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Pushing to the top

By By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin

Published: September 02. 2007 4:00AM PST

At Mount Bachelor in the summertime, things tend to work in reverse.

Outdoor enthusiasts go up, rather than down. And in the Sunrise to Summit foot race, they go fast.

On Saturday, Josh Smullin, 25, of Bend, ran, hiked and stumbled up 2,595 feet of elevation and covered nearly three miles in 36 minutes, 47 seconds. His closest competitor, Richard Bolt, 37, of Portland finished just 16 seconds behind, clocking in at 37:03.

The two men were neck and neck the entire way — from Sunrise Lodge to the summit of Mount Bachelor, with Bolt leading until the last five minutes of the race.

“I was behind the second place guy for a while,” said Smullin, his words broken by small quick breaths just moments after finishing the race. “I hiked when I could — to conserve energy — and he (Bolt) was still running. ... It (a first place finish) was just a nice surprise for me. A good sign for my training.”

Smullin is a member of XC Oregon, an elite cross-country ski team based in Bend, and spent his graduate years skiing for the University of Utah, where he graduates this fall.

“Bend athletes are just fantastic,” said Bolt, who recently moved to Portland from Nashua, N.H., where he was series director for the USA Track and Field New England Mountain Running Circuit. “He (Smullin) was stronger at the steeper stuff.”

Bolt feels at home with tough, steep races like the Sunrise to Summit.

“With mountain running you have the sense of accomplishment and the view,” said Bolt, turning to take in the scenery. “Mountain running is my bag.”

Trevor Hostetler, 34, of Hillsboro took third place, 48 seconds behind Bolt.

There were certainly some spectacular views up at Mount Bachelor summit Saturday: Broken Top and the Three Sisters stood out reddish and charcoal-black against the clear blue sky, with the distant Cascade Mountain Range a few hues of blue along the horizon.

On the hill, things looked rough and rugged, with large chunks of lava rock and loose sand making up the trail almost the entire way. Racers proved some strong finishes despite the fierce winds at higher elevations.

“You don’t know when it’s going to end, it keeps turning and turning,” said Patty Buerkle, 30, of the winding, switchback trail. The Bend pro mountain biker was the first female finisher (42:59) in the foot race. The top three women finishers rolled in like clock work, each almost a minute apart. Defending champion Jennifer Sventek, 36, of Bend finished the race second with a time of 43:54, and 23-year-old, Jenn Shelton, also of Bend, took third (44:50).

Now in its 10th year, the Sunrise to Summit — hosted by Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation — brought 140 competitors onto the mountain, some of them determined to race and others just happy to finish. MBSEF added the Bend to Bachelor duathlon to the festivities last year and saw a good showing in this 2007 race. About 90 athletes competed in the duathlon this year, which consisted of a cycling road race from Cascade Middle School in Bend (elevation 3,700 feet) to Sunrise Lodge (at 6,470 feet), and then — joining the Sunrise to Summit racers — a foot race up to the summit of Mount Bachelor (at 9,065 feet).

Chris Sheppard of Bend was the first male duathlon finisher this year (1:40.39). The 34-year-old took second last year in the race, and though his time was three minutes slower this year, he grabbed first.

“I am feeling good for a little hypoxia training,” said Sheppard of exerting energy in thin air. “I definitely enjoy beating my body down, so this was a good day.”

Sheppard is used to training and working hard, having raced professionally in the mountain biking world for 18 years.

Evelyn Dong, 22, of Bend won the women’s duathlon for the second year in a row, clocking in at 1:59:48. Dong said she was happy that the no drafting rule for the cycling portion was canceled this year.

“We all got to ride as a pack, so that was nice,” she said bundled in a warm coat near the summit chairlift. “We took turns pulling. It was definitely windy this year. ... It’s a really fun race, everyone is really happy.”

Bend’s Scott Hubbs, 27, summed up the foot race in few words.

“It’s the toughest three miles you’ll ever run,” he said.

Katie Brauns can be reached at 541-383-0393 or kbrauns@bendbulletin.com.

Katie Brauns can be reached at 541-383-0393 or kbrauns@bendbulletin.com.

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