My favorite running race of all time is the Back Country Run which takes place every July in Sun Valley, Idaho.

It is an incredible trail run that is SO BEAUTIFUL!

So beautiful you forget how much your lungs are burning from a reduced supply of oxygen at 7120 feet of altitude.

So beautiful you can ignore your legs screaming in pain climbing continuously up miles of mountain.

So beautiful it is hard to keep your eyes on the trail quickly scanning for rocks that could send you to the ground.

So beautiful that around mile 8 of 10, I actually said out loud to no one in particular, “God, I LOVE this run!”

So beautiful we keep coming back for more every year that we possibly can.

By now the race is very familiar to us.  Bunch start.  Single track where you cannot pass.  Gradual uphill.  Water Station.  HOLY MOTHER OF UPHILL.  False Summit.  Up again.  Real Summit.  Water Station.  Fun, Technical downhill.  Turn off to 16.  Meadow and Finish.

This year did have two changes.  The first being that my friend Matt ran.  It was great to have him and his wife, Tamara, there.

Andy in years passed has hiked up the trail to where runners can turn off for the 16-mile or continue down towards the finish of the 10-mile.  He kept the tradition and was so surprised (the second surprise) when a virtual unknown in the running community was the first runner to pass down the trail.

He could see why though…look at her speed.

After Belén passed, the rest of our friends came through including Joelle, who wins the 16-mile race every year (she is the one who just finished a 100-MILE RACE a couple of weeks ago!),

Next was bouncy, happy Sherri!

And then Matt.

Me.

And Kelly!

While I am nowhere close to a good uphill runner, I really enjoy the downhill and can go quite fast.  I was annoyed on this particular downhill because the girl who was running directly in front of me was running with headphones so no matter how many times I asked to pass, she would not pull over (likely because she could not hear me.)  She was running only the slightest bit slower than I wanted to go, but still it made me irritated enough that I had to beat her to the finish.  I am usually able to push away my childhood and adolescent competitive nature, but sometimes it strikes.

And so I found myself sprinting through the meadow at the bottom of the course, jumping over obstacles to finally pass her.  Tamara caught me kicking it in at the end.

Why HEL-LO double chin, so nice to see you…  And by the way if you wondered why I went for the skin tight clothes, it was not because I was trying to reveal some part of my body, it was because those are the running clothes I know will not chafe (as proven in the 50K race).  After seeing all of the other cute running shorts and skirts at the race I am inspired to update my running wardrobe and find something more flattering and fun!

Meanwhile, Andy and Belén made their way back down the trail to join us at the finish.  Those eyes are looking pretty sleepy (stay tuned for sleep photos!)

As always, very fun race!  My only feedback to the race organizers is to ban headphones (at least in both ears) and perhaps start the 16-mile race an hour earlier so it is not so hot for those going the distance and so the raffles can start earlier.  As my mom would say, “I need to write them a letter.”

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