Photos from 2010 ESG Cycling.

More Photo here.

Each year, more than 30,000 men and women, young and old, tryout in the spring for a chance to represent their region as a finalist at the Summer Games in scholastic, open or masters divisions. And in each of the sports competition is keen.

Through the years, many Games’ alumni have moved on to national, international and Olympic competition. They include world champions, Olympic gold medalists, college and high school All-Americans, professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL – as well as figure skaters, skiers, soccer players, and many more.

But for every pro athlete or Olympian there are a thousand athletes for whom the Empire State Games may be the pinnacle of their athletic career. And that is what makes these Games so special.

Art Roscoe xc-ski race 2010 Click here for more photos.

2009 Art Roscoe

The Art Roscoe Loppet on Sunday, February 7th.

First timer or seasoned pro the courses of the Art Roscoe are like no other trails in our region. All distances feature double set tracks the night before our event (pending adequate conditions) and a centralized start/finish area right near our registration Summit ski lodge. Wide, rolling trails challenge all skiers and our 22K blockbuster course features a 2-mile finishing climb.

With a breathtaking backdrop of Allegany State Park’s almost endless forest trails in the background we are proud to host another fun winter Loppet with the generous help of our volunteers & sponsors.

Three course distances to choose from in a classic style cross country ski race.

Campus Wheel Works Team

More Photos Here.   Also check out FotoReg.com

KB was proud to host their first sanctioned bicycling event on Nov. 14th during their annual ski swap and open house. Bicycling in November?  That’s correct, and beyond that the competitors will be wishing for rain, snow, mud and all sorts of nasty conditions that would drive most cyclist to the couch dreaming of dry summer roads or trails and the sweet arcs of winter looming on the horizon. What we have here folks is a CYCLOCROSS RACE.

John Roden

2008 Allegany Adventure Run

Another amazing event at Allegany State Park!

The Allegany Adventure Run kicks off another great season of trail running in Western New York.  

Entrants are greeted to a variety of breathtakingly beautiful and challenging wide, rolling trails held within Allegany State Park.  Choose the distance that suits your fitness level and plan for a fun day of heart pounding trail running action.  All courses consist of sections of the Art Roscoe Trail system-a multi-use trail system designed for year round use including XC Skiing, Mountain Biking, Hiking & Trail Running.  Signs at intersections clearly mark course directions for our three distances offered in 2009.  Course distances are approximated due to the measurements in existence by the park for the clearest idea of course length.  Distances are never longer than mentioned however.  

Our centralized start/finish area of the brown gate at the Summit Trailhead makes a great venue for this yearly tradition.  Water stations on the course and a strong canopy of trees create the perfect low-impact trail running event of the year. 

Registration:  From 8:00am at the Summit Ski Cabin in the Red House section of the Park.  

6K: $20, 16K $25, 22K $25 (Add $5 for all race-day registrations)  

T-shirts to all pre-registered entrants and as they last on race-day.

Start Times:
6K 10:00am Start
16K 9:45am Start
22K 9:30am Start

Source: HeartRateUp.com

Click Here for Photos from 2008 Allegany Adventure Run

Secrets Of Off Road Jogging

by External Articles

Jogging is a great classic cardio exercise, popular not just for its health benefits but also because you do it almost anywhere. But for most people, jogging can lose its charm after a while. So how do you make this exercise more interesting?

By taking it off road. Most places in the U.S. have hiking trails nearby, and the dirt paths, rocky roads, and beautiful scenery and just what the doctor ordered to make your jog more stimulating. But jogging off the beaten path comes with its own set of concerns and issues. Here’s what you need to know to jog safely and effectively.

The first time you take your run down a dirt road, don’t go as fast as you would on a flat, paved road. The uneven surfaces and rocks make a tumble not just more likely, but more dangerous as well.

Make note of landmarks and areas that seem particularly dangerous or difficult. Over time, as you familiarize yourself with the trail, you can build up speed, eventually going full tilt.

As in regular running, make sure to keep good posture.

The unfamiliar territory or low hanging tree branches may make you feel like hunching over, but if you do you deprive your lungs of a bit of oxygen. This will make the run more difficult and the exercise less efficient than it could be.

