On Saturday, April 15, Aly and Nikki competed in the Deception Pass ½ Marathon, hosted by the Bellingham Trail Running Series, and RD, Candice Burt. The course “explores the coastal trails around the famous Deception Pass Bridge on the North end of Whidbey Island” where there are “stunning water views,” “deep green forests, rocky coastline, and some of the sweetest PNW single track!” This year would be Aly’s 4th year racing, having placed 1st in 2014, 2nd in 2015, 1st in 2016, and concluding with a 2nd place finish in 2017 to her teammate, Nikki.
On Saturday, Nikki took 1st Female and was 2nd overall to Freeland, Washington’s Dan Neumeyer, who completed the race in vibram 5-fingers. Aly came in 2nd, just a few minutes behind. It was an incredible day for a race; the sky opened up in bright blue, the trails were for the most part perfect, save for some pretty slick roots. And the 2,900 ft. in elevation gain (in the ½), felt every bit as lung-plunging, heavy-breathing, and sweat-trickling as could be. We caught up with Aly and Nikki to hear about their prospective races.
From Nikki:
“In running and in life we endure a lot of average days – some hard or miserable – all for the rare days when everything clicks. Those perfect days you hope will never end, you hope to recreate, where you soak in as much joy as you can because the potential for days like it is what keeps you going. Saturday was one of those days, not because of how I placed, how well I ran, or even those prize filled Easter eggs I found in the finishing miles. It’s the sum total of a day well spent.
Here’s my recipe for a perfect day:
1. Start with sunshine, beautiful weather, and gorgeous views. Deception Pass did not disappoint.
2. Add in an EFFORT you can be proud of – it might proffer a PR or a win, but you should focus mostly on a challenge you’re passionate about – a goal to chase, a test to remind you what you are capable of, how strong you are. I went into the race with no expectations, never having seen the course, and with no time goals. I was just hoping to run near Aly and have fun. The course kept surprising me with spectacular views, varying terrain (road, bridge, single track, sand, grass, mud pits, logs to jump, super technical sections, steep climbs) and lots of crisscrossing with the rest of the field which provided ample opportunity to cheer, high five, and encourage the other runners. I handled the hills, felt more confident than expected on the downs and technical sections (proudest of this), and had a ton of fun tracking down the guys to move from 6th to 2nd overall.
3. Follow it up with REST – hanging with your friends on the beach, skipping rocks and soaking in the sun, good conversations, and no time line. No rushing off, no agendas, just enjoying the moment and what you accomplished. It helped that Aly encouraged us all to unplug from our phones and enjoy the moment with one another.
4. Top it all off with wonderful friends to share it with. Court giving up her whole day to keep us company, run with us, cheer for us, photograph, encourage, celebrate – the perfect support crew. Aly invited me to race with her, a race of special tradition, connecting us all together. Aly who is nothing but supportive even when I throw her off starting too hard on the hills, always engaged, positive, and fun. Dani, Mike and the rest of the crew showing us a good time and why this race is worth making into an annual tradition. And Max – the key volunteer on the course – cheering us in the right direction 3x’s during the race.
*Then soak it all in because you never know how long you’ll have to wait for another day like this.”
From Aly:
“I crossed the finish line two minutes slower than last year, bear up and fatigues by the 3k feet of elevation and the mud and the roots, Nikki high fiving me, smiling with her eggs, ready to run 5 more miles. I opted out of the cool down for the beer line, for the friend line, for the maybe a suntan line. I tried to muster a meltdown about regression but I didn’t have anything left in me. Besides, I loved every second of Court pushing me up Good Rock and over the bridge, I soaked up Dani and our annual tradition and my cup filled with Nikki’s wins. I have friends people. Good ones. And unlike my achievements, they consistently show up.”
Results for the Deception Pass ½ and Marathon can be found HERE.
