MTC Weekly News: 7/20/15

This week's Montana trail running news -


Emily Linton marching to victory - Credit: Babak Rastgoufard

Devil's Backbone 50: Just 20 people finished this rugged 50 miler in the Gallatin Range, but among those finishers came a disproportionate number ready to fly. Missoula's Emily Linton finished on top among the women in 10:56. Her time not only broke the race's longstanding course record (Zanna Drobnik 11:21, 2006) but also placed her 6th overall. Among the men, David Ayala continued his winning ways (2015 victories at both Bighorn 52 and Bangtail Divide 38K) to tie Seth Swanson's 2013 Devil's Backbone course record in 8:24. The 33rd year-old Ayala next toes the line in 3 weeks at the Bridger Ridge Run where he'll compete against past champions and some solid local mountain runners. Check back to MTC for a preview of that classic.

Eiger Ultra Trail 100K: Missoula's Jeremy Wolf and MSU Alum Jason Schlarb traveled to the Swiss Alps to take on what Wolf called "the hardest 14 hours of my life, but also some of the most beautiful and rewarding." Schlarb finished 2nd overall only minutes back from the winner. Wolf took 20th.

Jeff Rome and Kristina Pattison - Credit: Myke Hermsmeyer

Audi Power of Four: In the Vertical K Missoulian Jeff Rome and soon-to-be Missoulian Greg Friedman both landed in the top ten of this U.S. Skyrunner Series event, which took place on Saturday. Rome finished 6th, while Friedman took 9th. In the accompanying 50K on Sunday, Rome doubled back to take 12th overall while fellow Missoulian Kristina Pattison finished 8th among women just two places behind Missoulian-to-be Amy Friedman.

Kendall Mountain Run 12 Miler: Missoula's Forrest Boughner finished 9th overall at this highly competitive U.S. Skyrunner race put on by Aravaipa Running in Colorado's San Juan Mountains.

The Rut: If you're running The Rut and haven't started training yet, you better get on it. There's no better way to go about this than picking the brains of the masterminds behind the race, Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe. Here's what Race Director Foote has to say:

Rut Prep Night at The Runner's Edge in Missoula on Thursday July 30th at 7PM. This will be an informal evening to go over many of the main aspects of the Rut races as you head into your final 5 weeks of prepping for your event. Race directors Mike Foote and Mike Wolfe will go over the various courses and we will have a former Rut Aid Station captain to speak about the good, the bad, and the ugly he witnessed on the front lines the last couple years to give some insight into some successful, or not so successful strategies, seen on the course. Also, there will be a Q & A session to help quiet any concerns, while maybe creating some new ones;) Regardless, we are excited to share what we can and want to help you all be ready for the challenge this Labor Day weekend as much as possible! See you on the 30th!

Mountain Monday: Our group runs are most likely on hold until September. If someone wants to pick up the slack and would like us to post about it, let us know and we'll spread the word.