BoSho 2013 Report and All Time Stats

Belated as it is, 2+ weeks post race, I thought I would put down a few thoughts about the 2013 edition of the BoSho or The Bonneville Shoreline Marathon if you prefer.

The BoSho has become a rite of passage to spring for me and a good assessment of overall fitness before the running season kicks into gear. This year marked the 14th edition and saw more trail enthusiasts than any prior edition.

I'll be posting more statistics in the following week over at: Wasalpstriders.

Like many others I spend a great deal of time on these trails through the winter and having the opportunity to spend a few hours with friends on the same trails brings a smile to my face every year. Perhaps the biggest smile of the day came when John and Carol Maack crossed the line together. Great to see you back John!

As the title says this will be a report as well as a look into the all-time stats of this run that started in 2000. My love of the BoSho came back in 2006 (the overall slowest race to date) when a late winter storm brought two feet of snow the Thursday before. Of course it was a mess on race day but I had so much fun I couldn't resist coming back for more.

The 2013 edition of the BoSho snuck up on me a little bit this year with my late start to the running season and a one week earlier start. Given the circumstances I adjusted my expectations and decided to dial the pace back a bit from the previous two years. The new goal would be to stay under 4hrs 30mins and not injure myself in the process. Easier said than done, as I stayed with the lead group from the start through the first 5 miles or so, fully aware that I was running too fast for the pace I had committed to.

Slowly I succumbed to my current fitness level and let Ben, Collin, Drew, Robert and Kevin go. The rest of the day I tried in vain to keep a steady pace but unless I was climbing I didn't feel like I was moving very efficiently, obviously feeling the effects of ski touring all winter and not running. Every once and a while I would get passed by someone doing a much better job at pacing themselves and occasionally I would catch an early starter, always giving and receiving encouragement which kept it fun throughout the day. Eventually I  crossed the line 4:25 and other than some tight hamstrings reached my goal for the day.

Overall I was pleased and of course had a great time hanging out at the finish catching up with everyone. But there was one thing that got me thinking and that was the fact I had taken 9th place. There is no denying it, this run is getting fast. In year's past a time under 4.5 hours would guarantee you a spot in the top 5. This year breaking the 4.5 barrier had Mick Jurynec and Bryce Astill finishing in 11th, still a very respectable time but just outside the top 10. So I decided to dig into the data a bit and look at the progression of what has become the most competitive bandit run along the Wasatch front.

Over the next week or so I'll highlight a particular statistic dealing with the BoSho over at the Wasalpstriders blog, including participation, who has the most finishes, the top 20 fastest times (both male and female) and the progression of faster times over the years.

BoSho 2012 Marathon Report

Once again the BoSho Marathon proved to be the preferred event of the day with a record number of participants (128) and finishers (103). Special thanks to John, Dan, Brian and Bob for organizing such a flawless fun run for the 13th year in a row. Also thanks to the other volunteers that helped with flagging and filling water bottles. Results can be found over at the new Wasalpstriders blog.

Coming into this year I had some high expectations after going under the 4 hour mark in 2011. The plan was to try and replicate the same race and maybe go just a little faster. When I arrived at the start I couldn't believe how many people were there, it was awesome.

After receiving our instructions for the day we were off. I assumed the lead on the first climb with Mick Jurynec right behind me. As we descended down to Red Butte I glanced back and thought I saw Mr. Krupicka chasing us but it was new runner to the Wasatch, Adrian Shipley. The three of us arrived back at the first aid station together where I picked up my extra water bottle and dropped my shirt off. Heading up Dry Creek we were still pretty close together with Adrian right on my shoulder. I got the sense he would like to go faster so I pulled off and let him go ahead. My legs were feeling a little heavy but I felt I was still holding a good pace. By the time we hit the back Dry Creek he had a handful of seconds on us and ran the full length of the rocky drainage. When we hit the real climb, Unkle F@#*r, he had a few more seconds and then I watched as he ran the first steep part. I continued to glance up from time to time while I was in fast hike mode and Adrian continued to run all the way to the top. I was in disbelief. When I finally reached the top I calculated he had put two minutes on us.

