By Adam Peterman
The Blue Mountain 30k went off with surprisingly great weather last week! Smoky skies on Saturday were pushed out by a front that brought rain and wind on Saturday night. Fortunately for us, the forecasted rain for Sunday didn’t come to fruition, and runners enjoyed perfect weather for running. Temperatures stayed in the 50’s all morning and the clouds were spectacular.
Results
Chris Hurd after breaking the course record!
It was a year for fast times on this 10-year old course! Chris Hurd, a student at the University of Montana, took advantage of the great conditions and decided to push the pace early one. Chris tackled the first climb impressively fast, running no slower than 8 minute per mile pace up to the first aid station. Chris said after the first hour, it was “the worst my body has ever felt. Cramping and blurry vision for the last 10 miles. I didn’t know what was happening but kept grinding.” Luckily for Chris, the fast pace early on saved him enough time to come away with a new course record of 2:06:59. Chris shaved nearly three minutes off Tyson Warner’s old course record of 2:09:56 from 2011!
The women’s race matched the men’s with speedy times. Shayna Barbash of Missoula took the win with a time of 2:28:15. That gives her the fourth fastest time in a decade of racing at Blue Mountain. Shayna said she used this race as a tune up for an upcoming road marathon that she is training for. Hopefully this quick Blue Mountain run pays off in your marathon!
Full results from the race can be found here.
Fundraising
Runners at the start of the Blue Mountain 30k
The Blue Mountain 30k was the first race that Runner’s Edge Events ever hosted back in 2010. During its 12-year history, the race has always been a fundraiser for the Hellgate High School Cross Country Team. This year was no exception, and the Knights were out in full force crewing the aid stations during the race (although their coaches will note that the team’s aid station music choice may be questionable at times). We hope that having Hellgate out there brought a smile to your face and made you feel a little lighter on your feet!
Thank you volunteers and sponsors!
Congratulations to all the runners for joining in on this year’s Blue Mountain 30k! We also owe a big thank you to our sponsors and volunteers. Our volunteers did a wonderful job running packet pick up, race day food, course marshalling, and the aid stations. These races would not be possible without you!
As for our sponsors, we had Hammer Nutrition keeping everyone fueled during the race, Sapphire Physical Therapy giving out post-race massages (and John from Sapphire out there pre-running the course at 5:00am!), post-race beverages from Big Sky Brewery, and ice cream from Big Dipper. Additionally, thank you to Scariano Construction for their continued support of this event.
