The race started out with a short 100 yard warm up followed direct with the first hill of the day. The course ran straight up the blue ski run for 400 feet. I took the lead and maintained a consistent yet easily controlled cantor, not full on running around a controlled jog. At the top I turned and ran down a serpentine single track back near the start and then headed off in a general counter clockwise loop of the main course. There was good competition and we ran along on the skiing roads and catwalks of the resorts in a pact of about 4-5 runners. After 2 miles of mixed catwalks and single tracks the front pack that I was leading had dwindled down to one other runner Peter Butler who was matching my pace stride for stride.
Around mile 3 we got on a wide service road with even, smooth, mostly flat footing. We picked up the pace now running sub 6 minute miles. Neither of us were willing to relax the pace. The road started a slow yet ever increasing decent. Peter and I picked it up. We were now running sub 5:30 miles. This was too fast... yet I could do, surely Peter would slow down. Peter thought the same; that surely I would slow down from the incredible pace. There was only one thing to do: Run Faster! I increased the pace to hover at 5:00 minute mile pace. This was fast! But it was "sea level" and we were running downhill. Peter reciprocated and kept within a yard of me. My mile splits were the following: 5:46, 5:07, 5:21, 5:15. This included clocking a 16:14 5k. Wow!
Finally with 4 speedy miles in a row Peter subsided his pace. I now had the lead just in time to start the 2 mile and 2000 foot climb up the ski slope. At this point I slowed dramatically to a steady, consistent hike focusing on just continuously putting one foot in front of the other over the incredibly steep terrain. My next 2 miles were a 12:34 mile with a gain of about 600 feet, then a 20:34 mile with an outrageous gain of 1,316 feet! Whoa! I estimated my lead had now grown to about 2 to 3 minutes. I ran on feeling confident and strong.
The next 8 miles consisted of double track, single track, another crazy steep mile long 1,400 foot climb up a steep mountain wall and a 1,600 foot decent down a single track with 40 or more switchbacks.
I crossed the finish line in 1st place setting the Course Record in 2:31 about 8 minutes ahead of Peter. The Altra Olympus is amazing! They held up to the brutally fast sub 5:00 minute pace, the continuous pounding of mountain running, and provided the support and grip need for the trail and off trail running!
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