Autumn Teton Running - The Video

The previous post high lighted a great day in the Tetons last week with frequent partners Andy Dorais and Nate Brown. In spite of his insane schedule and general sleep-deprived state, Andy always seems to kick out a great little video of his adventures. This one is no different. I'm glad I was along so I can relive the day whenever I want. Enjoy!

Autumn Running in the Tetons from andy dorais on Vimeo. 

Alyeska Climbathon Race Report

Looking down the tram line to the hotel and start.That’s a wrap, folks. My first competitive mountain running season is officially over. I went big at the end, too. As you know, if you read my previous post on the race, the Alyeska Climbathon took place last weekend - up the North Face trail and down the tram as many times in 10 hours. I was dreading it. Mainly because I knew there was going to be unpleasantness at some point during the day. Not the usual anaerobic discomfort but the kind of pain that comes only on long outings. This one didn’t disappoint.

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Climbathon Recon

5 rounds of fun.The big beat down of the year looms less than a week away. The Alyeska Climbathon takes place next Saturday, September 8. Starting at the base of the Alyeska tram, competitors will ascend the 2,000 vertical feet of the North Face hiking trail as many times as possible between 9am and 7pm. The descent will be via the tram which will be running a 10 minute schedule. Last years winner finished 12 laps for a total of over 24,000 vertical feet and about 26 miles of hiking, all uphill. 

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Matanuska Peak Challenge Race Report

Matanuska Peak (L) from Lazy Mountain in the fall"The best race pace is a suicide pace and today is a good day to die."

- Steve Prefontaine

I've been waiting for the Matanuska Peak Challenge mountain running race all season. It's unique in our series of mountain races up here in that it's long and hard. Most of our races, aside from the more typical trail races, are uphill affairs and generally under an hour. So, Mat Peak is special since the winners come in around 3 hours and the vertical gain is nearly 9,000 feet. Additionally, it doesn't end at the top. Nine thousand feet of descending greet competitors before the finish. The event requires attention to both smart pacing and nutrition/hydration, concerns absent in shorter events. I love these aspects of the game.

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Kal's Knoya Ridge Run

As I warmed up near the starting line I tried to remember the last running race I did. It was the Autumn Classic in Nampa, Idaho way back in 1987. Hmmm… 25 years. That's a while. I've certainly done plenty of racing since then but always on a bike or, more recently, on rando skis. Now, with my recent move to Alaska and a new love for mountain running, I decided to toe the line in the first trail running event of the year, Kal's Knoya Ridge Run last Thursday evening.

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