Travis Lavin breaks down The North and Central American Sky Champs
No. 2 - November 5, 2025
We had a chance to catch up with Travis Lavin- 37 years old, resident in Reno, Nevada. Travis is also a coach with Carmichael Training Systems. Recently Travis was Team Leader of the US Skyrunning Team at the North and Central American Skyrunning Championships in Puebla, Atzitzintla, Mexico. Check out his race report below!
This communication is coming a bit late as Travis was sick and then recovering, but we’re happy to be able to share now!
How did you hear about The North and Central Skyrunning Champs?
I heard about it from Josh Taylor, a former US Skyrunning World
Champs teammate of mine from 2024. I had followed trail running very
closely and knew a lot of in's and out's of the regular trail running
world of championship races and qualifications but skyrunning has
been a hard thing to figure out. I hope to make it more noticeable to
people in the future and give people the awesome opportunity to
experience what I have.
When you all arrived at The Reto Vulcano for the Opening Ceremonies what was the vibe and feeling there and amongst the team?
We were all stoked to see so many people come together in this small
village. We were welcomed in Mexico by families and runners wanting to
take their photos with us. We felt like we were famous rockstars. They
had traditional dancing and music going on and even who I think was
the mayor came out to greet us.
Race Day- How did it go? What was the weather like? Any surprises or quirks along the way for you or the team? Most memorable highlights?
As the team leader I’ll speak on behalf of the whole team. As a surprise,
we had some miscommunication at the start of the race that caused for
Callie Cooper to have to race with no gear at all. Kieran Nay and I gave her some fuel, so needless to say we were all in a panic and nerves were high
at the start. This sent Kieran Nay off like a lighting bolt at the start of the race.
As for the weather it rained the whole time and we even got some snow up high above 15,000ft. It was incredible weather that I truly wish for in a race. Most memorable highlight was being a top of Sierra Negra a 15,000 foot volcano. It was super cloudy but it was such an awesome experience to run up not only one but two volcanoes.
The race went well as the men went 1st, 4th and I was 10th. Our women had a super solid day with Callie Cooper crushing it despite the gear mishap and still managed to get 2nd place and Kasey Sutherlin was 3rd!
Describe the closing ceremonies. What was the vibe among the Atzitzintla community and international village?
The closing ceremony was pretty quick after the races it was
pouring rain. we were able to celebrate Joe Demoor, Kieran Nay,Callie Cooper, and Kasey Sutherlin on the podium. All the crowd and runners were super supportive to The US Skyrunning Team and took photos with us after the race. the community event afterwards was amazing with tons of local food and drinks and music. We didn’t stick around long as it was rainy and cold. we were happy to get back to the hotel for some pool and margarita time!
Final takeaways- Thoughts for the future? Any new taco recipes happening in your house now?
This is only year 2 of The North and Central American Championships
and in year 1 we only had one athlete. I was super excited to bring a
whole squad this time. It shows we are moving this sport in the right
direction. For the future I just hope that we can continue to grow Skyrunning in The US and get runners involved and be able to support
them on their journey at these championship races. I hope many others
can experience this awesome opportunity; as for tacos, I can’t
speak of the tacos- but the enchiladas with the local Mole sauce was
fire!
The US Skyrunning community deeply appreciates Travis Lavin for his countless hours of dedication and his unwavering communication with athletes, race organizers, and US Skyrunning. Building this community truly takes a village, and Travis has proven to be a steadfast pillar at its core.
Stay tuned for exciting updates on certified courses in the US and exclusive perks for the Skyrunning community! We can’t wait to share more! Keep your eye on our website www.skyrunningusa.com.
Thank You for tuning into our Skyrunning Newsletter! Watch for more Athlete Highlights, Running Retreat Deets and Coach’s Comments to come at Alpensole.com
