I ran a modified version of the Wasatch Steeplechase course, which starts less then a mile from downtown in Memory Grove, ascends a ridge line to a cliffy mountain, bombs down into City Creek canyon, and back down the canyon bottom to the start (I started and ended at my house and ran the canyon road in lieu of the trail down the canyon bottom). The race advertises vertical gain and loss of approximately 9000 feet in 17.5 miles. The views and vistas were amazing. The wild flowers were beautiful. The trail was brutal. Much of the ascent was too steep to run. Some of the ridge line was too steep to walk. I slid down snow fields and dozed through overgrown brush. My fastest mile down the road at the canyon bottom was 6:40. Compare this to my slowest mile on the trail of 32:09. I wasn't actually the whole time. I kept stopping to consult my topo map. A fun adventure but it took me 3 hours and 48 minutes. If I get to run this race I hope to do it in under 3 hours.
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