Team Atehena – TransRockies Run 2008

Aviva & Rumon Carter – Team Atehena

Atehena: proper noun: Etymology: Gitxsan, he who walks without leaving a trace.

The Race

Team Atehena is the husband and wife team of Rumon & Aviva Carter, competing in the upcoming TransRockies Run (TRR), a 6-day, 112-mile trail running stage race through the Colorado Rockies.  The course traces an earthquake seismograph of a route between Buena Vista and Beaver Creek, climbing over 23,000 feet of vertical and twice crossing cols above 12,000’.  In the process, each team of two runners must stay within sight of each other the entire time or be eliminated.

The Team

Aviva Though she has a history of national-level cross-country ski racing and biathlon, Aviva has spent her recent years focused on university studies in psychology and nursing, leaving little time for training, let alone the training necessary for a race such as the TRR.  It came, therefore, as quite the surprise when Aviva announced to Rumon late in 2007 that she wanted to race TRR the following year.  Much less surprising was the commitment and rigour with which Aviva approached her training, guided by her coach, two-time Canadian national marathon champion, Jim Finlayson.  In a short eight months, Aviva has transformed herself from a student and recreational jogger to an athlete ready and able to take on this, her greatest athletic challenge.

Rumon An endurance sport veteran, Rumon is always excited for a new race, a new challenge. However, Rumon’s greatest excitement surrounding the TRR is the opportunity to share his passion for outdoor sport with his wife.  That passion has had broad application, Rumon having competed in dozens of adventure races and multi-day mountain bike competitions as well having spent two years on the Canadian national triathlon team.  Most recently, Rumon was the bronze medalist at the 2007 Canadian national 50 km ultramarathon championships.

The Name, The Ethic

Atehena is a traditional name of the Gitxsan People of British Colubmia’s west-central interior.  The meaning – “he who walks without leaving a trace” – is indicative of Team Atehena’s approach to racing – the team will conduct its race at TRR as a net zero carbon emissions endeavour and will be aligning itself with sponsors and supporters with a strong environmental and social ethic.  The hope is that TRR 2008 will catalyze a broader program of similar races for a growing roster of Team Atehena athletes.

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