The North Face® Athlete Kami Semick Wins International Association of Ultrarunners 100K World Cup

The North Face® athlete Kami Semick recently took first place among women in the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 100K World Cup in Torhout, Belgium, helping Team USA finish first place overall. More than 20 countries competed in the 2009 IAU World Cup 100K, known as the “Olympics of ultrarunning.”

This year’s event marked Semick’s fourth time competing in the race, and she finished with a time of 7 hours, 37 minutes 23 seconds. The race began in the evening, during the annual festival of "Night of Flanders,” and the 100-kilometer (62-mile) course consisted of five laps that looped through two towns separated by long stretches in the country.

“We had to stay on our toes, so to speak, running through the towns,” Semick said. “There were many sharp turns, old cobblestone sections, curbs and changing surfaces to navigate, as well as some very happy festivalgoers who slipped through the barricades and onto the course. “

Ten kilometers into the race, Semick pulled off to the side at an aid station to check her irritated right Achilles tendon. Near 15 kilometers, stomach problems rolled in, forcing several stops. By 40 kilometers, Semick took the lead from an Italian competitor. As night fell, the racers spread out. Semick continued to build her lead and ended up running the last 70 kilometers solo.

“It was a battle of the mind – on the dark, longer stretches my pace would slow down,” Semick said. “It was difficult to push myself knowing I was in front and unchallenged. I was comfortable knowing that if a challenger did come along, I had another gear that I could go to in order to fend anyone off.”

Semick’s last surprise came about 10 meters before the finish. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone throwing what appeared to be an inner tube that a child would take to a swimming pool, aiming to wring it around her neck. She put up her arms to catch it and ran through the finish line.

“There was a big fuss with the officials trying to get this inner tube around my neck,” Semick said. “Then I really looked at it. It was a golden wreath, a European tradition for the winner.”

For additional information on Kami Semick and The North Face, visit www.thenorthface.com