Dramatic women’s Adidas Terrex 10K trail race comes down to the wire

Courtney Coppinger and Dani Moreno were throwing haymakers right down the final singletrack in the adidas Terrex 10K Spring Runoff on the last day of the Mountain Games in Vail.

“It was dramatic,” said Moreno, who was competing in just her second race in nine months coming off a fractured foot.

Feeling fatigue from her fourth-place finish at the 2025 USATF Mountain Running Championships last Sunday in New Hampshire, Coppinger decided to hold back on the initial climb from the base of Gondola One.

“I didn’t know what my legs were going to have,” the former NCAA steeplechase All-American said after Sunday’s event. Eventually, she pulled away … until Moreno reappeared on the final ascent up Berry Picker.

“And then we duked it out the whole last mile,” Coppinger said. “It was really awesome to actually compete.”

Support Local Journalism

Donate

The pair traded places five times over the last 7 minutes, with Moreno taking the lead into the final downhill stretch.

“There’s one point where you come out of the trees and it opens up for a second for someone to pass,” Moreno said. “And that’s where she passed me.”

Coppinger crossed the finish in 50 minutes, 00.7 seconds, with Moreno doing the same eight seconds later. Afterwards, Moreno felt a mix of emotions — from initial relief to bittersweet aftertaste to a final sense of satisfaction.

“I’m just getting back into it and Courtney is one of the best in the world right now,” the 33-year-old Mammoth Lakes runner said. “She’s super fast and great on downhills, so in that case, I’m taking this as a big leap forward.”

Mountain Games Athlete Team member Lara Hamilton (52:00.4) rounded out the podium. The 27-year-old Australian skimo Olympic hopeful and part-time DJ was thrilled to see some of her winter fitness carry over to the dirt.

“It was a little rough climbing, but my descents today were awesome and I had a lot of fun,” she said. Hamilton took advantage of being a member of the inaugural nine-person team by connecting with athletes from various sports at concerts and photo shoots throughout the four-day outdoor celebration.

“This weekend’s been way more than just running and competing,” she said.

Over 130 women competed in the 10K, with another 31 finishing the 20K and 250 men and women participating in the rescheduled 5K. Nederland’s Jane Maus (1:46:52.1) ran away with the 20K victory as Boulder’s Hillary Allen (1:52:15.4) finished second and Dillon runner Natalie Kalin (1:53:04.0) took the bronze. Avon’s Alison Schlichting and Katherine Becker finished 23rd and 24th, respectively, as the top Eagle County runners. Tammy Jacques, 59 years old, was the top local in the 10K, coming in 16th.

Coppinger, who doubled back to win Pepi’s Face-Off a few hours after her trail run win, plans to stay in the Vail Valley for the summer. She hopes the altitude stint will prepare for the Aug. 2 Golden Trail Series event in Austria. Does her stay mean she’ll show up at the Vail Hill Climb in July?

“TBD — we’ll see,” she said with an interested smile.

Moreno, a two-time world championship qualifier, still believes there’s more world-class performances — and hopefully, podiums — in her future.

“But honestly, (I’m) just trying to respect the journey back. I appreciate the valleys as much as the peaks,” she said before adding that today was a “step forward.”

“I don’t think I’m quite at the point I want to be at,” she said. “I believe I’ve got some big wins in me and this is just another chapter in the book.”