Wahsatch Steeplechase! This was my 5th time running the race and first time since 2012. A week ago I was having second thoughts about running the race because I haven't felt great and this race really hurts, Those weren't good excuses and since this is my all time favorite race, I had to give it a go. I picked up Noah just before 5 am and we got our bibs at 5:15, well before most people showed up. I had forgotten that for races like this it is ok and probably expected to show up less than 30 minutes before gun time. We chatted with some folks who you won't find at road races then did a short warm up. The director waited for everyone to get through the potty line so the race didn't start until 6:15. That was nice of him, for those in the line.
A good size pack of around 10 got out to a quick start led by a couple of skimo guys. As we entered the BST trail I let them take the lead and settled into a semi conversative pace with Noah on my heels. We went through the meadow then started climbing again. My legs were already sucking wind so I knew I had to back it off or else it would be a long hike to the top. I just looked at the ground and kept moving. Noah and a couple of other guys passed me with about two miles to the summit. At that point I was probably in 7th or 8th place. I started hiking a bit earlier than usual which was just another sign that I didn't have it. The hike up black mountain was as fun and slow usual and Nate Blouin passed me about 3/4s into the climb. He is a super fast hiker. As we crested the top I started running/jogging again until we came upon the rocky section of the crags. A couple of guys had caught up to me by then and I had to let them pass about half way through the crags. My body or maybe my mind just didn't feel like hustling like I have on that section in years past. After the crags is where the fun begins because you descend about 2,000 feet in two miles. I tried my best to pick it up but my quads were shot and I couldn't let it loose. After that extreme downhill stretch we came out on the road at the top of City Creek. In the two miles on the road I caught two of the guys who had passed me on the crags and one of the skimo guys. After we entered the trail that parallels the road I passed another two guys, the last being Nate, with about 1.5 miles to go. I coasted down Memory Grove and finished in just over 2:22. I was glad to be done. After I finished I immediately jumped in the freezing river. Today I don't feel quite as sore as I usually do after this race, probably because I didn't hammer the downhills as much as usual. I am relatively happy with the race considering how I felt early in the race and my general fitness and motivation levels.
After finishing I quickly learned that Noah had reeled in the skimo guy on the road and ended up winning by a whopping four minutes, narrowly missing the CR, set by Nathan Peters, by 1 minute. If he had run the course before I am sure he could have made up that minute on the crags. Hopefully we will see them duke it out next year.
In what seemed to be minutes after I finished Amiee came cruising through the finish line in ~3:00. That's a pretty awesome performance considering the lingering injuries and getting stuck behind slow pokes on the crags. Adam amazingly also ran well (finishing in ~2:30) despite cutting his arm on the crags. He later had to get 5 stitches.
The post race company, festivities and snacks were great as usual, highlighted by a big cooler of Otter Pops, Red Vines and Coke. Trail Race directors really have it figured out.
As long as I live here I hope to run this race every year. It has it all: uphill sufferfest, amazing views, hurdling boulders, mad dash downhill, smooth and fast single track and a few miles on the road.
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