Brother JD Wins Midmountain Marathon

Last Saturday was the Midmountain Marathon in Park City.  With all the real heavy hitters running the Wasatch 100 the day before or the Bear 100 later in the month, the MMM was still surprisingly well attended.  Multiple friends and work colleagues participated and gave the start and finish areas a festive atmosphere.  Everything in between was rubbish.  

The race starts at Deer Valley and follows the MM trail to the Canyons, gaining 2500 vertical en route and losing a cumulative of 3700 feet.  The trail is mostly beautifully runnable, albeit tortuous with switchbacks in places, but with very few rocky or steep sections.  

The start was chill but I soon let a group of 5 or 6  gain a small advantage as my stomach was revolting for unknown reasons.  As I watched them ascend, one switchback ahead, brother JD suddenly decided to quit toying with the field and made his move.  One mile into the race, it was over.  The next 25, he chased away boredom and cramps and won easily in 3 hours flat.  

Newcomer and buddy, MS, ran a very respectable race and finished well in the top ten.  After a pit stop in the bushes, I tried to get back in the race but never managed to reel anyone back in, finishing 10th.  The pace was comfortable but the legs were heavy and still achy from other recent efforts.  I think both rest and speedwork are underrated and would have done me a lot of good over the last few weeks.  But, it's just too fun to find that freedom that the hills provide during all day creative efforts.  

Congrats to JD for the MMM win and to all the W100 finishers.  And, good luck to those about to do the Bear 100...  Maybe one day.  For now though, some rest is on the agenda.  Starting to think about snow...