2006 XTERRA Snowbird Scramble

RESULTS 

(Salt Lake City) UTAH - The Snowbird Scramble literally rocked as racers scrambled over rock strewn single track, summer roads, mountain meadows, creeks, bridges, and even a few hundred yards of paved trail at Snowbird Summer and Ski Resort in the Wasatch Mountains.  The 8000+ feet of elevation didn't slow things down as the winner, Daniel Moody, brought home the 10K in 34:31 and his brother, Devin Moody, won the 5K in 18:18.  Kelly Milligan seems unstoppable as she pocketed another women's top finish and took 5th place overall with a time of 41:03.

Having an XTERRA Scramble at Snowbird is really quite a treat. The dramatic change in scenery, elevation, and temperature such a few short miles from downtown Salt Lake City is amazing.  The Alps style Tram deck served as host along with the Snowbird Blue Grass Festival so there were eye popping visuals and ear tickling folk songs. The entire landscape brought the RUN WILD attitude to full tilt when both the 5k and 10k started at precisely 9am. 

The 5k (and the first half of the 10k) immediately had you questioning yourself for the first mile was a slight downhill the whole way begging you to think, "What goes down, must come up!" It's like the XTERRA credit card, buy now, pay later!  To avoid any interest you had to run, scramble, or crawl up the brand new trail that Clark Slagle put in to connect the BABY THUNDER chair lift to the White Pine Connector Trail, great stuff and primitive to say the least.  Once on the White Pine connector trail, it was a feast for the senses all the way back to the finish. White water mountain streams, blooming lupine, snow capped mountain tops, and nothing but the pounding of your heart reminding you that you ARE EXPERIENCING LIFE, and the faint sounds of the banjo skills contest.

The intrepid souls that signed up for the full 10k had something different in store for them besides the finish line and blue grass music. They had the Dick Bass Highway, the reverse of the first loop.  The Dick Bass Highway, topping 8,000 feet stressed your lungs and your heart rate all the way to the top. Everybody had heart today as everyone who started…. finished.  Once off the Dick Bass Highway, you are hit with the view that could take your breath away if it hadn't been already.  To your left and right are snow topped mountains, in front of you, blasting you in the face is the hot air rising from Salt Lake City, and as you look down the Little Cottonwood Creek you can see the city 4,000 feet below.

The Snowbird Scramble doubled the number of runners from the first Scramble in the Utah Scramble Series, and with online registration getting action plenty of action everyday; it looks like the trend will continue with the Mountain View Scramble.

A big, warm, and heartfelt thank you to the wonderful staff at Snowbird, to the Ski Team Volunteers, and to all the people who braved the beauty and splendor of Snowbird for a trail run!  We will see you in a few weeks at the Mountain View Scramble.  Visit utahscramble.com for registration and more information. Mahalo!

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