Runners rave over inaugural Cougar Ridge Classic 26k

Beth Pappas said she was nervous to call the first rendition of the Vail Recreation District’s 26-kilometer point-to-point trail race a “classic.”

“But judging by the feedback I’ve heard, I think the race lived up to its name,” the sports event and partnership director said.

Indeed. Runners from all over raved about Saturday’s inaugural Cougar Ridge Classic. Only the locals, however, signed the winner’s checks. Josh Smith and Genevieve Harrison won the men’s and women’s individual titles, respectively, in the dash from Lionshead Village in Vail to Minturn. 

“The goal today was just to really find some joy and competition — and I did that and it was really beautiful out there,” said Harrison. The Eagle ultra star covered the course, which included 3,265 feet of climbing, in 2 hours, 32 minutes and 47 seconds. Boulder’s Megan Cooke finished 39 seconds back and Vail’s Ali Bender (2:35:44) rounded out the podium.

Harrison, who has been running for the ON Trail Team the last couple years, was coming off a 51st-place finish at Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc on Aug. 30. The French ultra is widely considered to be the hardest and most prestigious 100-mile race on the planet and the 37-year-old mother of two said she had to dig deep just to finish.

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“I had to tap into something other than racing. And I’m really proud that I went ahead and finished even though it wasn’t my time goal,” she said. “But I will be back. Now that I know the course, I’m really excited to put in the work and do it again.”

Saturday’s race served as her tune-up for the Moab Trail Marathon in November.

“I did what I could today,” she said. “I really enjoyed the climbs. The descent was really kind of hard for me, but I made it to the finish line.”

Smith, meanwhile, kept this writer from being the hero of his own story, erasing a 90-second deficit at the course’s 10,979-foot high point over the course of the Cougar Ridge singetrack’s swooping downhills.

“I was thinking, crap he’s got a big gap and I think he thinks this singletrack is more technical than it is, so I need to close this a little bit,” Smith said of his mid-race mindset. The 38-year-old Vail resident showcased the nimble footwork and technical descending skills that won him three races during the Vail Recreation District’s trail series this summer, definitively moving into first over the large boulder section immediately preceding Minturn Road — less than a mile from the tape.

“I was happy because the rec district did an awesome job. They obviously put a ton of effort into it,” Smith said after crossing the line in 2:03:09 for an 18-second victory. “It’s fun for me to be able to win; hopefully they can keep it going.” 

Marshall Graybill, son of Kay Graybill — a member of the 1996 USATF world mountain running championship team — came through in third place in 2:05:07. Graybill, a phenomenal skimo athlete and cyclist who won the Lenado and Bells/Ashcroft road races and the Ride for the Pass this summer, said his strategy was to “not breathe hard until the summit.”

“I think it was a very reasonable pace at the start,” the PhD student out of Boulder said. “Me (and Smith) stuck together until basically the top of the climb. The aid station workers’ costumes right before the traverse kept me going for a long time.” 

The Cougar Ridge Classic was a project four years in the making, Pappas said.

“Between Forest Service permits and approvals from Vail Resorts and both the Towns of Vail and Minturn, it took awhile to get everyone on board,” said Pappas. “And it took even longer to get all the logistics and details organized while also producing our existing events and programs.”

When it came to fruition, trail running series regulars were thrilled.

“I jumped on it,” said Frank Holmes, a pathologist who just bought a home in Vail. “It’s a way to extend the running season into this beautiful fall season we have. It’s a challenge — I was all for it.”

Holmes got into the sport via the Vail Recreation District series in 2008.

“I absolutely love it. It’s a fabulous series,” the 55-year-old said. “You get to know people, the camaraderie is fabulous.”

While the majority of the 141-person field was Colorado-based, runners poured in from San Diego to New York City and everywhere in-between. Representatives from Las Vegas, Nevada, Ketchum, Idaho, South Park, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin toed the line at Lionshead at 7 a.m. Denver 16-year-old Justin Schwartzreich was the youngest amongst them while 66-year-olds Holly Rainville of Red Cliff and Richard Simonson of Erie were the oldest. No matter the age or hometown, the reviews were similar: the race rocked.

“It was super beautiful,” said Arthur Whitehead, a skimo racer who came over from Summit. “Good variety of climbing and descending and awesome views.”

“The views of Holy Cross were insane and also the colors out here — amazing. It’s so beautiful. It was an insane trail,” said Milly Ames, who technically listed her home as Durham, North Carolina, though she is now a full-time Minturn resident. The 26-year-old was passing through Minturn two months ago on the way to run the Silverton Alpine 50k and stopped into The Bunkhouse.

“Met a bunch of lovely people and then decided to come back and work here,” she said. “I love it. There’s not a day that’s gone by where I haven’t been stoked to be here.”

Part and parcel to the seemingly unanimous approval was the event concurring with a crisp, sunny day and picturesque leaf-peeping peak. 

“Could not have picked a better leaf and weather day,” Smith said before smiling and adding, “Sad there wasn’t as much time to take a look.”

“That was the most unbelievably beautiful course in terms of views that I’ve ever run,” added Sarah Hochtl, who was second in her age group and 26th overall.

“We were so lucky the weather and the fall color peak coincided with race day,” Pappas said.

The event featured a $2,000 prize purse as well as age-group trophies and raffle giveaways. The post-race party vibed well into the afternoon as athletes enjoyed refreshments, North Side Kitchen donuts, a shaded tent for foam rolling and free lunch coupons for any Minturn establishment. There was also a cash prize given to the best aid station, voted on by runners at the finish line. 

The enthusiasm of Small Champions — the local nonprofit which empowers Eagle County youth challenged with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities — at aid station 1, which offered fresh bacon 1.5 miles into the race, captivated the crowd and earned top-billing.

“Everyone at the aid stations was awesome,” Ames said.

Pappas said the vision for the Cougar Ridge Classic has always been “community-inspired” and “athlete-focused.”

“And I feel like we achieved that,” she stated. “Between the collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service, Vail Resorts and Vail Mountain Rescue Group; the support from the Town of Vail and Minturn; the nonprofit groups running the aid stations and the positivity of the runners and spectators, I feel like the event really showcased the best of our community.”

It might go against the traditional ethics of journalism to quote myself in this story, but I’ll just add one word to appropriately summarize the experience: “Classic.”