Girls Gone Wildwood

Welcome back to our blog and our only race review of 2023! This time, we're sharing our experience at the Deception Pass 25k – a true PNW trail runner's dream in the heart of Deception Pass State Park.  A Weather Miracle! We feel incredibly fortunate about the weather during the race. Having known the 50k runners battled through some pretty tough conditions the day before, we geared up for the worst. But, as luck would have it, we were greeted with near-perfect weather on race day. Clear skies, gentle breezes, and just the right amount of sunshine made our run more enjoyable than we could have hoped for. Lollipop Loops: A Sweet Surprise One of the most exciting aspects of the Deception Pass 25k is its infamous 'lollipop loops'. These trails, winding and unpredictable, add an element of surprise and fun that you don't often find in other races. Every twist and turn brought a new landscape into view; we ran through rocky trails, dense forest and a seaweed laden beach...

  Susan and I came to Michigan for a week to visit my Dad and family, who live on Gun Lake which is surrounded by running trails. The same weekend we were visiting the Yankee Springs Fall Festival trail races were happening, so of course we signed up. We decided on the 25k for  2 reasons, one mainly because the 50k is 2 looks of the 25k and the other was I wanted more time to spend with my family.    a family of runners The Yankee Springs Fall Festival trail race is a small, local, backyard feeling trail race put on by Switchback Endurance , it's everything I love about trail racing. The feel of it reminded me a lot of the Peterson Ridge Rumble races. Start line selfies The course takes place in Yankee Springs recreation area on beautiful rolling single track trails, which loops by 2 different lakes, Hall & Deep Lake. There is actually a decent amount of elevation gain (for Michigan), around ~1200 feet. There were 4 different aid stations, which seem...

When Susan and I ran Miwok last May, my sister, Gretchen, came out to help crew us and watch Susan’s son. At the time Gretchen was about to give up on her own running. After years of running half marathons, she ran her first full the year before. Unfortunately a falling-out with her running partner now made it tough for her to imagine running solo. But there was something about the whole Miwok experience that made Gretchen excited about running again, and by the end of the weekend she was on ultrasignup to find a good first 50k, and already had a coach in mind. girls gone first class (thanks to upgrades from Courtney) Fast forward 8 months. Susan and I found ourselves flying to Austin, TX to head to the Bandera 50k . But we weren’t the ones running the 50k-- Gretchen was. We were there to help crew and cheer Gretchen on-- oh and to run the 25k, because why not? Gretchen flew from Dallas to Austin; we met her at her gate, grabbed our rental car and headed off to Bandera, “T...

Before the race Today Ann & I did the Yakima Skyline Rim 25k . I'd say we ran it, but with the exceptionally steep climbs and incredibly rocky, narrow, twisty and otherwise technical trails, we ended up walking about half the time. Bridge over Yakima River It was very sunny and exposed, so I ended up with a really odd tan: ankle to below the knee, and a pasty patch from my armband on my left arm. Luckily it wasn't windy, as it often is along those high ridges. Getting close to the top of the first climb The course was intense. After a tiny out and back from the starting line to help spread us out, we ran over a suspension bridge over the Yakima River, then under train tracks, and then straight up a 2100ft climb (note: felt like more than that to me!) on rocky, winding single-track. We made it! Nearly to the top, we turned onto a dirt road that evened out with some rolling hills. Finally, we had a steep decent almost back to the starting elevation before ...