This race has been a tradition for me and my mom since 2002. Our family has a cabin near West Yellowstone so its a perfect way to spend the 4th. The race starts near Island Park, ID and weaves its way through the forest on ATV trails. The loop course is quite challenging because its at 6,500 ft, the dirt surface is very uneven, and its relatively hilly. Back in 2002 there must have been only 20 racers but it has grown to about 150 (split across 5k, 10k, and 1/2) because the directors do everything they possible can to promote the race including a great performance of the national anthem, music at the aid stations, a raffle, and money for the top three. The top three, men and woman, this year got "boxes of gold", literally (gold 1 dollar coins) totalling $125 for #1, $100 for #2, and $75 for #3. I can't think of another race of this size that even comes close to paying out that much.
My experience with this race dates back to 2002 when I barely held off a runner from Boulder who was driving through the area. That race ranks as one of the most memorable because I never suspected that I would be running stride for stride with another runner in the last quarter mile of a race in the middle of nowhere with only 20 runners. Plus it was one of the few times where I pulled out a close victory with my final kick. From 2003 to 2006 I won without much competition probably winning with times in the 1:25 range. Unfortunately I had to break my win streak at 5 because in 2007 I was in Seattle working and then last year I missed the race because I was doing chemotherapy. I was looking forward to regaining my title but soon after arriving I realized I would have to work for it because a former UVU runner, Ryan Gurr, decided to show. For the first three miles we ran side by side but he slowly got away on the downhills and he ended up beating my by about 1.5 mins. Since I didn't know who he was I thought he might fade but he held strong throughout. I was still happy with my run because it was about the same time or faster than what I did in 2002, I worked hard, and I still won 100 coins of gold! If you are ever in the Yellowstone area over the 4th you should definitely check it out.
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