20 June, 2008

Sawtooth Relay—The Gr8ful Deadfeet







I have forthcoming pictures, I’ll likely post tomorrow. Nevertheless, I felt as though I should sooner rather than later write something about the experience. This last Friday my team of six, Jay, Nick, Amber, Sparkle, Jerry Garcia, and I drove from Boise up to Stanley, Idaho. The team did so in a classic 1980’s conversion van, with an iPod full of songs and a horn speaker mounted on the front of the van. We were bound to run the Sawtooth Relay.

The Sawtooth Relay takes place from Stanley to Ketchum, Idaho, along Highway 75. The route is a smidge of sixty miles, which are divided among the team of six over twelve runs. For the sixth leg of the relay runs over Galena Summit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galena_Summit), this is an 8701’ summit in the Sawtooth. I had the good fortune of not having to run that leg, but had the pleasure of running about eleven miles of the relay, over legs five and eleven.

If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend making it over to Eastern Idaho. Idaho is an undoubtedly beautiful state, and the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho are pristine—a spectacular bit of eye candy. Winding up in Ketchum, having run through the Sawtooth, one can see why this part of Idaho, where Sun Valley is, is why so many with money spend their time in that part of the world.

The race was a blast; we had an incredible amount of fun. My team was a diverse group of folks, mothers and fathers, a middle-aged native-American, a college student and a near-thirty-year-old bachelor. Of course, to all of those runners there is greater detail, just like there is to every person one chooses to describe via demographic. The point was simple, we were there running the Sawtooth Relay to have a great time and we did.
Pictures to come!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Oh wow Matty, that looks like such an amazing experience. I'm so jealous - well kind of - I'm not sure my three times a week thirty minute treadmill runs would stand up to that kind of scrutiny.

Missing your company, as ever,
Mrs Rice.
x