I just got home from the USAC Marathon National Championships in Breckenridge, CO. This is the 2nd year they’ve held Marathon Nationals at this high altitude venue. The race course is two laps on a 25 mile technical, high alpine course. It’s fabulous terrain and one of the best run races I’ve done, but the altitude is a huge factor. The race starts around 9500 ft in the town of Breckenridge and tops out above 11,000 ft. The 800 athletes roll out as the start of the 4th of July parade with hundreds of people lining the streets in their lawn chairs, cheering as we cruise by in our lycra.

Flying by…see the front wheel not even touching the ground. Photo courtesy of Liam Doran

This year the pro women’s field was stacked with Colorado hard women Sari Andersen, Jari Kirkland and Gretchen Reeves along with pro XC racers Heather Irmiger, Monique Sawicki and two time Olympian Mary McConneloug. The start heads straight uphill for 8 miles and the cross country racers went out hot. I struggled on that first climb, but found a rhythm that I could sustain in the thin air. The course was in great condition due to recent rains, but the sharp rocks were stopping a lot of riders with flats. I was surprised to pass Mary near the end of the first lap as she fixed a flat. I came through the first lap 10 minutes faster than my time last year. There were no time splits available, so I did not know what place I was in or how far ahead anyone else was. I was racing in a bit of a bubble not knowing the standings. Starting the 2nd lap, I could see a couple pro women in front of me on the long climb. I ended up passing 3 pro women on the 2nd lap and finishing the race in 6th place. I was just a few minutes out of the 5th place spot, but I was happy with my performance. I had a clean, solid race and my overall time was 15 minutes faster than last year. I was also well ahead of some of my main ultra endurance competitors. I gathered more points in the USA Cycling Ultra Endurance series and extended my lead to over 100 points.

The course is beautiful but the thin air sure makes it hard. Photo courtesy of Liam Doran.

This was my last race before 24 Worlds in Canmore, Canada, and it was a great tune up and gauge of my form. Next on the agenda is a week long trip to Snowbird, UT for the Specialized Global Dealer Event. I’ll be there meeting and riding with Specialized dealers from around the world and checking out all the new gear from Specialized. It will also be my own little high altitude training camp and my final prep for Canmore.

By Rebecca Rusch