Another major advantage of off road jogging is that you can do certain cardio activities that impossible on flat roads. Jogging uphill will work your legs and build your stamina. Try and find trails that offer uphill challenges for a well-rounded workout.

Of course, what goes up must come down, so you should make certain to keep your balance on those downhill slopes. You don’t necessarily have to slow down while jogging downhill, but you should use you arms to maintain your center of gravity to keep from tumbling over.

You may have to invest in a new pair of running shoes if you want to do your running on rougher terrain. Usually when you buy shoes, you are only looking for one thing: comfort. But the shoes you take off road have to be more durable than your average set of sneakers, plus hopefully easier to clean. It also helps if they are extra snug on your foot to prevent pebbles or burs from hurting you.

Once you know a particular trail like the back of your hand, you might try making it even more interesting by running at night. Get a nice windbreaker and a headlamp and see how different your night running time is from you daytime. Be careful though, since you can’t see as far ahead of you as you can during the daylight hours, you are more likely to stumble over an unseen dirt mound or sapling.

Remember, exercise can and should be fun. If you are getting bored with your routine, ask your personal trainer on ways to make it more interesting to you.

About the Author

Chris McCombs is a Costa Mesa personal trainer with specialty in fat loss and muscle toning. His website www.socalworkout.com contains valuable tips on fitness and “how to” style exercise videos.

Article Source Populate.net

Family portrait session with Holly, Madison and Kevin Winters.

The Lone break.

Sports Massage – An Athletes Tale

by Galway

I consider myself a competitive athlete and runner. Okay, I may not be World or Olympic class and I probably won’t go breaking any records but I train on a regular basis in view of competing with other athletes to win an event. For years I followed a basic regime and set out my own training schedule to target a particular run, however it wasn’t until I started using sports massage that I realised I’d been missing an important element in my training that soon raised my standard quite considerably.

Sports massage uses a number of specialised techniques and has helped my performance and hopefully prevented a lot of injuries. It also helped me overcome a particularly painful calf muscle injury I suffered a few years ago. Having had the injury before, I knew I would be out of action for at least two months but I found the sports massage reduced that by a number of weeks.

Before a marathon event I probably train for up to ten hours a week and often find my muscles becoming sore and tense as the week progresses. This affects my training as I can’t push myself any further. As soon as I started seeing a sports massage therapist, my muscles felt far more relaxed and the extra activity I was subjecting my body to was no longer an issue.

My sports massage therapist (and all of the others for that matter) uses a deep tissue technique called ‘frictions’. This gets down into the muscle fibres and scar tissue and helps to break down lesions. It can be pretty painful but I’ve learned to try and relax when it’s happening; tensing up only makes it worse! The brief pain, which at times can be pleasurable, is worth it as I notice the results within a day or two and beyond that I find the problem has all but gone.

It’s important to find a therapist who is trained and experienced in this field and also try and build a good relationship with them. I was lucky to find one who was also a runner and he understood exactly what I needed from the treatment and the cause of any problems I was having. That said, any decent sports massage therapist will be trained to identify your needs but make sure you can work with them otherwise you won’t get the most out of your therapy. You’ll also find they will give you tips on stretches and exercises you can do at home. I soon learned that some of the warm-up routines I was doing before a run weren’t being done properly and as soon as I followed his advice I found my running performance improved.

Some injuries do need specialist treatment from a doctor or physiotherapist and a good sports massage therapist will advise you of this, but for day-to-day niggles, aches and pains sports massage is definitely the way to go. Also, as I’m not a professional athlete and can’t afford (and probably don’t need) a coach or full-time physio, I find sports massage to be a cost I can bear and a therapy that I can benefit from.

Definitely make sports massage part of your training as much as fitness or diet. You’ll find that even after a few sessions your body will start to react differently and all of those muscle injuries that mount up over a season start to reduce. Give it a go!

About the Author

Shaun Parker is an expert on therapy and alternative medicine. He helps people that are looking for sports massage find a sports massage therapist near them.

Article Source Populate.net