Runners take to the trails in Back to Nature Run

When Silver Mountain hosts a race, it is usually expected to be a bike race of some sort. That was not the case on Sunday, as a pack of almost 300 runners took to the muddy trails on Kellogg and Wardner Peaks to compete in the Back to Nature Trail Running Series, organized by Negative Split.

This inaugural event was a huge success, according to Negative Split’s Ryan Hite.

“This race has one of the most challenging and rewarding courses in the region. The views are truly spectacular and runners should feel proud of their achievement finishing this year’s race,” he said. “We are excited to make this an annual tradition for runners in our region.”

The race consisted of three distances: 6 kilometers for beginners, 9 kilometers for intermediates, and a grueling 18 kilometers for the more advanced runners. All three races started and finished at the mountain house, with the race courses traversing through varying terrain of mud, rocks, and roots. While there was no smoke, runners had to deal with a brisk 45 degree morning at the beginning of the first race.

Silver Mountain is looking forward to hosting the event again in the future.

“We were thrilled to add this new event to our robust summer event schedule,” says Silver Mountain event coordinator Gus Colburn. “We believe it’s important to offer a variety of events so people of all interests and abilities can experience and enjoy the mountain.”

This event comes one week after Brewsfest 2021, an annual Silver Mountain tradition that has been running since the summer of 1996.

Local medals in age groups and distance include:

Sean Murphy — 1st in 9K Male 35-39

Kyla Berendzen — 2nd in 9K Female 30-34

Becky Schoonmaker — 2nd in 6K Female 45-49

Kathy Mercado — 2nd in 6K Female 60-64

Marcy Hasz — 3rd in 6K Female 60-64