March 22nd, 2008
I was hoping that the Sugarloaf marathon would slip under the radar because of my unfortunate final 10m, but since I have seen the picture of me flounder-ing around in the snow at the finish on two different websites this week, I figured I had to post something about it. The ending aside, I had a fun time that day. I have spent a lot of time in Carrabbasset Valley, racing and training over the years, it is one of my favorite places, only an hour drive from the town that I grew up in.
This is the view from the parking lot. There is some good terrain at the Carrabbassett Valley Touring Center. The marathon was a three lap race, with a mostly steady climb from the start until the high point of the course at around 7-8k. A handful of skiers stayed together until about the halfway point, where Marc Gilbertson, Weaver and I broke away. Weaver and I made it to the finish straight together, I tripped myself up in the last few meters. What a bummer.
The stadium.
The start was on this bog. When I was a kid, making the trip to Sugarloaf was a big deal. Things are a little different up here. It is colder, the mountains are bigger, the trees are greener. I remember taking in this view a little wild eyed……!
FYI - the curvy trail a little way to the right of the mountain peak is where the US alpine nationals downhill is being held this week.
