Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
XCTK | Emily Field to Compete in 2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships
6/2/2023 10:16:00 AM | Cross Country, Men's Track and Field, Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country
L'AQUILA, Italy – Although the track season has come to a close for the 2023 season, the hard work never stops. Many athletes are already hard at work training for the cross-country season in the fall, with many racing in events throughout the summer.
For Saint Mary's junior Emily Field, her racing takes her beyond the US, as she'll head to Italy in August for the 2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships.
Field will run two races over the course of three days, with the first being the Gran Sasso vertical kilometer race on August 4 and the second the Gran Sasso SkyRace on August 6.
The vertical race is 3.8 km long (2.36 miles) and features 1,033 meters of climbing while the skyrace is 23 km long (14.29 miles) and features 2,226 meters of climbing.
Field has been ranked in mountain climbing since she was 18, and after being on the reserve team a few years ago, she's getting her opportunity to shine on the big stage for her country,
"To get another opportunity to travel and represent Great Britain is an honor, and I'm really excited for these races. It's a super unique opportunity especially after having ran her in the US for SMC these past three years."
The Leeds, England native has made Moraga her home these past three years, but she's busy back in her home country getting ready for the exciting race that will take her to the beautiful hills of L'Aquila, Italy.
Mountain racing is completely different compared to the track and cross-country running Field has been used to, but she'll have the summer to train and get ready for the races at the beginning of August.
"One of the reasons I chose Saint Mary's was the scenery and being able to run in some beautiful places. And now getting the opportunity to run in another beautiful place but in an entirely different country is something I'm really looking forward to."
To get ready for the races, Field will train throughout the summer, including a trip to France with a few of her English teammates to work on altitude training.
"It's totally different going from running on the track to running in the mountains, but it's such a unique opportunity and I love being able to run different distances before I come back to SMC in the fall for the cross-country season."
She'll travel to Italy with 12 teammates, some of whom she knows from past races and some she's looking forward to spending more time with.
Field says she loves running different distances and doesn't gravitate towards a favorite event, but the community aspect of mountain running is something she really enjoys,
"The mountain running community is something that really drew me into competitive running when I was younger. The times don't matter as much, it's really just about enjoying the sport and finishing the race and having a good time. But as I've gotten older, I've started to love the competitive side of cross country, whether we run through the mud or rain, it's just fun to enjoy the sport in so many different ways."
Field credits her Saint Mary's teammates for inspiring her and pushing her to be her best every day. The close-knit community of running is something she doesn't take for granted,
"We had some rainy days in Moraga this year, and getting up in the morning to that weather is not easy, but knowing I'd be there with my teammates was super motivating and that'd we'd work together to get through it."
As she trains and prepares to conquer the hills of Italy, Field will lean on the inspiration of her teammates and experiences she's had over her three years at Saint Mary's to as she continues to propel her running to new heights.
For Saint Mary's junior Emily Field, her racing takes her beyond the US, as she'll head to Italy in August for the 2023 Youth Skyrunning World Championships.
Field will run two races over the course of three days, with the first being the Gran Sasso vertical kilometer race on August 4 and the second the Gran Sasso SkyRace on August 6.
The vertical race is 3.8 km long (2.36 miles) and features 1,033 meters of climbing while the skyrace is 23 km long (14.29 miles) and features 2,226 meters of climbing.
Field has been ranked in mountain climbing since she was 18, and after being on the reserve team a few years ago, she's getting her opportunity to shine on the big stage for her country,
"To get another opportunity to travel and represent Great Britain is an honor, and I'm really excited for these races. It's a super unique opportunity especially after having ran her in the US for SMC these past three years."
The Leeds, England native has made Moraga her home these past three years, but she's busy back in her home country getting ready for the exciting race that will take her to the beautiful hills of L'Aquila, Italy.
Mountain racing is completely different compared to the track and cross-country running Field has been used to, but she'll have the summer to train and get ready for the races at the beginning of August.
"One of the reasons I chose Saint Mary's was the scenery and being able to run in some beautiful places. And now getting the opportunity to run in another beautiful place but in an entirely different country is something I'm really looking forward to."
To get ready for the races, Field will train throughout the summer, including a trip to France with a few of her English teammates to work on altitude training.
"It's totally different going from running on the track to running in the mountains, but it's such a unique opportunity and I love being able to run different distances before I come back to SMC in the fall for the cross-country season."
She'll travel to Italy with 12 teammates, some of whom she knows from past races and some she's looking forward to spending more time with.
Field says she loves running different distances and doesn't gravitate towards a favorite event, but the community aspect of mountain running is something she really enjoys,
"The mountain running community is something that really drew me into competitive running when I was younger. The times don't matter as much, it's really just about enjoying the sport and finishing the race and having a good time. But as I've gotten older, I've started to love the competitive side of cross country, whether we run through the mud or rain, it's just fun to enjoy the sport in so many different ways."
Field credits her Saint Mary's teammates for inspiring her and pushing her to be her best every day. The close-knit community of running is something she doesn't take for granted,
"We had some rainy days in Moraga this year, and getting up in the morning to that weather is not easy, but knowing I'd be there with my teammates was super motivating and that'd we'd work together to get through it."
As she trains and prepares to conquer the hills of Italy, Field will lean on the inspiration of her teammates and experiences she's had over her three years at Saint Mary's to as she continues to propel her running to new heights.
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