Scout Mountain Sufferfest - A Prelude to the Idaho 308k Challenge

As part of the Idaho Trail Ultra Series, the Idaho 208k Challenge is a unique opportunity to race in some of Idaho's premier high mountain ultra distance races. To complete the challenge, a runner must complete the River of No Return 108k Endurance Run and either the Scout Mountain 100k or the Beaverhead 100k. These races span just a 5 week period each summer and individually they have been drawing attention from runners across the state and the northwest. In each of the past two years, I have been fortunate to have completed the Idaho 208k, finishing RONR and Beaverhead in 2015, and Scout Mountain and RONR last year. These races have become a staple for my summer racing season the past few years as I continue to build my resume and gain more experience in the world of ultra running.

This year is no exception. As if I didn't learn my lesson last year at the scenic and challenging Scout Mountain Ultra Trail (SMUT) 100k, I decided to run again, and up the ante a bit. In 2017 I will be attempting to complete all three of these 100k+ races in 5 weeks.

After a cool spring thus far, the weekend of June 3rd came quickly along with the warmest temperatures we've seen yet this year. Coming into the race with zero heat training, I felt somewhat nervous as I spent a good portion of the same race last year suffering in the sweltering heat, and with a projected high in the upper 80's, this would be no different.

Race morning started early, as usual, alarm at 3:45, quickly throw some food into me and then finish up the final preparations before the gun goes off at 5:00 AM. The first 25 miles of the race are set in the picturesque foothills and rolling single-track heading north from Mink Creek towards Pocatello. After the first hour in the darkness, we were treated to a summit sunrise as we hit one of the early high points of the course. Shortly after the sun rose I cruised through the first aid station moving fast and enjoying the still cool morning breeze knowing that it wouldn't be long before that breeze would be a distant memory once it heated up.

The first few hours were a treat, despite the rising temperatures I was moving fast and efficiently hardly stopping at aid stations as the morning sun got higher in the sky. The wildflowers were in full bloom adding to the experience as we traversed across the hills. Eventually, I came into the aid station at City Creek around mile 25 just before 10 o'clock, nearly five hours into the race. I was on pace to be faster than last year by a considerable margin as I began the first major climb of the day.

The climb up out of City Creek starts as a gradual incline that follows the creek upstream for several miles, getting steeper the further up we went, an overall gain of around 2,500 feet in 5 miles. This section is close to 11 miles between aid stations and I got caught without water for too long last year so this year I made sure to grab two extra bottles and threw them in my pack before beginning the climb. I chatted with a woman from Canada as we climbed, finally nearing the top we had to cross a snowfield with huge steps carved for a giant, or Sasquatch perhaps. I packed my hat full of snow and forged ahead, the heat now in full force in the exposed terrain. Another 5 miles down and one mile up before we would have aid, this is one of the real tests of the course.

Top of the climb out of City Creek before we started the descent.

I came into Midnight Creek aid station knowing that the last 11 miles had taken a toll, I was ready for a quick break and an opportunity to refuel. My friends Mike and Natalie were manning the aid station and I gladly took them up on their offer of watermelon and otter pops. Once I had properly situated myself I headed off down the trail, leaving a couple of runners that had come into the aid station behind. It was a gradual 6-mile descent back to the start line before I began the final 21-mile loop that would take me up and over the monster that is Scout Mountain. I was expecting these miles to be easy, but shortly after leaving the aid station I couldn't seem to keep any sort of running pace at all, and then my stomach went south. I lost everything that I had eaten in the past few hours and didn't have any calories to replace what was now steaming on the side of the trail. Lethargic and fatigued I alternated between hiking and jogging, I could tell that it was going to be a long day. When I finally got down to Mink Creek aid station I had lost any time I had banked on my time from last year, but I was still determined to keep putting one foot in front of the other for as long as I needed to finish the race. Solid food didn't sound good but I knew I had to start eating again otherwise I would really be in trouble. I choked down a few squares of PB&J sandwich and grabbed some pretzels to take with me and headed off. This would be a long slow climb up Scout, but it would end up being the climbing break I needed to get out of my funk.

Scout Mountain from 1/3 up the climb. 

The final major climb of the race is tricky, it gains around 3,400 feet over something like 10 miles. If you had legs left it would be easy to run a good portion of it, but in my condition, it wasn't hard to convince myself to power hike the entire climb. I used this as an opportunity to continue to eat some solid food and try to get my hydration and nutrition back under control. Halfway through the climb, I arrived at the second to last aid station, I had been playing leapfrog with two other runners for much of the race and they seemed to be in similar shape as they were just getting ready to leave when I got there. I hurriedly restocked at the aid station and headed out after them, I caught one runner, JohnMark Smith (JM) after a few minutes and we stuck together as we pressed on towards the summit. As we closed in on the highest point of the course we passed a couple of tough old BTR's Mike Blessing and Randy Thorn who were running the 60k, they were deciding on the best route to take across one of many snowfields at this elevation. The snow was soft and punchy, but also extremely slippery so we all took care as we crossed, actually, we looked like a bunch of drunks stumbling across the snow.

JM trying not to fall (again)

Just passed the summit we had more snow to navigate, and I (along with countless runners before me) decided to approach this like a rational adult, by sitting down, picking up my legs and sliding out of control down the slope. Once the ground reappeared beneath me I was able to pick up the pace and run fairly comfortably down the several miles to the final aid station of the race. There were just 5 miles and two short climbs between us and the finish so JM and I headed out again together to wrap it up. In good spirits and with the end nearly in sight, we made good time on the last section of the course and I crossed the finish in just under 14 hours and 11 minutes, a few minutes faster than my time last year and good enough for 10th place male.

One race down, two to go. River of No Return 108k is looming just a few days away...

I want to say thanks to Race Director Luke Nelson, he puts on an incredible race, the course is impeccably marked and the volunteers at all of the aid stations were helpful and encouraging. This is a top class race and I will surely be back again. Our public lands are a critical part of our country and need to be protected as such. Scout Mountain Ultra Trail runs on public land in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. People like Luke and events like these provide support to protect our right to continue to enjoy the great outdoors.