Anchorage’s Klaire Rhodes won The Rut 28K. Photo and screenshot courtesy of Run The Rut
With the world championships fast approaching, Klaire Rhodes initially treated the 28K race at The Rut as a long run.
But for an athlete of Rhodes’ caliber, she came away with the win in Big Sky, Mont., crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 53 minutes and 6 seconds. The 27-year-old from Anchorage conquered the mountainous 17.6-mile route, which featured 7,800 feet of elevation gain.
Rhodes, who set the 50K course record last fall, dropped down to the 28K this time around. She came through the first checkpoint at Headwaters in second place, trailing only Montana’s Maya Rayle by 42 seconds, before taking the lead for good by the second checkpoint.
The North Face athlete and reigning two-time Mount Marathon champion increased her gap over Rayle from two minutes to 6:40 by the end of the race, as both women dipped under the 4-hour barrier.
“I’ve never trained through a race before, so (I) was unsure how this would go — only goal was to treat it as a good long run for Worlds,” shared Rhodes on social media. “Some fatigue in the legs, but mostly felt great!”
Rhodes, a South High grad, was joined in the top-10 by Fairbanks’ Jenna DiFolco in seventh. The former West Valley High standout and former UAA Nordic skier clocked 4:33:46. The performance came just one month after DiFolco set the course record at the Angel Creek 50K.
The high-altitude course, which reached over 11,000 feet at its highest point, is another step in Rhodes’ training block as she prepares for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain, later this month.
Rhodes was named to Team USA after placing third at the Gorge Waterfalls 100K in April, finishing as the second American and punching her ticket to Worlds. She is slated to compete in the 82K and will be joined by partner, Tracen Knopp of Palmer, who was also named to the long trail team.
Ruby Lindquist of Moose Pass and former Fairbanks resident David Norris round out the quartet of Alaskans named to Team USA. Lindquist will compete in the 44K on the short trail team, while Norris — the 6-time Mount Marathon champion and record holder — was named to the classic up/down mountain team at the 14K distance.
The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships are scheduled to take place from Sept. 24-28.
Katey Houser
In the 11-kilometer race, Katey Houser won it all, claiming the outright victory.
The 21-year-old from Palmer overcame a 21-second deficit towards the end of the race to win in a blazing 58:32 — the sixth-fastest time in race history. The race featured 1,700 feet of elevation gain over 6.8 miles.
Houser, a Palmer High grad, has continued to excel in both running and skiing, registering a 10th-place finish at Mount Marathon in July while competing during the school year for Montana State as a Nordic skier. Currently in her senior year for the Bobcats, Houser earned a pair of top-5 finishes last season, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the 20K freestyle at the RMISA Championships.
Houser beat her nearest competitor, Nevada’s Dylan Bonfigli, by a mere nine seconds at The Rut, while going 1-2 with Montana State teammate Rosie Whittington-Evans in 1:01:05, also of Palmer.
Anchorage’s Karol Fink — a long-time Mount Marathon stalwart — won her age group (50-59) in the 11K in 1:18:40. Fink also placed runner-up in her age group in the vertical kilometer in 1:06:44.
Hope’s Patti Foldager, a two-time Mount Marathon champion and 42-time finisher, won her age group (60-69) in the 11K in 1:35:55. Pamela Skogstad, also of Hope, placed runner-up in her age group (70-79) in 2:00:14.
The 49th state was well-represented in all five races at The Rut, with Fairbanks’ Jacob Buller completing the Trifecta (vertical kilometer, 28K and 50K) — a combined 52.5 miles and 21,500 feet of elevation gain — in 18:23:44.
Other Alaskans at The Rut:
VK – Troy Fritzel, Anchorage, 54:22; John Clark, Palmer, 1:04:08; Anna Johnson, Anchorage, 1:24:47
11K – John Clark, Palmer, 1:25:15; Karen Looney, Palmer, 1:31:01; Anna Johnson, Anchorage, 1:40:28
21K – Ben Matheson, Anchorage, 3:05:00; Chad Skogstad, Wasilla, 3:18:47; Eric Hammer, Anchorage, 3:28:41; Rick Bushey, Wasilla, 3:35:20; Holly Buller, Fairbanks, 3:43:33; Lindsay Hammer, Anchorage, 3:45:19; Nikki Navio, Anchorage, 3:45:52; Amanda Skogstad, Wasilla, 3:56:13; Kristine Eastman, Anchorage, 4:12:01
28K – Sophie Mayers, Anchorage, 5:41:36; Stephanie Wright, Fairbanks, 6:55:18
50K – Trent Fritzel, Anchorage, 6:37:29; Max Johnsen, Anchorage, 8:25:48; Tanner Sticka, Anchorage, 10:46:49
