Kendall

Wasatch Trail Run Series

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201220132014
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Location:

Orem,Ut,

Member Since:

Apr 29, 2012

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

31 Ultra Finishes

Personal Records:
100 M:  17:52*   Pony Express (2011)
100K:   11:06     Antelope Island (2010) (faster 100k on PET 100)
50 M:    7:23      Pony Express 50 (2013)
26.2:     3:00:03  Big Cottonwood Marathon (Sept 2013)
13.1:     1:27:22 St. George (Jan. 2014)
* Top 100, 100-Mile Times (2011) (#80), UltraRunning Magazine Year in Review
Race Director: Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon

Short-Term Running Goals:

Attempting the Rocky Mountain Slam:

  • Bighorn 100 (June) 
  • Hardrock 100 (July)
  • Wasatch 100 (Sept)
  • The Bear 100 (Sept)

Long-Term Running Goals:

Goals:

  • Rocky Mountain Slam
  • FINISH Hardrock (wasn't pretty but got a finish)
  • Wasatch < 25 hrs.

 

Personal:

6 Awesome Kids

Thanksgiving Point: Director of Food Services & Retail / Race Director Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks Cascadia 7 (1) Lifetime Miles: 571.21
Brooks Cascadia 7 (2) Lifetime Miles: 489.01
Other (Old) Lifetime Miles: 45.00
Brooks Cascadia 7 (3) Lifetime Miles: 658.26
Brooks Cascadia 7 (4) Lifetime Miles: 561.85
PureFlow 2 Lifetime Miles: 374.50
Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Lifetime Miles: 394.01
Brooks Launch Lifetime Miles: 389.42
Brooks Pure Grit 2 Lifetime Miles: 241.21
Cascadia 8 (red) Lifetime Miles: 232.99
Cascadia 8 (Black) Lifetime Miles: 325.96
Cascadia 8 (Black II) Lifetime Miles: 339.05
Brooks Glycerin 11 Lifetime Miles: 342.90
New Balance 1400 Lifetime Miles: 175.77
Brooks Cascadia 9 Yellow & Red (1) Lifetime Miles: 421.20
Altra One2 (squared) Lifetime Miles: 6.00
Brooks Pure Flow (red) Lifetime Miles: 188.97
Lone Peak 2 (prototype-yellow) Lifetime Miles: 29.80
Brooks Cascadia (9) Black/Red Lifetime Miles: 231.10
Brooks Pure Flow 2 (red) Lifetime Miles: 78.10
Brooks Cascadia (9) Black/Red II Lifetime Miles: 342.06
Pure Grit 3 (Red) Lifetime Miles: 235.36
Total Distance
39.98
Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 33.98
Total Distance
6.00

A bit sore from Saturday's race but after a couple of miles things loosened up and I felt pretty good--legs feel strong.

Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00
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Total Distance
7.63

Battle Creek -> Grove Creek Loop:

Parked the truck at Grove Creek, ran on the BST(?) to mouth of Battle Creek (1m). Headed up Battle Creek, much steeper than that of the Grove Creek side, about 2,500 ft elevation gain in just over 2 miles. Lots of scouts and young ones on the lower section. Some sections too steep to run. Hit junction and meadow and headed over to Grove Creek Canyon and spring. 

I would put the meadow and trail section at the base of Timpanogos between Battle Creek and Grove Creek among the most scenic anywhere in world. It's incredible!

Stopped to take a drink out of the spring and headed down for a fast descent back to the parking lot.

Beautiful evening run, 3/4 moon, amazing color with the recent snow up on Timp and the green of the meadow...blue-blue sky--wow! Good run.

1mi. = Grove Creek Parking Lot to Mouth of Battle Creek Canyon

2.19mi = Bottom of Battle Creek to Trail 151 Junction (Grove Creek-Big Baldy-Battle Creek).

1.48mi. = Junction to Grove Creek Spring (top of Grove Creek)

2.96mi. = Grove Creek Spring to Down to Parking Lot

 

Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 7.63
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Race: Wasatch Trail Run Series (7.44 Miles) 01:00:10, Place overall: 9
Total Distance
8.50

A friend told me about the Wasatch Trail Run Series 5K/10K which started up this past week. The races are held Wednesday evenings at 6:30 initially at Corner Canyon April 24th-Sept 11th, then the series moves to Solitude and Snowbird on Thursday evenings in the weeks between the Corner Canyon races starting in mid July 2013.

