The Canadian men, led by Ontario's Taylor Murphy, were victorious at the 7th North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships on July 9th, 2010. The Canadian team also included Edmonton's Adrian Lambert, Victoria's Kristopher Swanson (pictured) and Squamish's Jason Loutitt.

Although the American men held an early lead the Canadian men managed to finish ahead of the Americans to claim victory. The final ascent, the steepest and most demanding terrain on the course, proved decisive for the team finish, with Lambert passing Brandon Lord (USA) in the final 100m to ensure a Canadian victory over the Americans.

In the individual competition, the USA's Joseph Gray (pictured) established an early lead on the first ascent and never looked back, finishing nearly 30 seconds ahead of his closest competitors. The women's competition was also won by an American, with USA's Brandy Erholtz taking the top honours.

Canadians Murphy and Ivan Babikov rounded out the podium on the men's side. American Megan Lund and Canadian Maria Zambrano were the second and third women, respectively.

The American women put in a commanding performance to win the NACAC women's race. The USA team proved too strong for the Canadians, with three of the top four positions being filled by the American women.

The event was held at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta, after grizzly bear activity on the Nakiska Ski Resort forced the organizers to make a last-minute course change.

The final course was approximately 7.5 km long, with 600m of ascent and 130m of descent.

Full results : http://www.mountainrunning.ca/news.php?id=41

Team scores:

MEN

1. Canada

2 3 5 (7) = 10

Taylor Murphy Adrian Lambert Kristopher Swanson Jason Loutitt

2. USA

1 4 6 (8) = 11

Joseph Gray Brandon Lord Zac Freudenburg Tim Smith

WOMEN

1. USA

1 2 (3) = 3

Brandy Erholtz Megan Lund Christine Lundy

2. Canada

4 5 = 9

Emily Solsberg Amy Golumbia