Support US Junior Skyrunning Team's Journey
Donation protected
Hi This is John Kerrigan As some of you may know, my son Ryan and I are the coaches for the US Skyrunning Team. Our Junior team will be competing in Fonte Cerreto , Gran Sasso (AQ), Italy August 1-3, 2025 at the World Junior Skyrunning championships. We will have over a dozen athletes ages 15 -22 from across the USA. We will be competing against over 40 international teams, many of which are fully funded by their national governments. Our US team members are hard-working student athletes that train in isolation in their respective communities of the Sierras, Cascades, Appalachians, Aleutians,Brooks, Rockies, anywhere the mountains beckon our youth runners. From Denali in Alaska to Camel's Hump in Vermont our athletes are diverse as the mountains they run. For only 1 week a year they travel form all over the USA to form a team of formidable strength and perseverance that give it their all for the United States. For one week, these like-minded athletes train and compete with the best youth skyrunners in the world, Life-long friendships are made as is the appreciations for each other's cultures. Individuals from teams hailing from Spain, Italy, Portugal,Italy, Japan, Norway, etc are fully funded by their respective governments. Individuals from these countries travel expenses, lodging and meals fully funded as is the expenses of their coaches and support staff. For example the Japanese have a medical doctor, 3 masseuses, 2 physical therapist and four coaches supporting their athletes. The support staff for the US athletes ( Ryan and myself) are volunteers. Our runners have to rely on financial support from family, friends and whatever they can raise from their local communities. Despite the lack of support from the US government, our US youth sky runners have finished in the top 10 in the world every year since the USA first appearance at the World Youth Skyrunning champs in Andorra in 2017. They have also finished in the top 4 several times. The mountain communities of King's Beach, California, Chugiak, Alaska and Middlebury, Vermont can boast about individuals from these communities that were podium finishers in the Vertical Kilometer, Skyrace or both
Money raised will be used for entry fees, uniforms, travel and lodging. Here is the link to the 2025 Youth Champs in Fonte Cerreto, Italy
Hre is a video from the 2023 Skyrunning Youth Champs at the same venue
Please consider making a donation of just $10 or more thanks John and Ryan
Organizer
John Kerrigan
Organizer
Moretown, VT