced that he is in the early stages of adding a 30K distance to the 11-mile and 6-mile races.
Click here to register.
One other registration note: Another fun and noteworthy fall race, the Flagstaff Marathon/Half Marathon/10K in October, will open early registration at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Signing up early for the trail races at the Nordic Ski Center means that marathoners will pay only $100 and half marathoners $75 — quite cheap given the race-inflation seen for races in recent times.
Click here to register.
Leave a Reply