Congratulations to SMUT runner Brad Hawley for winning the Desert Dash 50k yesterday. It was a pretty tough day out there as several of us working the aid station can attest to. The 9:00 a.m. start assured runners would be facing the brunt of a abnormally warm day. Brad was the first runner through, including half marathoners, and didn't look back all day. The runners got a little relief later in the day when the wind picked and some even got some welcome sprinkles of rain.
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| Brad on his first trip through the checkpoint |
Shane, Josh, Hillary, and I worked the aid station that the 50k runners passed by twice and the half marathoners once. This was my first time volunteering at a race and I have a new appreciation for all the people have helped me through the races I've done. I almost think I would have been less tired running the race. We had a good time though and it felt great helping others through their races.
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| Fellow SMUT Hillary Brimhall getting everyone what they need |
Congratulations to Brad again on a great race.
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| Brad heading out on final leg |
I've never done a race report, but I'll give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteThe forecasted temperature for race day was the low 90's, but it felt much warmer at the 9:00 a.m start because the sun was out in full force. The sun did momentarily relent at, however, and we even had a little rain around hour 5.
For the 50k course, we did a couple loops on the Cottonwood trails and a couple loops on the Mustang trails. We passed through the race headquarters at the Late Night trail head between every loop and there was also an aid station on both of the trails, totaling 6 aid station stops during the race. The elevation was between approx. 4000 and 5000 feet, with a net gain/loss of approx. 4800 feet.
Approximately 40 of us, comprising of a mixture of half-marathon and 50k runners, took off for the Cottonwood trails from the Late Night trail head parking lot, but the initial pace for the entire field of runners was pretty conservative due to the initial temperature and climb, which was approximately 1000 feet over the first few miles.
I did not keep track of my place at the start of the race, so I didn't realize that I was in the lead, nor did I ask, until Josh and Shad’s aid station around mile 26 where they told me about my significant lead. During the few miles prior to this point, I was having a tough time and only focused on finishing, but their encouraging words and news of my position provided me with a 2nd wind, allowing me to pick up my pace and enjoy the fun down-hill section of the final few miles.
It appears that 17 people started the 50k, with 9 finished. The remaining runners were either DNF or moved to the half-marathon race distance. Finishing times ranged from 5:32 to 9:37.
Desert Dash organized an excellent race, as the course was beautiful, the route was very well marked, and the aid stations were well stocked. I would especially like to thank the volunteers, including SMUT members Dana, Hillary, Josh, Richard, Shad, and Shane.
Brad Hawley