Crow Pass Challenge

I am not an awesome mountain runner.  Usually, when I sign up for a mountain race I wind up regretting it.  But the Crow Pass Marathon had long been on my "someday" list of races.  It is a beautiful 23-mile run from Girdwood to Eagle River through Alaska's Chugach State Park, one of the nation's premier state parks.  So when my coach, Rebecca McKee, recommended I give it a try with one of her other runners, Ian McCool, I jumped at the chance.  

The course starts in the mountains above Girdwood and quickly climbs a few thousand feet before beginning a long descent to Eagle River.  I thought it would be a touch hard at the start but pretty easy after that.  I was wrong.

Initial Climb

Ian and I started at about 10am on August 1, 2020, from the Girdwood Trailhead.  We'd agreed to stay together until we'd at least made it through the Eagle River crossing at about the half-way mark.  Since I was the slower runner, I took the lead and set the pace.  The "Official" race (cancelled this year due to Covid-19) has a one hour cut-off to the top.  So my goal for the start was to make that cut-off but not to burn myself out doing it.  This meant that we speed walked the steeper uphills while jogging the flats and gentle uphills. 

This initial section is popular with day-hikers and we passed 5 or so groups on the way to the top.  The trail conditions were good and we elected to take the smoother, but somewhat more exposed, trail to the right of the approach to the pass.  That turned out to be a good call and we made it to the top of the pass in about 54 minutes--easily under the one-hour cut off.  From there I looked forward to the gentle downhill that I expected for the next 20 miles.  

Ridge Line

After an easy run through the pass, there is about 1.5 miles of ridge line.  I have never been really comfortable with exposed ridge lines and this was no exception.  As we jogged along, the trail became increasingly sketchy and the drop off to the right more and more exposed.  We eventually reached a point where I was picking my way along the trail at a slow walk grabbing roots and branches to steady myself.  At that point Ian decided to see if there was a safer route higher up the ridge.  He scrambled up about 20 feet and after looking around motioned for me to follow.  It turns out that we had wandered off of the main foot trail and were on a small wildlife trail just below it.   

After another half mile or so we descended off of the ridge line and into the valley floor, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  

Rocks and Slick Mud    

Shortly after we entered the valley we encountered a group of day hikers including my old friend Soren Worth.  We stopped to chat and enjoyed a nice moment of the fellowship with a group that were obviously having a great time   Both black and brown/grizzly bears are frequent trail users, and Soren reported having seen a brown bear up the trail. Ian and I saw a lot of bear scat on the trail, but no actual bears.  

From there on the trail become quite difficult.  While it was reasonably flat, there was a lot of uneven rocks and very high brush that made it really hard to see the obstacles.  That combined with slick mud in most places made for really tough going.  In the next 4-5 miles I fell at least five times, including a hard spill in which my rib cage hit a large root system.  It knocked the wind out of me, but I was otherwise okay.        

As we approached the Eagle River crossing the trail improved somewhat but never got really great.  

Eagle River Crossing

There are several small river crossings on the trail and one major crossing. The major crossing is on Eagle River, about mid-way through the run. 

The crossing is about 200 feet across, and the river depth can range from just below the knees to waist high. For Ian and me, it was on the higher end of the range. The current was strong, the river bottom was rocky, and it was impossible to see hazards under the water due to glacial silt – so we had to move slowly. There were white stakes on either side of the ford site to help guide us across. Even following the stakes it was not an easy crossing.  Ian almost fell and I got quite dizzy at one point.  Nonethelesss, we made it across safely  

After the crossing, our feet were soaking and cold and it was about a half-mile until they warmed up and started feeling better.  Unfortunately, from there on there was a small creek or river crossing every mile or two.  Just as our feet and shoes recovered from the last soaking, we'd start the process again.  Despite this, the trail conditions were reasonably good and Ian and I settled into a nice jog for the next three or four miles.  

Scree and Ladder

Eventually we got to a pretty rough section of trail.  It included slippery downward sloping wet rocks, some sections with safety ropes and even an old decrepit ladder.

      

But, by far the worst part of this section was a 100 foot scree crossing with a 30 foot slide to the river below for those whose feet weren't as sure as required. While the consequences of slipping there would likely not have been disastrous, it would not have been a pleasant slide and I was glad when Ian and I were safely across.

Clear Running to the End.

After the scree field, the trail gradually improved until it became a smooth, flattish recreational trail a few miles before the finish. We cruised comfortably over the last few miles and arrived at the finish at the Eagle River Nature Center. We were tired but in great spirits and good condition. It was truly a wonderful run and I am grateful I had the opportunity to do it.  

Thanks

I'd like to thank:

Dawn for taking us to the start and picking me up at the finish and for tolerating all of my adventures;

Ian for being a great trail partner; and

Rebecca, my coach, for helping me prepare and for encouraging me to give it a try.

Packing List:

CamelBak Pack with 2L bladder (filled with about 1.7L CranMango juice--awesome)

Bear Spray

InReach Mini

Gloves

Fenix 6X Pro Watch

RunningDynamics Pod (measures stride length, foot balance, etc)

Some Pretzels and Gummies

Technical Shorts and long-sleeve shirt

DryMax Cold Weather socks

Solomon Speed Cross Shoes

Notes:

If this all sounds like too much fun to miss then here is a link to a GPX file containing the route that Ian and I traveled.  

I hope you enjoyed this report. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and I'll do my best to respond.