Eagle Valley runner wins International U18 Mountain Running Cup title
Dylan Blair followed in his sister's footsteps by winning the international trail race
U.S. Mountain Running Team/Courtesy photo
Dylan Blair claimed individual gold at the 18th edition of the International U18 Mountain Running Cup on June 14. Blair — whose older sister, Joslin, also won the U18 title back in 2018 — blasted the mostly uphill 5.8-kilometer course at Park Snow Donovaly in Central Slovakia in 27 minutes, 25 seconds to win the boys race by 75 seconds over Italy’s Francesco Gianola. Spain’s Yeray Hernandez Rojas (28:59) rounded out the podium.
“I just took it right out from the gun,” Blair told U.S. Mountain Running Team media. The Eagle Valley senior, who finished third at the event last year, was in second during the early stages of the race but moved into the lead at the top of the first major rise. He gapped the 64-athlete field on one of the few downhill opportunities provided by the course, which climbed a total of 513 meters.
“I think it was a really good plan for me to go out harder and just trying to keep moving,” Blair said. “I knew at the end of the course everyone would all be dying, and so was I. I can’t feel my legs. They feel like two concrete pillars.”
Blair said the race up the famed ski hill was the hardest he’s ever done by far.
“I’ve never raced anything like this. It was terrible,” he said before adding with a smile, “I was not having fun. That hurt.”
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Blair’s twin brother, Tyler, finished seventh (29:50) to help the U.S. earn the team bronze medal. The top-three finishers from each nation contributed to the team scoring. Italy (21) won the title, with Spain (24) coming in a close second within the 18-nation field. Led by fellow Colorado high school harriers Sky St. Louis and Brenna Jorde, the American women placed fourth, just three points off the podium.
“I am so proud of this team. Every team member pushed themselves and never gave up. They each faced different challenges on one of the toughest U18 courses I have ever seen, but they all rose to the occasion,” Team USA staff member Paul Kirsch said in a statement posted on the American Trail Running Association website. “It was also just a great group of kids. They were competitors, but they were also ambassadors for their country — being kind, professional and gracious.”
Dylan Blair is next headed to Eugene, Oregon, to compete at Nike Outdoor Nationals June 19-22. He’s coming off a spring in which he set school records in the two-mile (9:03.22), in-state (9:11.08) and sea-level 3200-meter runs (9:07.93) and the in-state 1600-meter (4:20.97) run. At the 4A state track meet in May, Blair ran a 12-second personal best in the 3200-meters to place seventh.
On the trail side, the Eagle Valley harriers will compete at the National High School Trail Championships in Salida on July 26. The Devils have a history of success at the festival, claiming the girls title behind a 1-2 finish from Joslin and Samantha Blair in 2019 and claiming the boys title in 2023.