The descent down to Morris reservoir and the next aid station was a bit faster than I remember from the previous year and sure enough, when we hit the aid station we were nearly five minutes ahead of last years splits and Adrian was still two minutes ahead. The warmer than usual morning gave way to the real heat on the climb out of City Creek. Mick and I were still together with Adrian in front, when Kevin shilling came flying by us about halfway up the climb. I was pretty stoked to see Kevin having such a good day after having the bad ankle last year. The gaps stayed pretty constant all the way to the North Salt Lake bench where Mick and I were now in 3rd and 4th with Kevin chasing Adrian.

As Mick and I climbed up and over Meridian we maintained the same gap, but I could tell Kevin was closing on Adrian. By the time we gained the rolling ridge line they were out of sight and I could only assume that Kevin had caught Adrian and they were both pushing the pace up front. The long descent into City Creek is something I usually look forward to but my shoes had blown out the sides (Montrail Bajadas, review coming soon) and my feet had been moving around too much causing blisters to develop on my heels. Mick and I still rolled the City Creek section nicely and ended up back at Morris and the aid station right on last year's split.

The climb out of Morris felt slow and the watch confirmed it as we hit 5 points at the 3:28 mark. Sub 4 was still possible but not with the way my legs felt and the blisters growing by the second on my heels. After about a mile and a half I told Mick that if he wanted to break 4 hours he was going to have to go and that's exactly what he did, reaching the finish with 10 seconds to spare and nearly catching Adrian in the process. I rolled it in for 4th in 4:03 and I was pleased with the effort. Storheim followed in 5th just a few seconds off his time from 2011. The temperature reached the high 70's, which isn't exactly scorching, but the heat was definitely a factor as it was the hottest day we have seen this year.

No doubt about it, the times are coming down and getting more competitive. The fact that 3 guys went under 4 hours is pretty incredible, but the real shocker is the fact that 5 women went under the 5 hour mark with Megan winning and setting a new course record in 4:20! Perhaps it was the mild winter that produced some fast spring legs or maybe there are just more runners getting out and dancing on the trails. Congratulations to all that finished the toughest and best marathon in Salt Lake and good luck on the rest of your season...

Bosho Marathon Report

For me the Bosho marathon represents the true end of winter. It’s also chance to catch up with friends and meet some new ones in a low-key setting. And finally, to me at least, it represents what trail running is all about, enjoying the trails with some of the friendliest people around, fellow trail runners. Thank you to those who cannot be named for everything you do to keep the Bosho alive.

Two years ago I had some pretty good race fitness heading into the Bosho and I came out of it with a PR of 4:12 and a distant 2nd place to Karl Meltzer (note that a number of strong runners went off course early that year). Ever since then I’ve really wanted to break the 4 hour mark at the Bosho and with even better fitness this time around I thought it might be possible.

After a few words of advice from our faithful RD’s we were sent on our way. The pace was really nice and easy to start, just rolling along the double track and talking with friends. Then we hit the first climb and Karl made a quick pass in front of me. I tucked in behind him as my breathing rate increased and we immediately had a gap to the rest of the field. Up and over the first significant climb I was feeling good and didn’t really feel stressed at all. Descending down into Georges Hollow I noticed how quickly Karl was moving and I had to push to keep up. About that same time my toe hooked a rock and I went flying into dirt. Mid-flight I was already angry with myself and by the time I touched down I was over it as I watched Karl run down the drainage (his headphones were on and he didn’t hear me fall). By the time we reached the road crossing I had caught back up and realized my sunglasses were missing from head. My heart rate monitor strap also came loose so I tore it off and dropped it at the start/finish area as we passed through in 37 minutes.

