Tacos, rainbows, puppies and Fall Trail Running with PCSS at UOP

Rhys Weidenhamer at the UOP running and winning in the PCSS Nordic Fall Trail Running Series. Photo: Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — The tacos, rainbows, and puppies almost overshadowed the Park City Ski and Snowboard (PCSS) Nordic’s Fall Trail Running Races at the Utah Olympic Park. Runners of all ages and abilities came out on Thursday, September 22, and again on Thursday, September 29.

Sullivan Middaugh won the first race for the overall men’s spot and was the top junior. He’s put up a 6-minute mile on the mountainous course. Sullivan is one of the top junior triathletes in the country and part of the USA Triathlon Project Podium, and also a Nordic skier. 2nd overall and 1st adult male was Project Podium teammate Keller Norland.

The winner of the second race for men was Greg Ginsberg, top Jr. male was Ethan Romer, a PCSS SkiMo athlete.

The first female adult overall in both races was PCSS coach and alumni Elizabeth Guinney. 1st place female junior for both races was 12-year-old PCSS Nordic athlete Rhys Weidenhamer.

PCSS Nordic Director Emma Garrard’s youngest son, Nigel, stopped to pick up colorful leaves along the trail and handed them to volunteers. He got passed by runners with their dogs, but he didn’t mind. One PCSS coach leads the under 10 runners in a giraffe suit.

Multi-time Olympians and Olympic employees happily played backup roles at the races for novice runners and novice race organizers, making it truly a community effort.

Novice runners included 15-year-old Pablo Chincilla, a foreign exchange student from Spain attending the Park City High School, where he’s trying out for the basketball team, his real sport.

Overall winners in the series will get a Polar watch. There will also be prizes from Black Diamond and Kodiak Cakes for 2nd and 3rd place overall series finishers.

The next race is Thursday, October 6, with the final race of the series on Saturday, October 22, at the Utah Olympic Park. There were shoe demos by Altra. The Stretch Lab was there along with The Border Taco Truck, and Red Banjo provided pizza at the first race in the annual series.