Scott’s Blog

Last weekend I made a trip down to Auburn, CA for the Endurance Capital Expo. It had been almost a year and half since I had been down in Western States Trail country and a few years since I attended the first Endurance Capital celebration.

This year’s event was an indoor expo at the Auburn Fairgrounds, producing a great community vibe and featuring local organizations like the Cool Bicycle Club and the Western States Trail Foundation. Also present were area businesses catering to endurance enthusiasts including Auburn Running Company. Clinics and presentations were provided by Auburn heroes including legendary Tevis Cup rider Potato Richardson, Tevis Cup rider and “father” of the Western States Endurance Run, Gordy Ainsleigh, and five-time Western States Endurance Run champion, Tim Tweitmeyer, among others. I also spoke about my recent wins at the Hardrock 100 and Spartathlon and answered questions from an excited crowd of endurance enthusiasts.

During the celebration, a Table of Champions was abuzz with eager fans as they had the chance to meet the champions, young and old, of many endurance sports. This was also an opportunity to get an Endurance Capital poster autographed. I was inspired to see the youth of Auburn and surrounding communities in awe of the champions and excited about their own future pursuits. In the background a wall sized screen played video clips of Tevis Cup riders navigating the technical section of “the elephants trunk”, Western States runners crossing the American River, elementary school kids participating in the Running School program, kayakers navigating class V rapids on the American River, mountain bikers on the trails near Cool, and the Placerville H.S. CC team climbing hills on trails near Auburn. There was something for everyone whether an equestrian, kayaker, rock climber, trail runner, cyclist, or new fitness enthusiast.

It was a pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful community event that celebrates endurance in a town immersed in endurance events, but also making endurance accessible to all individuals– no matter what their definition or limit of endurance might be!

Kudos to Shannon Weil, Bob Richardson, and the Endurance Capital Task Force for volunteering their time in putting on a fabulous event!

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Advocacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.