Distance: 2.3 miles
http://www.tetonwyo.org/parks/nav/200567.shtm
I did the 40th annual Snow King Hill Climb July 28, 2007. This was only 2.3 miles long, with the first 0.5 miles straight up the street to the base of Snow King Mountain, the ski area in town. The remaining 1.8 miles is all up, with an elevation gain of 1500 ft., (that's nearly a 16% grade!) mostly on a narrow dirt service road, except for a short initial single track. There's a short, level sprint over the ridge to the finish line at the top. There's no way to get lost and no technical expertise required. It's all about horsepower. And the view from the top is a real reward. There were aid stations on the course and runners could take the chair lift down. I ran down because the line for the lift was taking forever. The race had a great festival atmosphere, starting at the town square on Farmer's Market day. I thought it was cool that they closed the main intersection briefly and start the race from right there. There was a BBQ afterward and many drawings for some pretty decent prizes.
****reviewed by a Helena Running Club guest reveiwer****
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Spring Meadow Triathalon
Distances: sprint triathalon, olympic triathalon
http://www.helenarunningclub.com/docs/SML_Tri.pdf
Spring Meadow State Park is one of the nicer triathalon venues in the state. The park is on the west edge of town, in the shadow of Mt. Helena. The spring meadow triatahlon is beginner friendly because it features both a sprint and olympic distance. The swim is a long clockwise circle around the circumference of the lake. The water is always cool but wetsuits are allowed and recommended. The transition is a short run across grass to the paved parking lot. The bike course is arguably the strongest attraction of the race. It is an out and back route on a two lane county road through open ranch country. The road is open to traffic. On the way out it is gradually uphill with some rolling hills thrown in. On the way back, not only do you get to enjoy a fast downhill, but there are also rewarding views of Mt. Helena and its southern ridge line and the city of Helena with a backdrop of the Elkhorn mountains. The run starts with a lap around the lake on a nice dirt path and exits the park for a brief section on pavement. The olympic race runs 2 loops of the 5k sprint course which brings the runners back through the park so fans have an idea how the racers are faring. More than half the run is on dirt trails or roads. Even though this race is not chip timed, the organizers are racers themselves, so they make sure you not only get all your individual spilt times, but transition times as well. This race usually has less than 200 competitors and is well organized with friendly, outgoing volunteers. Among the volunteers is an experienced finish line announcer (and triathlete himself) who has the abilty to both to communicate with the racers and keep the fans informed about the racers and their performances. Unique awards are given to 1st thru 3rd places in 5 yr. age groups. The organizers have tried to give participants something different from the standard t-shirt. In the past, sweatshirts, singlets, or workout bags have been given. The low key awards presentation after the race also has many raffle prizes. The race is always held on the Sunday after the 4th of July and the weather has always seemed to cooperate with sunshine and no rain!! The low entry fee is just one more good reason to add this race to your schedule.
****reviewed by a Helena Running Club guest reviewer****
http://www.helenarunningclub.com/docs/SML_Tri.pdf
Spring Meadow State Park is one of the nicer triathalon venues in the state. The park is on the west edge of town, in the shadow of Mt. Helena. The spring meadow triatahlon is beginner friendly because it features both a sprint and olympic distance. The swim is a long clockwise circle around the circumference of the lake. The water is always cool but wetsuits are allowed and recommended. The transition is a short run across grass to the paved parking lot. The bike course is arguably the strongest attraction of the race. It is an out and back route on a two lane county road through open ranch country. The road is open to traffic. On the way out it is gradually uphill with some rolling hills thrown in. On the way back, not only do you get to enjoy a fast downhill, but there are also rewarding views of Mt. Helena and its southern ridge line and the city of Helena with a backdrop of the Elkhorn mountains. The run starts with a lap around the lake on a nice dirt path and exits the park for a brief section on pavement. The olympic race runs 2 loops of the 5k sprint course which brings the runners back through the park so fans have an idea how the racers are faring. More than half the run is on dirt trails or roads. Even though this race is not chip timed, the organizers are racers themselves, so they make sure you not only get all your individual spilt times, but transition times as well. This race usually has less than 200 competitors and is well organized with friendly, outgoing volunteers. Among the volunteers is an experienced finish line announcer (and triathlete himself) who has the abilty to both to communicate with the racers and keep the fans informed about the racers and their performances. Unique awards are given to 1st thru 3rd places in 5 yr. age groups. The organizers have tried to give participants something different from the standard t-shirt. In the past, sweatshirts, singlets, or workout bags have been given. The low key awards presentation after the race also has many raffle prizes. The race is always held on the Sunday after the 4th of July and the weather has always seemed to cooperate with sunshine and no rain!! The low entry fee is just one more good reason to add this race to your schedule.
