Golden Gate Canyon, Denver 6/26/05

You know you're in for a tough race when the website is www.runuphillracing.com and the motto is "When in doubt, run uphill." Now, I've never been a fan of uphills, much less running up hills, but this race was part of the Trail Runner Trophy Series and I needed the points, plus I had a free place to stay that included home cooked food (thanks Dale's Mom!!!) This 12 mile race started around 8,500 feet and included 2,000 feet of climbing (I live at sea level). The course was well marked and it included a little bit of everything: pavement, single track trails, dirt roads, meadows, forests, and some vertical rock climbing. The weather was perfect, although the air was a bit thin. The first five miles were probably some of the toughest I've ever encountered. In fact, I don't think I felt anywhere near "good" until about mile 9. After two hours and two minutes, I crossed the finish line and was shocked to receive a third place medal (women age 34 & under division). There were 95 finishers, many were local to the area. Afterwards, a fellow runner and I were discussing street marathon races vs. trail races and she asked me which one I liked better. I replied, "The ones with oxygen."

Click here for the 6/26/05 Golden Gate Canyon race results