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I Didn't Die on the Mountain

I didn't die on the mountain, although at the starting line I was having visions of my body being found by skiers this winter.    
 
 
 
The expo before the 11k start
 
 
 
 
 

 
First turn
The 11k starting line Wave 3!!
 
 
I toed the starting line of the 11k race in The Rut Mountain Runs on Sunday, September 2.  I knew it would be the most technical trail run I had ever done and the highest but I had trained, or so I thought.
The Rut Mountain Runs are part of the Skyrunner USA series.  They take place at Big Sky Ski Resort just outside of Bozeman, Montana.  There are several race options including the Vk, 11k, 28k and 50k.  If you are one of those crazy ultra runner types you can combine the races as the Vk is on Friday, the 28k is on Saturday and the 11k and 50k are on Sunday.  All of the races start at 7500 feet and all but the 11k race to the top of Lone Peak just over 11,000 feet.  I wanted to challenge myself but was unwilling to move from crazy to ultra crazy so I registered for the 11k.  The 11k only has 1700 feet of elevation gain and that seemed manageable.  So over the course of 6.8 miles (11kish) I would climb 1700 feet and then descend that same amount so I could complete this single loop course. 

I thought I was at the top, I was
over a mile away, LOL
This is a couple miles in we are starting
to spread out. 
The race starts out with three heats of runners, I was decidedly in the last one.  Party in the back they said, well that might be true on the school bus but in a race it means not being passed continuously by faster runner for the first couple miles and I prefer that.  We started off at a run for all of 1/4 mile until we hit the first hill.  Then we hiked and hiked and hiked.  Over the first 5 miles, I ran for less than a mile and hiked the rest.  The trail was either too steep, too technical or too crowded to run. 

The point of no return, this was steeper than
the photo makes it look and kinda muddy.
Luckily it was beautiful.  The resort sits in the mountains and we zigzagged under the lift and in and out of the woods.  The majority of the race is single track with small sections of dirt road. 
There are a couple sections where you are climbing up dirt tracks and it is almost easier to go it on all fours.  By this point I was feeling pretty wiped and was stopping every 100 feet or so to catch my breath.  The racers around me were either in the same boat or worse off.  There were tears and cussing and so many cheers that they out weighed all the bad. 





Red flags for the 11k and Yellow for the 50K
the course was marked
every 20 feet thank goodness
After 5 miles filled with some brutal climbs that would end in a nice flat 400 feet tease, I could hear music.  I have NEVER been so happy to see an aid station in my life.  I was carrying water and fuel and hadn't run out but was ecstatic to be handed a paper cup of cold water.  Then the words I had been waiting to hear, "It's all downhill from here."  People say that but they don't always mean it but this time she wasn't joking.  I had just climbed 1700 feet over the last 5 miles and I had less than 2 miles left to get back where I started. 
Almost at the top.  That's the resort down there.



The downhill was tricky, there were parts where we held a rope, we grabbed trees and slid sideways so we didn't fall.  But... now I could run.  I LOVE running downhill.  My core was on fire from the stability work but I was so excited to let loose and just get going.  I passed a couple people and enjoyed the beautiful forest and sites of the resort below. 



I was running out of gas as I rounded the last couple corners.  I could hear the announcer at the finish line so I knew I had to be close.  By this point my legs hurt, my lungs hurt, and my heart was full of pride.  My Fitbit had somehow paused the first 2.5 miles of the race so I had no idea what my time was but I knew I was going to finish upright and I was good with that.  My mom, grannie and youngest daughter were at the resort waiting for me so I had sent them a couple I'm still alive texts and they were tracking me so I knew they'd be excited I was almost done.
AID STATION!!!!
Downhill on this road about this
far then into the woods.


As I came around the corner and hit the dirt road that lead into the finish line I raised my hands as people cheered me in.  I was a legit trail runner.  I had finished this race that was so crazy they gave free tattoos to finishers (like the real using a needle, forever kind). 


My heart filled with pride as I heard Rhiannon from Missoula is on her way in!
I have completed plenty of trail races but this one felt different.  I hadn't won but that wasn't the goal.  I had finished, I had finished a highly technical race at elevation and I wasn't last. 
The rest of the day was amazing.  We hung out at the resort and watched the 50k racers finish, had a celebratory lunch before driving home.

Finish Line Photo Booth
If you want to try this race, it is a blast.  The course is well supported, the expo is staffed by wonderful volunteers and the course is beyond beautiful. 
Sydnee trying some of the resort activites while I walked around to prevent my muscles cramping. 


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Location: Big Sky, MT, USA

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