****reviewed by a Helena Running Club guest reviewer****
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Keweenaw Trail Running Festival
Distances: 10k, 2k kid's run, 5.8k hill climb, 25k
http://www.greatlakesendurance.com/
This is a trail running series composed of a 10k on Saturday morning, the hill climb Saturday evening, and the 25k on Sunday morning. The kid's run is after the 10k. You can enter individual races if you like, but I recommend doing the whole series. This series was a blast!!! The race is at the very tip of Michigan's Upper Penninsula, so it's a little difficult to get to (especially from Montana) but very scenic. The 10k is a net uphill with lots of rolling whoop-de-do hills. There was a lot of technical single-track during the middle section of the race, which made it difficult to pass, so try to get yourself into a good position by the time you cross Hwy 41. I thought that coming from the Rocky Mtns, would make the hill climb a piece of cake. Instead I found it surprisingly steep. You start out on a beach alongside Lake Superior, so you have shoes full of sand for the entire run. After a few hundred feet you get up on a road until about the 1/2 mile mark. From there it was all uphill on a jeep-width trail with some loose rock. Race followed by a dinner at the host lodge. The 25k the following morning was tough and was sort of a trail run potpourri. There is steep downhill soon after the start, you run along the shore of a lake to the aid station. You then make a loop on techincal, rolling single track. Followed by a different loop on a combination of dirt roads and single track with some mud bogging and a creek crossing. You pass by the aid station one last time before heading back up the steep hill. From the top of the hill, it's only a few hundred feet to the finish. The final race is followed by a breakfast and awards ceremony. The race had generous awards of local pottery and jam for the individual races and a wide assortment of gear for the series winners. The only minor problem was that the dinner after the hill climb was fairly late at night, which doesn't set you up for a great race the next day. I vote for a beach picnic at the race start, rather than driving all the way back to the lodge. As a last bit of advice, if you're going to go to the effort of getting to the Keweenaw penninsula, make a trip of it and spend some time before or after the race. It's a full weekend of racing and you don't have much energy between races to enjoy the other nearby trails, kayaking in Lake Superior, mtn. bike rentals, and local restaurants.
http://www.greatlakesendurance.com/
This is a trail running series composed of a 10k on Saturday morning, the hill climb Saturday evening, and the 25k on Sunday morning. The kid's run is after the 10k. You can enter individual races if you like, but I recommend doing the whole series. This series was a blast!!! The race is at the very tip of Michigan's Upper Penninsula, so it's a little difficult to get to (especially from Montana) but very scenic. The 10k is a net uphill with lots of rolling whoop-de-do hills. There was a lot of technical single-track during the middle section of the race, which made it difficult to pass, so try to get yourself into a good position by the time you cross Hwy 41. I thought that coming from the Rocky Mtns, would make the hill climb a piece of cake. Instead I found it surprisingly steep. You start out on a beach alongside Lake Superior, so you have shoes full of sand for the entire run. After a few hundred feet you get up on a road until about the 1/2 mile mark. From there it was all uphill on a jeep-width trail with some loose rock. Race followed by a dinner at the host lodge. The 25k the following morning was tough and was sort of a trail run potpourri. There is steep downhill soon after the start, you run along the shore of a lake to the aid station. You then make a loop on techincal, rolling single track. Followed by a different loop on a combination of dirt roads and single track with some mud bogging and a creek crossing. You pass by the aid station one last time before heading back up the steep hill. From the top of the hill, it's only a few hundred feet to the finish. The final race is followed by a breakfast and awards ceremony. The race had generous awards of local pottery and jam for the individual races and a wide assortment of gear for the series winners. The only minor problem was that the dinner after the hill climb was fairly late at night, which doesn't set you up for a great race the next day. I vote for a beach picnic at the race start, rather than driving all the way back to the lodge. As a last bit of advice, if you're going to go to the effort of getting to the Keweenaw penninsula, make a trip of it and spend some time before or after the race. It's a full weekend of racing and you don't have much energy between races to enjoy the other nearby trails, kayaking in Lake Superior, mtn. bike rentals, and local restaurants.
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