Monday, September 16, 2019

Little Mountain Trail-a-Thon 10k


I ran a 10k on Little Mountain yesterday, in support of the efforts to improve the trail system there.  Little Mountain is in south Mount Vernon, and so the start of the race, at the Carpenter Creek Winery, was minutes from home. I liked the unusual start time of 2 PM, which was perfectly timed at 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Seahawks game. The 10k distance allowed me to get home in time for the finish of the Rams-Saints game.

Yesterday was a very wet day, with sideways rain coming down. It wasn't so bad during the run, but the rain pounded on the roof before and after the event. The running group was small--maybe 30 runners? I was the last one out of the parking lot, heading on to the trail. I huffed and puffed up the hills--the first mile or two of the event is mostly up, on switchbacks. I passed a few people, but mostly ran alone, when I wasn't hiking, bent over. The trails were beautiful. The view from the top, pictured above, was a bit obscured by clouds and rain. During tulip festival, you can see the fields, in stripes of yellow and reds. The end of the run was a great downhill, though potentially slippery. I finished in 1:28, which seems quicker than when I ran a 10k on a similar course here. Slept well last night.

The work that has been done on this trail system in the last 15 years has been incredible. The trails benefit runners, hikers, mountain bikers and other enthusiasts. Thank you to all the volunteers who make these trails great, and to everyone who put on the event yesterday.



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