Vail father-son duo wins Summer Solstice 10K trail run crowns at Beaver Creek
Vail Recreation District/Courtesy photo
Jason and Paul Macaluso kicked off Father’s Day weekend in style. Jason took the overall win and his dad topped the 60-69 age group in the Vail Recreation District’s Summer Solstice 10K trail run on Saturday morning at Beaver Creek.
“Yes, a very good start to the year,” Jason Macaluso said after crushing the course in 45 minutes and 41 seconds, just four clicks ahead of Vail’s Josh Smith. Paul Macaluso found out what happened when he came through the finish about 20 minutes later.
“As soon as I crossed, the announcer said, ‘oh this is the champion’s dad,'” he stated. “So I was just ecstatic. At this stage in my career, I’m so slow, I have to rejoice in his accomplishments, not mine! I was just really psyched.”
The 10K served as the second chapter of the Smith vs. Macaluso rivalry. A year after the local runners battled back and forth at the Arrowhead Half Marathon — where Smith got the upper hand — Macaluso set the early tempo climbing out of Creekside Park.
“It played out well,” the 24-year-old said. “During the race, I was on the lead at the beginning and then at the end of Alley’s Way and while we were heading up to Village-to-Village Trail, Josh passed me.”
Support Local Journalism
Smith held on right up until the bridge leading back into the finish. With about 300-meters left, Macaluso — who has been sharpening his speed with shoulder-season road races and 200 repeats — made a move.
“I felt like my body was working really well,” Macaluso said. “And then I brought it home.
Smith, a many-time Vail Recreation District champion, crossed the line four seconds after Macaluso. But the newly-minted master still topped the 40-49 age division by 15 minutes.
“Josh is such an awesome person to compete with. The sportsmanship — I just couldn’t ask for a better person for Jason to compete with because he’s such a great competitor and great guy,” Paul Macaluso stated of Smith. “So, I was glad it was with Josh and they had a great race and pushed one another.”
The morning kicked off with a kids fun run, which was followed by 181 runners toeing the line for the 10K and another 132 in the 5K. Since the event started and finished at Creekside Park, it was a different course than the previous few editions.
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail nordic skier Peter Kan Jr. defended home turf in the 5K, fending off 14-year-old Kamden Cupples from Denver for a three-second win. Kan Jr. stopped the clock at 26:54. Another local, 13-year-old Tucker Moore finished third overall in 27:27. Denver’s Alexandra Oberg (35:14) won the women’s 5K race.
The women’s 10K crown went to 13-year-old Cara Szuch. Regular readers and runners might recognize that last name: not only are Vail Recreation District events a regular Szuch family outing, but Cara’s older sister Alayna won the 2024 Vail Hill Climb.
The next trail series event race is the 50th-annual Vail Hill Climb on July 5. Macaluso has been familiarizing himself with the course. On a recent training run, he bolted from his house to the top of Mid-Vail and back. The former Battle Mountain High School and Colorado Mountain College runner leaves no stone unturned in training, even sculpting his downhill running muscles with tedious drills and lifts at Gravity Haus.
“I’ve been practicing downhill I would say for like five years,” Jason said.
“Jason trains extremely hard,” added his dad, whose main role as his son’s de facto coach is often pulling back on the reins. “He’s really learned that the training is where the work is done. He’s the greatest competitor because he’s not worried about the results. … he truly enjoys the process and the race itself.”
Over the winter, Macaluso resurrected his Nordic ski career, hopping into a handful of races in the Grand Nordic Series. He won $800 at the Governor’s Cup at Devil’s Thumb Resort, where he finished runner-up in the 15K to former Rossignol pro Josh Smullin. Over the winter, his regimen consisted of skiing five days a week and running on weekends only.
“Running in the winter is way too boring and the villages are too crowded,” Jason said.
“I think it kept the running fresh,” Paul said of his son’s skiing side quest. “Because when he started back running, he was very enthusiastic about it again.”
Jason’s brother made a name for himself on snow, albeit in the alpine world. Matt Macaluso made the world junior team at 18, skied at CMC and then for the APEX team. Paul said Matt’s next move will be as a coach at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail.
The Macaluso’s celebrated Father’s Day by putting on their running shoes, too: Paul and Jason conducted their standard Sunday long run of 13 miles the morning after the race.
“Beautiful day. Just a great time to reflect on Father’s Day and just so proud of my two boys,” Paul Macaluso said. “Full of joy.”