The next obstacle was Dry Creek and Dry Fork with the long climb up Unkle (or Black Mtn Ridge if you prefer) and the drainages were anything but dry this year. We made no effort to try and tiptoe around the stream crossings in the beginning as we knew that we would soon be trudging through an icy stream in Dry Fork. I certainly don’t mind running with wet feet, but frozen feet are a different story and I was happy when we hit dry land for the final ascent up to the ridge. Karl made a quick pit stop and I assumed the lead as I crested the ridge and started the long descent. Slowly the blood flow returned to my feet and I looked back down the climb to see a large pack of runners on the last pitch of the climb only a few minutes back. Karl easily caught back up before we hit the aid station at mile 9 and by the time we hit Morris Meadow at 9.5 we were at 1:29. My pre-race pacing plan had the meadow at 1:20, so I became a little concerned about breaking 4 hours at this point and picked up the pace as we crossed the meadow.

Back in 2009 I had done this northern loop in 1:40, but that’s when it was the beginning, not 10 miles in. This year the plan was to cover it in 1:50 since I figured fatigue would have an effect on pace by this point. I continued to press the pace all the way to the radio towers where I had opened a small gap to Karl. Up and over the crest I spotted Le Car with it’s fabulous new paint job and picked up a rock. My aim was perfect for once but the rock fell short by a few feet and I was actually happy about not hitting it this time around. By the time we hit the North Salt Lake bench Karl had easily closed the gap as we started the long descent up to Meridian Peak. I could tell the extra climbing I’ve been doing this year was paying off as I assumed the lead and felt strong. Karl would have none of it though and took the lead shortly before the long descent back into the canyon.

Toward the bottom we had a quick exchange and I let him know my intentions about breaking 4 hours. His reaction was awesome, because from that point on it seemed like Karl’s mission was to help me get my goal. The pace he set was steady and fast as we hit the climb back up to the meadow. At the top I glanced at my watch and was astonished to see we had covered the loop in 1:38. My confidence was restored as I had my bottle re-filled by Olaf at the aid station and started the climb up to 5 points with Karl right behind me.

By the time we hit 5 points I was ready to just roll a nice and steady pace along the BST back to the finish. I knew I had a bit of a buffer on the 4 hour goal at this point, with 35 mins left to cover the remainder of the course, but that wasn’t good enough as Karl encouraged me to run harder. I pressed harder than I had all day, hitting my absolute limit and feeling everything start to hurt. It was awesome. Back in Dry (wet) creek I could feel my hamstring on the verge of cramping but I wouldn’t give up as Karl was right behind me, pushing me to go faster. We started the last little climb to the upper BST and I was in survival mode as Karl assumed the lead. I gamely held on as the last descent started but I couldn’t go any faster as Karl opened up his stride and put about 10 seconds on me. I was slightly bummed at first, but as I looked up I noticed Karl had stopped short of the finish line and was looking back for me. He waited until I approached and we crossed the line together, stopping the clock just a few seconds before 3:56. Between the weather, the trail conditions and the company on the trail I couldn’t have asked for more.

Erik was next to cross the line a few minutes back, followed by a few other guys heading to Hardrock in July, including David Hayes and Ben Corrales. Jason Berry, Bryon Powell and Jeff Gerke were in the top 10 along with Peter and Greg but I don’t know the order off the top of my head. Roger snuck in ahead of Jill to even the score for this year, followed a short time later by Cheryl. That’s when I started to grow a little anxious as I knew Betsy wouldn’t be too much later, unless of course the wheels had completely come off. She was hoping to go under 7 hours but I thought 6:30 was more feasible. Next thing I knew I saw her flying down the hill and stopping the clock just under 6 hours. I’m so proud of her.

Thanks again to those that make this possible, it’s one of the true gems on the calendar.

Le MRC

Sometimes you need a target, a goal, something to aim at, something to work towards. It should be fun to try to hit, but difficult. Hitting the target should ring true in your ear. After, as you run down the trail with a small feeling of satisfaction, knowing there will be hills to climb, you will remember that the targets were set with friends. The type of friends that meet you at 4 AM on a cold dark morning in the middle of winter, dreaming of some far off run through the mountains of who knows where, ready for whatever adventure awaits.

Good luck to all you bandit racers. Let one fly on Saturday, you will be glad you did.