Endurance Racing In Idaho

By Claire Gudmundsen
Photos by Tony Salazar, Tempus Photo Design

It’s 5:30 on a frigid Saturday morning in January. My alarm wakes me from a dreamless sleep, and I nearly jump out of bed. My bedroom is dark and the hardwood floor is cold as I walk to the kitchen to start my pre-race ritual. This morning at nine I will be racing in the Wilson Creek Frozen 50K in the Owyhees southwest of Nampa, although I will be competing in the ten mile (about sixteen kilometers) race. The thought of running more than that on a cold Saturday morning in January seems a bit crazy. I start the coffee and check my phone for the current weather conditions: minus-four degrees and fog.