Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team

Plus, after his ’87 victory, Johnson competed in three other World Trophy events, in the years ’1990, ’91, and ’92.

Johnson, who now serves as a co-owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Boulder, Colorado, is still running recreationally, while sponsoring the USA World Mountain Running Teams. We were able to catch up to Johnson at his store in Colorado to get his thoughts on mountain running in general and well, what it felt like to win the gold:

What got you into mountain running to begin with?
I moved to Colorado in 1985. I use to train with the top runners and while they would drop me on the track, and long runs, I could sometimes stay with them on hill workouts. I tried many times to run a fast marathon, but the best I did was 2:22 at the Big Sur Marathon (hilly course). I ran a 2:28 marathon in high school on a hilly course (Pavo Nurmi in Wisconsin). I was 10th at the National High School Cross Country.

What would you consider your favorite mountain race to be?
One of my favorites is the Matterhornlauf in Zermatt, Switzerland. It is the last weekend in August. It starts in Zermatt, and finishes at the top of a ski lift. It takes about one hour, and is almost all uphill. It is beautiful, with the Matterhorn in the background.

How did it feel to win worlds in 1987 and what type of races did you do before and after that?
World’s was great! (Before that) in September 1986 the Creede, Colorado mountain race had over $30,000 in prize money. I got 3rd. In 1987 I was invited to race in Europe. After I won the 1987 Mountain World Champs, I was invited to a lot of races (mountain and road races).

Do you still keep in touch with your former Trophy teammates?
I keep in touch with Pablo Vigil. He is a school teacher in Loveland, Colorado, and still races.

How does being a Fleet Feet co-owner keep you involved with mountain running?
Fleet Feet Boulder helps sponsor the USA teams, and helped sponsor the La Sportiva trail races...we plan to do more in the future. It is nice to see the USA teams do well.

Do you still run anymore mountain races?
I run most every day with my wife, and try to keep up. I did one mountain race last year (Mt. Werner in Steamboat Springs). I was third in the short race. My wife Lilly Johnson (Guerra) was 9th at the 2002 World Mountain Championship in Austria running for Ecuador.




	Athlete Spotlight on Jay Johnson by David Hunt, USMRT.COM Writer An interview with the sole American to win the World Mountain Championships There are few American distance runners that can claim to have won a major national race. There are fewer still that can declare they are world champions in a prestigious competition. Then there is Jay Johnson. Johnson hasn’t just won a World Championship, he has won THE world championship that is most esteemed by the gravity chasing harriers known as mountain runners. In 1987 Johnson won the World Trophy race, held in Switzerland, becoming the first American to ever win the competition, and the only one since. With the 2007 World Trophy event barely in the past (congrats Marco de Gasperi and Anna Pichrtova, the overall winners) it seems like it is the perfect time to catch up to one of the premier mountain runners in history, as it is the 20th anniversary of his ground-breaking victory for the United States. Johnson won the 3rd ever World Mountain Running Trophy (WMRT) over a 14.7 kilometer course in a time of 1:11:42, to win the race by over 20 seconds. While the WMRT may have been the biggest victory of Johnson’s career, it certainly hasn’t been the only one. Johnson has raced in competitions from Wisconsin to Steamboat Springs to other uphill international footraces.	Jay Johnson (right) with teammate Lyndon Ellefson at the 1992 WMRT in Susa, Italy Jay now lives in Boulder, Colorado
	Plus, after his ’87 victory, Johnson competed in three other World Trophy events, in the years ’1990, ’91, and ’92. Johnson, who now serves as a co-owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Boulder, Colorado, is still running recreationally, while sponsoring the USA World Mountain Running Teams. We were able to catch up to Johnson at his store in Colorado to get his thoughts on mountain running in general and well, what it felt like to win the gold: What got you into mountain running to begin with? I moved to Colorado in 1985. I use to train with the top runners and while they would drop me on the track, and long runs, I could sometimes stay with them on hill workouts. I tried many times to run a fast marathon, but the best I did was 2:22 at the Big Sur Marathon (hilly course). I ran a 2:28 marathon in high school on a hilly course (Pavo Nurmi in Wisconsin). I was 10th at the National High School Cross Country. What would you consider your favorite mountain race to be? One of my favorites is the Matterhornlauf in Zermatt, Switzerland. It is the last weekend in August. It starts in Zermatt, and finishes at the top of a ski lift. It takes about one hour, and is almost all uphill. It is beautiful, with the Matterhorn in the background. How did it feel to win worlds in 1987 and what type of races did you do before and after that? World’s was great! (Before that) in September 1986 the Creede, Colorado mountain race had over $30,000 in prize money. I got 3rd. In 1987 I was invited to race in Europe. After I won the 1987 Mountain World Champs, I was invited to a lot of races (mountain and road races). Do you still keep in touch with your former Trophy teammates? I keep in touch with Pablo Vigil. He is a school teacher in Loveland, Colorado, and still races. How does being a Fleet Feet co-owner keep you involved with mountain running? Fleet Feet Boulder helps sponsor the USA teams, and helped sponsor the La Sportiva trail races...we plan to do more in the future. It is nice to see the USA teams do well. Do you still run anymore mountain races? I run most every day with my wife, and try to keep up. I did one mountain race last year (Mt. Werner in Steamboat Springs). I was third in the short race. My wife Lilly Johnson (Guerra) was 9th at the 2002 World Mountain Championship in Austria running for Ecuador.

	Athlete Spotlight highlights a current or former member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team. A new athlete will be featured each month. Look for a spotlight on 2007 Bronze Medal Winner Laura Haefeli in October. Athlete Spotlight is written by David Hunt, a writer from Fryeburg, Maine who is an avid trail, mountain and road runner.
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