Going The Distance

Long runs are the staple of any competitive distance runner. They are bread and butter, the cornerstone, the groundwork needed for success. "Big Smokey" - a 11.8 and 9.8 mile long run over hill and dale has long been a key workout of our Mammoth camp.

Under cool skies this morning, our kids truly went the distance. For the first time in King XC's 8 years of running Big Smokey, this was the first time we had every runner finish the course, not one "DNF" in the bunch.

The course is a test of mind and body. Rarely does it go flat, only in the last 1.5 miles does the terrain act nicely, but then that stretch turns into a mental war, as the waiting vans look tantalizingly close yet are still so far away. Up the hills and down and across the lonely stretches on the backside of the mountain, the runner is challenged to stay focused, to think of strength and perseverence, to press on.