The San Juan Solstice is a 50 mile race starting and finishing in Lake City that has been running since 1995. This race has been on my radar for the last couple years and once I knew about it, the SJS50 was definitely high up on my bucket list. Ever since volunteering at Hardrock in 2021 I have taken every chance I can get to spend time in those mountains and get familiar with the brutal terrain and high elevation. There are 3 major climbs and descents that make up the SJS50 and I shared the majority of the first climb with my friend John T. Sharp. We caught up while making our way through what felt like 10 or so river crossings. Once above treeline I started to move up in the field as I am all too familiar with snow fields and off trail running with the spring conditions we've had here in Utah this season. From Carson all the way through the CDT section up high, I was able to move well and continued to pick people off even while struggling to calm my stomach. The second big climb was a beast and at just 26 miles we had already climbed a total of over 9,000ft. After making my way down to Slumgullion aid station I slammed down some coke and a few popsicles before taking off for the 3rd big climb. This is the smallest of the 3 climbs, but it stole my soul. I definitely hadn't gotten enough calories throughout the day and that was starting to rear its ugly head. I thought to myself "Am I really going to have to walk this in?" The answer was a resounding "NO!" After cresting the final climb I started running again down the last descent into town and had a strong final 5 miles considering how I was feeling. I crossed the line in 14:09:XX and was lucky enough to have my beautiful wife waiting for me when I finished! I absolutely loved running this race and feel very lucky to have spent 50 miles out in the San Juans with all the other runners. This race is tough and the high elevation definitely took its toll on me. The trails are rugged, when you're on a trail, the snow fields are steep and the climbs are long. I wasn't ever really in no mans land which was kind of nice and the aid stations were PROPER! Thank you to the RDs, volunteers and whoever else has a hand in making this race happen! Time to rest a little and refocus on the goal of finishing the Fat Dog 120 in August!

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