Sunset Trail Festival 28K

Gold Hill, CO

Sunday, June 22

Weather - Sunny and warm

I won't do a long recap on this one.

I had heard about this race a year or two earlier and had talked about running it but since no one else committed we didn't sign up. This year, Terri brought it up in early June and Larry and I both followed suit by signing up. I had never run the loop near Gold Hill, so I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about.

There was a shuttle we needed to be on by 6 am, so we agreed to meet at the Justice Center in Boulder at 5:30, just to ensure we were there in plenty of time. Not only was it plenty of time, but we were the first people to get there. I'd rather not be stressed about it, so it was fine.

We rode in a bus that was maybe 20-25 minutes of windy roads to get to the start line. About halfway there, we lost phone service and would end up not having any service the rest of the day, which was fine.

Our race didn't start until 7:30, so that meant a LOT of standing around. We picked up our bibs and race shirt at the start line, and I used the bathroom 2-3 times. The race provided some bagels and cream cheese, and I think that after about 45 minutes I decided my breakfast had "worn off" and I grabbed a half a bagel. At some point, another busload of people got dropped off, for those that were running the shorter distances. Chelsea was running (and recognized me) and I briefly said hi to her. Finally, it was time to get going.

The race director gathered us all shortly before 7:30 to go over the course details. I barely listened but glad I caught some of the directions as there were ZERO course markings. Not one single flag or sign!!! The route was pretty straightforward, but it was still crazy.

We had to start in town and run up the hill before turning down a back road and going down the hill. Walked most of the hill on the way up and Larry, Terri and I were in the back of the back. I hate starting a race in the very back, but I wasn't sure I was even "racing" this race. The route started on a wide, dirt road. It was definitely a generous downhill, but I didn't want to run too hard. There was a funny sign that said "Private Sign, Don't Read" which I should have taken a picture of, but didn't. Terri edged just a little bit upfront and Larry and I were fairly close behind. At one point, Larry's shoe came untied and we stopped briefly for him to fix it. It was crazy to think that running a pace of low 10s had us the very back of the pack. It was just under 5 miles of dirt road before we came to the junction where we supposed to take a right turn. The aid station wasn't too far up the road and I just very quickly grabbed a cup of water. From here it was still a gradual uphill, some of the earlier parts were paved. I also liked this sign:

Even though it was a gradual uphill, I was trying to do some running intervals. While there was technically no cutoff for the course, there was a scheduled last shuttle back to Boulder which obviously we did not want to miss. Since I had never been in the area, I had no idea what to expect from the "Switzerland Trail." All the email and race info said was that it was rocky, and I wanted to move as quickly as possible on sections that were not technical. I also could not remember where the next aid station was. Terri and I had kind of ended up running together with Larry a little further back, and we both thought it was in mile 9-10. It was closer to 10.5 miles and right at the base of the Switzerland Trail. I stopped only long enough to drink some water and grab a couple packages of gummy bears, which I tried to eat while leaving the aid station. The trail was more like a rocky double track. We left right behind another gal and for a while me, her and Terri were all relatively close together. We came up behind a guy and I decided to run around him and the other girl and basically never saw him, the other girl or Terri again. 

Apparently, this is the Switzerland Trail

I realized I hadn't been taking any pictures, so on one of my walk breaks I took some pictures of the surrounding valleys we were in.

There was really only one section on the course that didn't have a trail marker and I really felt like it should have, but I'm just glad I stayed on what looked the MOST like the main road and didn't get lost. Came across some ATVs and a few bikes in this section, but other than dust, it was not an issue since we were more on a road than a trail. I also knew there was a THIRD aid station, but I didn't really know where that was either. Since I had no service I couldn't pull up any info or see the course map, but I vaguely remember that the last part of the course was downhill. I had put in music by this point but since there were bikes and such out I only used one ear bud. 

Finally, I saw the third aid station, over 14 miles in! If my math was correct, we were just about done with the uphill and we would just be coasting in. I topped off a flask and asked how many miles to the finish and the volunteer told me 3.5, which had me sooo mad! I didn't want to be closer to 18 miles. With the pace I was running I really hoped to finish under 4 hours. The road out of the aid station was the widest road yet, and it was really hot and exposed. I could see some people in front of me and as tired as I was, I decided that maybe I would race "just a little bit." I passed at least one lady right as we hit some of the downhill. Suddenly, I got to a volunteer and a stop sign - I asked where to go and she said to the right and then the finish was only 100 yards away. YAY!!!! I could see the race clock and I knew I would get in under 4 hours. As soon as I crossed the line I went into the garden area and grabbed a coke to drink while I waited for Larry and Terri to finish.

Distance - 17.46 miles

Garmin Time - 3:58:40

Official Time - 3:58:40

Garmin Pace - 13:40

Elevation Gain - 2,628'

Overall Place - 46/54

Mile 1 - 11:40

Mile 2 - 10:13

Mile 3 - 10:05

Mile 4 - 9:54

Mile 5 - 12:52

Mile 6 - 14:05

Mile 7 - 15:48

Mile 8 - 14:56

Mile 9 - 15:31

Mile 10 - 16:40

Mile 11 - 17:06

Mile 12 - 15:51

Mile 13 - 15:27

Mile 14 - 15:36

Mile 15 - 15:04

Mile 16 - 13:28

Mile 17 - 10:26

Mile 17.46 pace - 8:42

We had a beer and grabbed our free burritos. We found out while we were sitting there that we had somehow ALL misunderstood the last shuttle info - it was actually scheduled to leave at 12:30 and ARRIVE in Boulder at 1. At least we all made it?

Thoughts:

• We signed up only 3ish weeks out. The race is put on to benefit the Watershed and so it wasn't for profit and was $70 plus fees.
• Our registration included a shirt, a burrito and post race beer.
• The gpx was provided on the website, but I didn't add it to my watch or gaia since I naively assumed there would be at least minimal course markings. It ended up being fine, but I would have felt better with a flag or two.
• The aid stations were perfectly situated, I just forgot to mentally take a note of where they were on course. Minimal with fluids only for the first one and very minimal snacks with water/electrolytes at the last two.
• I would recommend this for a supported event with a "somewhat fun" finish line. Any festivities were unfortunately done by the time we finished, so it was a little underwhelming for us, but it was a nice area and the volunteers were very friendly.
• I would maybe run this one again, I think it was a good training run for heat and a bit higher elevation than I run around my house.