Crowders’ Ridgeline Ruckus 25K Trail Race Recap
Pulling in to the Boulder Access parking lot of
Crowders’ Mt State, I had just under an hour to get ready to run the Ridgeline
Ruckus 25K. Normally, I like to arrive early so I can relax and get ready. However,
this race was being held in a state park which didn’t open its gates until 7
AM. Everyone was in a bit of a rush to get ready.
We started from the grassy field next to the welcoming center.
We ran around the building and up the concrete walkway to the trail. I settled
in to the back pack and let the other runners surge head. We followed the access
trail down to the Ridgeline trail. As we were running, I was already imagining
what a bear this was going to be climbing back out at the end of the race.
The runners were stringing out in front of me. This section
of course is pretty much a bunch of rollers, and while it has plenty of rocks
and roots, it plenty wide for passing.
I wasn’t making a huge effort to surge forward. I was
focused on the letting the course bring them back to me. All I wanted to do was
just maintain a nice, steady pace whether I was running uphill, downhill, or on
the flat. Although, there are not too many flats on this course.
Once the climbing started, I started moving up.
The stair section was just as I remembered. I caught up to
one runner as we were nearing the top of the stairs. He was a much better descender.
He quickly opened up 50 yards on me on the far side.
Crowders’ maintenance crew has made some changes to the
trails, and they are now bring people in to the Turn Back Trail in a different
spot. They are also cleaned up the Turn
Back Trail making it like a sky slope. If I had wanted, I would literally have
sprinted down it. But there was no way that I was going to this. My quads would
have been wasted.
I caught one guy on the decent, and I caught a 2nd
runner at turn around at the main Crowders’ Mt. Parking lot. At this point, the
climbing was starting to be an effort.
Turn Back Trail is tough climb, and on the return trip, we
had to run all the way to the top Pinnacle Rock. This further was up the slope, and the further that I went, the steeper it
got. My quads were truly burning when I hit their check point at the top.
From there, I knew the path back to the finish. I had to really focus hard on the trail. My legs were tiring so I knew full well that I was one
misstep away from a fall.
I passed back by the mid-way aid station. The sun had for
the most part remained hidden, but it was still warm and humid. I kept sipping
on my Tailwind from my CamelBak.
I was disappointed to loss my new buff. I had tied it to my
CamelBak shoulder strap, but somewhere in the first couple of miles, I had
lost it. I looked for it on the return trip, but I am guessing that someone
took home a nice prize from the race. Luckily, I never needed it.
I think that I finished 3rd overall, and 2nd
male. I didn’t get the entire story but from what I gathered, she was runner
from Colorado. Like I said, I didn’t get the entire story. All I know is, both
she and the top male runner ran the course like they were part Mt. goats.
I was happy with my time. I ran 2:31:45. It was a solid
effort on a hot and humid day.
I also want to give a shout out to the designer of their
awards. They have some nice wood burn plaques. I really liked it. It will have a
nice place on my wall.
That’s it for this race. Time to get some rest and recover
for what’s coming up next.
Tails from the Trail
The Cool Down Runner
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