Team GoLite Ambassadors Win Extreme Races

GoLite is proud to announce the recent accomplishments of its athlete ambassadors Dave Mackey, Darcy Africa and Brian Robinson.

Elite ultrarunner Dave Mackey took first place at the inaugural 300K Rock and Ice Ultra in late March. This grueling, self-supported 6-day race took place in the sub-zero backcountry of Canada. The terrain and conditions were so taxing that two-thirds of competitors dropped out on the first day alone! Mackey’s reward for enduring this punishing race was a 1-carat diamond valued at $11,500 which he gave to his wife. Mackey also recently won the 2007 Mountain Mist 50K.

Ultrarunning veteran Darcy Africa remained the reigning female champion and record holder with her recent victory in the Spring Desert Ultra 50-miler. The challenging course consisted of two loops with steep up- and downhill sections, and rolled between elevations of 4,500 and 5,400 feet with over 4,000 feet of climbing per loop. Just a few weekends before this repeat victory, Darcy also participated in the Dos Lunas 100K, an underground ultra race with 18,000 feet of elevation gain. Darcy was 1 of only 2 “Lunatics” to actually complete the event which is run mostly through the night.

Brian Robinson, a veteran GoLite fast-packer who is famous for being the first person to hike the “Triple Crown” of the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, and Appalachian trails in under one year, is now setting ultrarunning records. Relatively new to the sport, he recently tackled the Barkley Marathon 100-Mile Run. Dubbed “the race that eats its young,” the Barkley is considered one of the toughest races on the planet, with over 52,900 feet of vertical gain and 52,900 feet of descent, more than any other 100-mile race. In the 21 years that the Barkley has existed, only 6 runners (out of approximately 600) have finished within the 60-hour cutoff. Brian won the first four loops, but fatigue and foot problems prevented him from the completing the fifth and final loop. No racer was able to complete the fifth loop, leaving Robinson the de facto winner of this year’s race. Brian is already preparing for several more 100-mile races this summer, as well as a John Muir Trail fast-packing speed record attempt this August.

GoLite’s athlete ambassadors will continue competing in many of the world’s toughest trail races throughout the year. They are involved directly in GoLite’s product design and development process, contributing to GoLite’s continued commitment to innovation and addressing the needs of core trail runners and backpackers. They will also be conducting slide shows and clinics at top GoLite specialty retailers, introducing consumers to the sport of trail running and serving as ambassadors of GoLite’s sustainability efforts.

To learn more about these superb athletes or GoLite’s support of the trail running community, visit the new website at www.golite.com. You can also find out more details about GoLite’s technical new footwear line at www.golite-footwear.com.


About GoLite
GoLite is the world’s premier producer of lite-weight clothing and equipment for active, outdoor sports. Inspired, designed, and tested in Boulder, Colorado, GoLite® products offer uncompromised head-to-toe performance, durability, and versatility at the lightest possible weight to maximize a person’s enjoyment and performance in the outdoors. Since 1998, GoLite has been pushing the envelope of theory, practice, & design innovation and has led a “lightweight revolution” that has changed an entire industry. GoLite is more than a name: it is philosophy, a lifestyle, and a commandment to do more with less. Environmental stewardship and social responsibility have been fundamental to GoLite’s mission and core values since its founding. GoLite is humbly committed to minimizing its environmental footprint – to GoLite on the Planet – through innovation, resourcefulness and partnership. GoLite Athlete Ambassadors regularly share “How to GoLite” techniques in outreach seminars around the world. For more information on GoLite® products, ambassadors, environmental or outreach efforts, visit their exciting new website at www.GoLite.com or call 888-5-GoLite toll-free within the U.S.

About GoLite Footwear
GoLite® Footwear offers uncompromised performance and superior protection in the lightest weight shoe possible. The revolutionary footwear line provides runners with whole body stability, bruise protection, security, moisture management and traction. Only GoLite® Footwear breaks the compromise between athletic performance and outdoor protection to meet the unique needs of outdoor athletes performing in the unpredictable, unstable and unforgiving terrain of the outdoors.