Sun Mountain 50k - photo report

There will be few words about this race, but loads of photos.

After Boston (and a little rest), my focus quickly turned to the big climb coming up at the end of the month. So the last month has been spent playing around in the mountains. 

I signed up for a couple mountain races in May to help get back into the swing of things. The Sun Mountain 50k has been on my to-do list for a couple years, so it was nice to finally get out and see those trails.

I won't go into too much detail about my race. My legs felt good, and the trails and views were beautiful. The Rainshadow Running folks put on my kind of event: low-key; high beauty; fun and often tough courses; and great post-race food, music, and company. 

I ran conservatively early on and was probably somewhere in 15th-20th place around the halfway mark. I was able to hold my pace, which meant I started picking off others who were starting to crash as the day went on. I felt strong the last 10 miles and surged ahead for a 4th place finish. (results here)

I hope to make it back next year.

With Brendan, a former Pullman Beer Chasers

Race briefing:
 "Try not to get too distracted by all the beautiful wildflowers."

Start
(photo by Glenn Tachiyama)

Start. A burst of color.

Losing ground on the leaders already.

Lots of views like this all day.

Plenty of views like this.

Dozens of meadows like this.

Early on.
(photo by Glenn Tachiyama)

Trail. Rock. Dirt. Flowers. Mountains.

Worth stopping to take a quick photo.

Running happy around mile 20.

Seriously, there were a ton of views like this.

I caught up with Brendan around mile 25.

Pano near the midpoint of the final climb.

Final descent. Only a few miles to go.
(photo by Glenn Tachiyama)

Feeling great on the final descent.
(photo by Glenn Tachiyama)

Finishing.

Crossing the finish line.

Done, and done.