Saturday 3 May 2014

Taking on The North Face Endurance Challenge - Bear Mountain 50km Trail Race

James at the Bear Mountain 50km

On May 3rd, Steve and James made their way to Bear Mountain, New York for The North Face Endurance Challenge 50km trail race. Nathalie was also all set and in fine form to do the race, but unfortunately she had to drop out at the last minute due to a family emergency.  This was our first "real" trail run of the season, since every run in the trails up to this point had been mostly running on snow and slush, with the occasional small patch of mud... Steve and James started out together in Wave 2, with James pulling away slightly a few kms into the race since Steve was racing with a pack full of camera gear, water, and food. 

As the race wore on, both Steve and James were well positioned within the top 10, until Steve had the misfortune of rolling his ankle in the rocky terrain. He would continue on in the race, only to roll the same ankle two more times. Amazingly, he still managed to pull off an 18th place overall finish, despite his injury. James was very surprised to find himself in 6th place coming into Aid Station 2. He managed to keep a steady pace throughout the race and cross the finish line in 3rd place overall.

This was a very challenging race that ranks among the most difficult and technical courses in The North Face Endurance Challenge race series. Thanks to our sponsors -Nuun Hydration,  2XU compression clothing, The North Face, and Swiftwick socks for keeping the body performing very well from start to finish!

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