Frisco, Texas – Race production and running outreach company The Active Joe moves into its seventh year as a sponsor of the Western States Endurance Run and is excited to announce Luke Bateman of Dallas, Texas as its 2020 sponsored athlete.
The Western States Endurance Run is the oldest and most well-known 100 mile race in the United States, running along the Western States Trail from Squaw Valley, California, to end in Auburn, California. The Active Joe owner Libby Jones attended and volunteered at the 2012 race and fell in love with the event. A race producer herself, Jones was also impressed with the mission of the non-profit Western States Endurance Run Foundation. In addition to helping set standards in the organization of 100-mile endurance events, they promote trail stewardship and emphasize their role through maintenance and support of the Western States trail. The WSER Foundation also supports medical research into ultrarunning that helps the sport and the community.
As part of the sponsorship, The Active Joe chooses a sponsored athlete each year from the qualified runners who apply to the lottery, and the chosen individual receives an automatic entry. For 2020, Luke Bateman, of Dallas, TX, will be representing The Active Joe.
Luke Bateman is a strong, kind runner who lives in Dallas, Texas, where The Active Joe is based out of, who has become known to The Active Joe family through his attendance at the races as both as a participant and as a volunteer. Luke volunteered at The Active Joe's 100 miler, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run, in 2016 and really enjoyed his experience. So much so that he made it his first 100 miler in 2017.
He not only won the race, but he also earned a sub-24 hour buckle! And while Dino Valley 100 is hilly by Texas standards (9,000 ft. elevation gain/loss), he then tested himself with Bighorn 100 in 2018. Luke shares, "I had the time of my life slip-sliding around the Wyoming mountains and knew then that not only was 100 miles the distance for me, but mountain running was the place. I ended up in 47th overall with a finish of 28:19, but more importantly, I think I was first in the “not a resident of a Rocky Mountain state” division which to me was a fair handicap!"
Luke volunteered at The Active Joe's Rough Creek Trail Run in 2017, spent a lot of 2018 being a new father, and will be volunteering at Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run in November 2019. Luke also assists with volunteer and trail work on the local trails he runs, with organizations like Dallas Off-Road Bicycling Association who works hard to maintain the Dallas trail system and Cedar Ridge Preserve who oversees a trail network in South Dallas.
Luke recently completed Wasatch 100 in a time of 26:14, placing 25th overall and 22nd male. This is his Western States qualifying race during the 2019 qualifying period. Luke sent in his essay application just one week after finishing the race. He knew he wanted to represent The Active Joe at Western States next year!
Luke has a calm and determined demeanor, and this translates into a history of solid, thoughtful training. Rather than running himself into the ground, he has taken some much needed rest after Wasatch 100 in September and will use the Dallas Marathon's 50K in December to ramp back up to a base training mileage to start focusing on Western States.
"Being chosen to represent The Active Joe at Western States in 2020 is a tremendous honor and a dream come true! I’ve imagined myself crossing No Hands Bridge and pushing hard to the Placer HS track many times during training runs, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to turn that vision into reality. I’m also very proud to represent The Active Joe, a world class organization that has done so much for me and many others in the North Texas running community. See you in Squaw!"
“I’m happy that we can continue to support this historic ultrarunning event and therefore support the sport as well,” Jones said. “I know Luke will train smart to reach that starting line, that he will give it his all on race day, and that he will represent The Active Joe well now and all the way until and beyond Western States in June!”
Info on Past Sponsored Athletes:
June 2019 event: Kelli Coleman of Dallas, TX
June 2018 event: Pam Smith of Salem, OR
June 2017 event: Jess Mullen of Seattle, WA
June 2016 event: Michael Wagner of Albuquerque, NM
June 2015 event: Robert Lopez of Seattle, WA
June 2014 event: Jennifer Kimble of Dallas, TX
The Active Joe was founded in 2008 with the mission of providing running outreach to the local community. The organization produces 3 trail events, including North Texas' first 100 mile running event, the Dinosaur Valley Endurance Run 100 Mile, 50 Mile, 50K, 25K, and 5 Mile each fall. The company also has 4 road events and between road and trail, the company caters to 7,000 participants annually. All events are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. Owner Libby Jones has been an active member of the leadership of the Dallas-Fort Worth running community for many years and is an avid ultrarunner herself. For more information go to www.TheActiveJoe.com.
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