I zipped up to Draper after work to check it out and treat it as my run for the day. $15 registration included a well-marked and creative, well thought-out course and a good raffle after the race. It's clear the RD (name?) is passionate about course marking with the runner in mind mixing it up with a different course each week.

1 mile warm-up. Got the pre-race instructions and we were off. Mildly steep start heading up the single track. After about a mile started passing some that just started out way too fast. The lead guys were gone--fast bunch of guys. Nice climb (1,100ft.) in the first 3 miles, very runnable but couldn't manage much better than a 10mm pace. Passed a couple more on the way up as well as a bunch of mtn bikers--is there anything more fun than passing a mountain bike heading up trail? Nearly got caught by 2 guys near the top of the climb and immediately dropped them when the trail headed down--"downhill is kind of my thang"--say it in cool Dad voice of Phil Dunphy (Modern Family).

Next 4.4 miles, most downhill, with some undulating sections (wish I knew the names of the trails--first time in Corner Canyon). Loved the downhill section from the top down behind the temple into the valley. Single track seems to be created with the mtn bike in mind as the trail has perfectly formed burms and smooth as glass. I managed a 6:20 mm avg for the next 4.4 dropping into the mid to low 5 range in some sections.

Pushed hard to the finish, finishing in exactly 1 hour (8:06 avg pace). I think I came in around 9th? A bit disappointing as I really ran it hard but up against some very talented roadies.

Looking forward to doing more of these if I can get comfortable finishing mid-pack with such a group. Fun day on the trail and highly recommend.

Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 8.50
Comments(2)
Total Distance
6.00

Grove Creek Canyon from parking lot to spring and back. 

Group of scouts set up camp right on the trail. Literally, two tents set up across from each other (facing each other) with only the span of the trail between them--12"...and their crap ON the trail. I could smack their leaders. What are we teaching these kids.

PR: 1:08 (47 up, 21 down) 2,300' vert.

Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 6.00
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Total Distance
11.85

Tibble Fork to Alpine via Dry Creek-Deer Creek Trail and Box Elder Summit

Left the truck at the Alpine trailhead and got dropped off at Tibble Fork reservoir. Spent a few minutes in the parking lot with the forest service reps asking some questions about the trails and options. Ran up the road to the Granite Flats campground and jumped on trail #44.

Nice climb gaining approx 2,000 ft in the first two miles. Hit snow at about 8,000 ft. Continued climbing until trails drops down into a ravine and crosses a stream from the above slide area and snow field. The trail from this point as described by the ranger heads down canyon and southeast. It was hard to pick out the trail through the snow field. I found and lost it several times before losing it for good and had no idea where the trail headed up to the ridge. I retraced my steps back to the ravine where I had seen a track from someone sliding down the couloir and decided to head straight up. 

I was somewhat nervous about traveling on the snowpack this time of year, coupled by the water which could be heard running underneath. I was careful and stayed to the more solid sections. About halfway up at a rocky ledge I stumbled on an exposed large buck mostly decomposed. Two of four large points on one side had broken off but the other side remained intact and attached to the bleached out skull. I carefully removed the skull from the spine and tied it to the back my Ultraspire backpack and continued on following a set of large cat tracks to the ridge.

 

From here the summit was only 1,000 ft up (11, 100) navigating around cornices and traveling up the skree slope. The summit offers spectacular views of Timpanogos, Lone Peak range , Pfifferhorn, etc., etc. From here I wasn't sure of the best way down but noticed a trail far below to the southwest that would eventually get me going the right way.

 

I choose to ski (on my shoes) down what some of the locals call the "sleigh run." The Sleigh Run is a field of snow about half a mile long right down the face. Its super steep and a lot of fun screaming down.

Box Elder Bug on Box Elder Peak at 10,500 ft. Ironic...I don't think so.

After hitting dirt again, the trail travels north and east around Box Elder Peak before heading down canyon. Surprisngly, there's still a ton of snow at the 8-9,000 ft level and traveling along the traverse was fun but difficult with the mud and snow.

Finally, the trail hits beautiful Community Meadow (?) and connects up with and heads down the Dry Creek-Deer Creek trail. I got some strange looks as I worked my way down to the more popular Horsetail Falls sections with my deer skull tied to my back. After a couple miles of good running I hit the trailhead and my truck.

Great day on the trail and first time on Box Elder. Est. 5,000 + vert. Only 11 miles but great climbs and a little more than 5 hours. Highly recommend.  

 

 

 

 

 

Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 11.85
Comments(13)
Total Distance
39.98
Brooks Launch Miles: 6.00Brooks Cascadia 7 (5) Miles: 33.98
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