On Saturday September 1, 2007, the BMX and mountain biking worlds suffered a tremendous tragedy while competing in the Jeep King of the Mountain finale in Beaver Creek Colorado. Tara Llanes, suffered a horrific crash during the first run of her semi-final heat. Following seven hours of surgery to the back and spinal cord, it was determined she had no feeling from the waist down. Tara has been a phenomenal competitor throughout her career, and a dear friend to everyone in the mountain biking community around the world.
With this said, the truth is that Tara has dedicated her positive efforts to create an event that rivals the best of what any competitive sport can garner. Tara with the support of her friends and sponsors have put together an event that any "Pro" competition would admire. This is for those who have an "edge", enjoy "pushing the limits", and can adjust to the "unknown".
The mountain bike park at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort will host the Race for Tara 4 on Oct. 2-3, 2010. Tara Llanes and Andy Buckley, Northstar’s director of resort experience, made the announcement on Nov. 20, about a month after the 2009 Race for Tara at Northstar, located near Truckee, California.
Proceeds of the Tara Llanes Classic mountain bike race will go towards the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery Fund and the Reeve-Irvine Research Center to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
The last three years the Race for Tara has raised nearly $30,000 thanks to the entire cycling community. “I was impressed with the amazing support the event received from both companies and individuals,” said Matt Robertson of Shimano. “Giant’s presence was amazing, not just the brand but the racers and the employees. They led the charge and were closely followed by the rest of us.”
Craig W Smith Photography was honored to be included in this years event. Our website www.thephotoman.com hosts the images under my Clients area. The password is "tara". Feel free to enjoy the images.
Thank you to Tara, Mike Sullivan & Patrick VanHorn for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to capture images of this weekends event!
great job Craig, thanks so much for being such a pro. I have a suvenier for you, that I will drop at the bike trip on my next visit.
Posted by: mike stewart | October 05, 2010 at 11:24 AM