Eagle County runners claim wins as nearly 250 runners participate in Arrowhead Half Marathon and 5K

The Arrowhead Half Marathon on Aug. 23 featured a fierce fight at the front between two Eagle County runners. In the end, Josh Smith’s bid for a 3-peat would not be denied.

“For me, my goal is always to go hard and really suffer — and measure myself against some fast guys,” Smith said. “It was successful on all fronts.”

The Vail runner and recreation district trail series regular took the crown at the longest event of the town series last Saturday. After a back-and-forth battle with Jason Macaluso, the 39-year-old Smith — who also won the inaugural Cougar Ridge Classic last fall and has topped the series list multiple times — crossed the finish in 1 hour, 33 minutes and 12 seconds.

Macaluso earned runner-up honors in 1:34:56 as Denver’s Will Baldwin (1:42:15) rounded out the podium.

“Jason was really tough,” Smith said. “He was strong on the steep and the road climbs. We went back and forth the entire race.”

Support Local Journalism

Donate

Edwards runner Alli Bender (1:54:32) won the women’s division and was 14th overall. Vail’s Sarah Hochtl (1:57:16) claimed silver and Jenny Bender (2:02:29) held off 58-year-old Tammy Jacques (2:02:43) for the bronze. Battle Mountain cross-country coach T.J. Simpson topped the 5K field, blitzing the course in 22:18. He left a wave of youngsters in his wake as 12-year-old Caden Baker (24:46), 11-year-old Griffin Hood (24:56) and 13-year-old Gavin Hood (24:59) finished second, third and fourth, respectively. Simpson, who’s logged plenty of miles on the course with his Husky harriers the last couple of years, was confident in his reconnaissance; he strategized to start fast on the steep climb in the opening half mile.

“The race played out just as I had hoped,” he stated. “I was able to knockout the climb and build a solid lead for the downhill portion. There was another runner right on my heels for the first half of the climb, which definitely helped push me.”

His daughter, Zoe, was waiting at the finish line.

“My girlfriend, Kassandra, and I welcomed her into the world last December, and seeing her there cheering (with a little help) made the experience unforgettable,” said Simpson. “Huge thanks to Kassandra for getting up early and taking care of everything so I could focus on my warm-up.”

Simpson and his aunt, Erin Simpson Vega, have a friendly competition going this year to enter and finish the most Vail Recreation District races.

“So far, I think he is the winner,” said Simpson Vega, who won a Discover Vail camp chair at the Vail Hill Climb and was gunning to win a matching one for her husband at this race.

“This was my first time running the Arrowhead trails and I was impressed with the condition of the single tracks — they flowed smoothly and gently through the trees and across the ski runs, making the uphill run somewhat bearable,” she said. The 63-year-old accomplished her goal, finishing in 2:25:47 to place 53rd overall and first in her age group.

“If I can finish without tripping and falling, I am a winner,” she added.

Tasfia Azim (28:45) came all the way from Houston to claim the women’s short-course win in her trail run race debut. The 29-year-old was in town with friends who’d flown in from across the country for a trip to Colorado.

“I went into this race with the intent to enjoy my friends’ company and the views along the way. I was 100% there for fun vibes and to try something new,” she said. “I definitely did not expect to win!”

Azim didn’t have much time to acclimate to altitude, having arrived the previous day. She said she didn’t have a goal or strategy, but soon discovered her enjoyment would be predicated on speed walking the steepest hill in order to be fast on the descent. When the course tipped down, she started at a jog but picked it up in the final mile and a half.

“During my jog on the downhill portion I saw from my periphery another woman catching up to me, and I thought to myself, ‘I don’t think there is another woman ahead of me right now,'” Azim said. “And at that moment, I booked it to see if I really was in first place. I found my groove going downhill and had a big kick at the end.”

Almost 150 runners tackled the 13-mile trail half-marathon and another 100 or so hopped in the 5K event, a point-to-point net downhill course from The Ritz-Carlton to Arrowhead. The long-distance event featured the new “Quiver” trail.

“The trail is not just amazing for Arrowhead and the valley, but was an excellent addition to this race and is hopefully here to stay,” said Smith, who hopes the new single track leads to “more strategic collaboration” between Vail Valley Mountain Trail Alliance and race organizers like the Vail Recreation District.

“There is so much potential to combine the buildout of our trail system with all types of trail-based events to attract further attention and expand outdoor industry economic opportunities,” he continued. “Imagine planning our trail network not just for recreational activities for locals and our visitors, but also plan the trails with an eye at hosting things like NCAA cross-country nationals, national marathons and ultras, international mountain biking (again, like in 2005), and other events.”

“The new Quiver trail was like running on a cloud,” said Vega Simpson. “So soft and smooth you could hear your knees saying ‘thank you, thank you.'”

The Arrowhead Half Marathon, recognized by Outside Magazine as one of 12 “Road-Trip Worthy Mountain Running Races,” has been hosted at Arrowhead since 2021. Smith finished second to Joe DeMoor in 2022 before winning in 2023 and 2024. He said the new-and-improved course showed the recreation district’s willingness to listen to feedback.

“This course really raised the quality of this race,” he stated.

Running through Aspen glades provided the perfect elixir for Azim, who said she’s felt burnt out lately chasing marathon personal bests on the road.

“This race reminded me why I enjoy running in the first place: I am grateful that my body is able to do this,” she said. “And looking over the views on the mountain, it’s nice to be reminded that we are all small and this world is vastly bigger than our problems.”