I have worked a lot on my run over the past year since I last ran this race (my longest ever race and longest ever run even in practice at the time). Just at the start I realized that I should actually line up towards the FOP instead of the MOP where I typically am in most races. Not a big deal since it was a small race. I quickly moved up towards the FOP with 2 guys in front of me. I stayed at a hard pace throughout this race, mid to high zone 3 moving into zone 4 up hills and sometimes into zone 5 (just above LT). This course is all hills with about 8 significant stream crossings in ice cold water up to about mid thigh.

Unfortunately I got about a table spoon full of sand and small rocks in my left shoe at te first stream crossing (mile 5) and just delt with that for the rest of the run. From around mile 4.5 through mile 9 I ran with a fellow triathlete who had done Boise and Vineman with me this year, although I had not met him. He was a little faster than me, but I pushed to stay with him for the company. He was doing the 50k so was on the same course, but going much farther than me during the day. There were 4 water stops and I knew the temp was gona be cool so I just used water from the course. The gamble worked out fine I had no hydration problems.

Man the hills just kept going and going. As I neared the turnaround on what must have been a 10 % or better slope I saw the leader pass me going the other way. Woot I was in 2nd place, but bummer he was several minutes in front of me. For the next 7 miles I didn't see anyone going my way on the course, just tried to stay focused. These hills were so steap that I got up to 16.7 mph going down one of them. The stream crossings were annoying with higher water than usual, but I resisted the temptation to rock hop rather than just plowing through. Then I hit the bottom of the last mean hill of death around mile 15. It just went up and up for the next like 1.5-2 miles. I was starting to get cooked, walking didn't seem an slower than jogging it was so steap. I alternated walking and jogging up it. I kept looking behind me for anyone catching up on me. Then all of the sudden there was someone on the trail behind me. Well, no luxury of walking anymore, I just sucked it up and ran up the rest of the hill, flying down the far side as fast as I dared. At one mile out the other runner was 10 feet behind me. She just would not give up. Finally at around a half mile to go she passed me. I had been pushing so hard for the past 2 miles I just did not have enough left to catch her. I just kept as good a pace as I could and finished it up (7:15-7:30 ish pace), checking back to make sure there was no one else on my heals. I finished reasonabl strong, but could not close the gap.

More hill practice is all. This was a 1:07 mpm improvement or a 20 minute PR on same course since last year. The competition was faster than last year as well.

I walked a bit, got some water, some grapes and then sat for a few minutes. After about 5 minutes my legs were feeling a bit better so I walked more, did some streching, got more fluids and snacks. I spoke with the woman who had passed me and she said she had been running for 25 years and had done this course 50 times. I was like, oh, that is why you had enough juice to catch me. She had been within 30 seconds to 1 minute of me for the entire race until the last mile. I have nothing but respect for her, we see next year.


Simply run experience and practice running serious hills. My pace, hydration, and nutrition were perfect. I just did not have enough left to fly up that last hill and be able to get into that sub 7 mpm pace to finish it off.


This is a very challenging course. The water stations were every 3-4 miles which is about par for a trail run. That last big hill is a killer, we see if I can hit it harder next year. I will definately do this one again.