I started out running. There was a herd of buffalo just off the trail and I wasn't sure how that was going to go, but I remembered Jim (race director) saying not to make eye contact, as they take that as a challenge. I was sure not to even glance in there direction. In less than a mile I started to walk because my calves tightened up. A girl that was near me looked back and said, "Oh good we're last, now there's no pressure". We both laughed. She introduced herself as Maureen and said we'd probably be hanging out together a lot today. I continued to walk, and she did a walk/run. She pulled ahead of me, and I was on my own. Honestly, I prefer it that way. I'm out there to run my run, whatever it may be. I enjoy the social exchanges and connecting with others, as we all get through our journey, but I don't want to worry about HAVING to be social, or holding someone back, or having to wait for someone. I sort of like the quiet and solitude of the trails.

I walked nearly all of the early miles, as it was uphill and my calves were super tight and painful. I hit some downhill around mile 5 and started to run. I ran for the next couple of miles until I hit the switchbacks. I walked up the switchbacks keeping a good hiking pace and ran on any slight decline I found. After the switchbacks the trail ran down along the shores of The Great Salt Lake, which was really cool, but super rocky in some sections and loose sand in others. I ended up walking most of that section, as well.

After a few miles there was a very steep hill that had my heart rate in the 160s just walking it. My hands were also swelling really bad, and I'm not sure what that was about. I often get some swelling in my hands when hiking, but they had swollen so much I couldn't close my hands and the there were deep creases along my wrist and thumb joints.

As I crested the top of the hill the wind hit me. It was super windy and cold along the ridge line. There was an aid station there and they had warm chicken broth, but I really didn't want to take much time at the aid stations. So, I thanked them and kept moving forward. Then, I heard Maureen behind me. She had stopped in the tent and had some broth, she said she was bonking hard and almost hadn't made it up the hill. I tried to encourage her, but she was walking the downhill and told me to go on.

I ran downhill for most of the next couple miles, although it was a pretty slow run as it was muddy, icy,, and snowy, and I really didn't want to risk a fall. The ice kept balling up on the bottom of my shoe until it would get a couple inches high, and I would scrape my foot across the ground to get it off, and then it would start building up again. I did this over and over again for the next few miles until I got to the bottom of the ridge line.

At the bottom the trail was mostly just mud. The last 14 or so miles were pretty flat, but muddy, rocky, and lots of overgrowth along the sides. I was tired. I drank some coke and MT Dew and ate some potato chips from the aid stations, but didn't linger long. I'd run a bit here and there, but mostly walked until about the last mile and then I ran it in. I crossed the finish line, which consisted of, the race director, Gary, and another guy telling me when to stop, lol. Then I went over and got my 50k finisher mug from one of the volunteers. Happy to be done and happy to get such a cool mug. :)

I need to spend a lot more time running trails. I'm good at hiking them, but not so good at running them when they get technical or steep.

Grabbed some snacks from the food area and went back to the hotel for a long hot shower.


This is a pretty low key race with a cap of 150 people between the 100k and 50k. The views are awesome and it is well organized. As with most trail races you do have to carry your own hydration, as the aid stations are anywhere from 4 to 8 miles apart. It is also on parts of the island that are not usually open to the public, which is really cool, but there is a bit of bushwhacking.