Sunlight Heathen Challenge
Just a week ago I competed for the first time in the Sunlight Heathen Challenge. More than anything leading into this event, I was struck by how little information there was about it. This was the 12th time running the event, and almost nobody has written about it, results don’t say anything about distance or vertical, and the couple videos out there are fairly old at this point. I get that they tweak the course probably a little every year, but there just wasn’t much to go on. The only reason I bring this up from the start is that I felt like some course info would have drastically changed how I ran the race.
My final stats ended up at 11.95 miles and 5,100 vertical feet in 3 hours and 37 minutes. On the surface, that sounds like quite a bit. I’m proud of running right through feeling good and with very minimal skin issues. The most interesting feeling about the end of the race is that I felt like I could have gone quite a bit faster. I finished feeling strong and ready for another loop on the course. Unlike Eldora, I wasn’t sick this time. My breathing was relatively under control and my glide skins were truly gliding.
The reality about this course is that it is a very flat 5,000 vertical feet. The first two climbs are spent on grades that are nearly runnable, and the steepest climb was set with a perfect low angle kick turn track so it also ended up feeling much easier than it probably was. Needless to say, I’m happy I know what to expect now.
The toughest part of this race was probably the downhill. Each of the ski segments involved chunky, mildly heavy snow with rocks, stumps and small trees all over. This is truly the biggest unknown each year I would guess. The climbing was straight forward and they just need some good coverage to get racers around the track on the downhills.
I feel good about my finish and I feel good knowing that I can go faster. Even in my current state, I could go faster. Next year, after 12 months of dedicated training, I know I will go faster and that is nice to be able to say. I’m very excited to head back to Sunlight for their 13th iteration of the race.
On top of the new course, I did risk trying out some new fuel for the race. Other than sour snakes (courtesy of Maggie from the Denver Zoo gift shop) I was mostly powered by Moonvalley Endurance Fuel in a soft flask and Moonvalley Fuel Bar. I’m extremely impressed with what they have made, love the taste, and love how it kept me moving.
I think that is all the rambling I have for now.