I usually run the 50k course, but after last years dnf in the 100 degree heat, I opted to play it a little safer this year and signed up for the 23k instead.

I attended the pre-race meeting/dinner, not mandatory for the 23k, but George (wcrunner) was signed up for the 50k so wanted to chat with him and they serve a nice pasta meal to boot    Enjoyed chatting with George and there is a good chance I'll probably get to chat with him again sometime in the future.

The 23k starts at 8:00 (50k at 7:00 and the 50 mile at 5:00); I arrived around 7:30 to pick up my packet and had time to visit with several of the volunteers from our local running club. The weather was forecast for low to mid 80's which is really hot for me, I gladly rise at 4:00 AM to beat the heat all summer long- so I get next to no heat training (which reared its ugly head last year). The temperature at the start was probably low 60's, but more often importantly it was overcast which would keep the temperatures in check for awhile.

As as is usually the case, everyone started out a little fast, I tried not to fall into that trap and let several folks pass. I made it to the first aid station, Jackson Creek- 4 miles in) in pretty decent time- about 45 minutes. I knew this next stretch would catch a lot of folks off guard. It's a long (3-ish miles) steady climb. I passed a dozen or more folks on this stretch. After an eternity of climbing I made it to the top for a relatively nice stretch of runnable terrain, including a nice descent inI was actually gaining to Casey Meadows. I tried to keep the pace up as usually these are the places where many of the folks I pass on the uphills, regain and pass me. I was pleasantly surprised that no one passed me on this stretch and even more surprised that it appeared I was actually gaining on a few folks ahead of me.

I passed a couple of people in the meadow which leads to another arduous climb. One of them was George, we chatted for a short while and learned he was struggling with the climbing combined with the altitude- not surprising as the course averages about 6-7000'.

The next climb is a tough one, but shorter in duration- I buckled down and really climbed hard, passing another 4-5 folks. After this climb it's a long downhill to the aid station (a little over 2 miles)- it's tricky though as there are several very technical sections to maneuver. Surprisingly yet again no one passed me on this stretch and even picked off a few more. I quickly grabbed water at the aid station and didn't linger- only 3 miles to go. It doesn't matter the length of the race, but always seems that last bit is the hardest, no exception here. I kept thinking it would be a shame to give up ground this late and it motivated me to keep moving. There were a couple of folks in this last stretch that were clearly hurting (worse then me!) so I passed a couple more and ended up holding anyone else off.

I crossed the finish line in 3:19, almost an half hour quicker than I was expecting. It put me in the top third of finishers, my best finish by a long shot (typically I'm a back of the pack runner, a mid pack finish is a huge success!)

Thanks for reading.

Mike

Nice work!

Nice job mt and thanks for the RR, agree that the local knowledge sounds like it really helped.

Nice form at the finish too.

Congrats!!!!!

Mike, it was great meeting you and even better reading how well you ran. My report will have to wait until I get home. Meanwhile I'm have a great time in Glacier and taking advantage of the opportunity to get in some hiking with lots of vertical gain.

Great job Mike! Sounds like you ran a strong race, congratulations!