1st Annual Kahtoola Agassiz Uphill Climb

Image: Courtesy Kahtoola.
Bright and early yesterday morning, I participated in the 1st Annual Kahtoola Agassiz Uphill Climb. This race, while pitched as a run -- was anything but a running race. It was a grueling 2 mile, 2000 vertical feet "get up the hill as fast as you can" climb from Agassiz Lodge to the upper lift near the summit of the San Francisco Peaks. It was hurtful, yet wonderful.

Adding to our pain, we had mountain weather to contend with. The sacred mountain was enshrouded in overcast, high winds near the summit, and temperatures in the 20s.

Unfortunately for me, this was my first time at altitude this year. I had to cancel my plans for the Mount Taylor Quad, so I had not been training at high elevation. Nonetheless, this 2 mile climb hurt me in a good way! Just look at the anguish on my face. I'm about 1 mile into the climb at this point. Image, courtesy myracepics.com

I finished in 48:21, and 19th overall. For complete race results, go to Kahtoola Agassiz Uphill 08 — Race Results!

Running to the finish line. I always try to finish all of my races hard. So, at around 12,000 feet, I decided to push through and finish "strong." I managed to run the last 10 meters to the finish line. Image, courtesy myracepics.com