The Golden Trail Series US Golden Ticket** winners have been announced and their positions secured for the Golden Trail Championship coming up October 29 to November 1 in the Azores, Portugal. Rachel Drake, Max King (pictured above), Kimber Mattox, David Sinclair and Bailey Kowalczyk are among ten elite American trail runners who earned spots through a virtual “segment race” in which the fastest man and woman to record times in July, August and September on specific regional running routes throughout the country earned spots to compete in the championship.
A total of 76 Golden Tickets have been awarded to runners from over 20 countries. In this article, I interview five American trail runners about their experience competing in this challenge and find out if they plan on racing in the championship in a few weeks.
Rachel Drake is the women’s winner of the Golden Segment USA Pacific Northwest.
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What was your approach to this virtual segment challenge compared to a normal trail race?
[RACHEL DRAKE] This was more of a fun, hard effort in the mountains, which is how I’d like to approach more traditional races. In the weeks before the segment, I did some workouts with my friend Marianne Falk, which gave me some confidence going into it.
[TAYTE] What were some of the toughest aspects of this segment?
[RACHEL] Route finding was tricky, especially in the middle segment where it winds around several lakes. Fortunately my pal, Taylor Nowlin, gave me some valuable advice beforehand and this was super helpful. It was still really difficult to navigate, especially when I was red-lining, trying not to trip and looking for cairns! I had to take my phone out to look at the Gaia navigation app several times.
[TAYTE] Do you plan on flying to the Azores for the Golden Trail Championship?
[RACHEL] Uncertain, it’ll depend on if I’m feeling good about my dissertation progress, if travel is permitted and the race is still a go. If all those stars align, I’d love to go.
[TAYTE] With an uncertain future for racing in 2021, what do you think this type of virtual challenge or FKTs and would you do them again?
[RACHEL] I’m a big fan of FKTs and I liked the Golden Trail Segment idea. It’s a great way to put forth a race effort on your own time.
Max King is the men’s winner of the Golden Segment USA Pacific Northwest.
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What was your approach to this virtual segment challenge compared to a normal trail race?
[MAX KING] I was a lot more cavalier about these segments, but in the moment no less intense. When I did the California segment it was after beating myself up running all over the Sierra Nevada mountains for a week while on vacation. I just went out and did it. The Pacific Northwest segment was a dedicated trip to run the segment but by no means a race-type focus in the lead up to it. We cruised up one day, did a scouting run on the route of 12 brutal miles, then woke up the next morning, ran it, then headed directly home afterward.
[TAYTE] What were some of the toughest aspects of this segment?
[MAX] I felt pretty good on the California segment despite what I had done in the lead up to it, but all of that caught up to me over the final miles when you make the hard push up Basin Peak and Castle Peak. That was the hardest part and also where I lost the most time. The Pacific Northwest segment was hard due to the challenging navigation. There were times where I was standing on a rock just trying to figure out where the trail was and where it went. It would take a few seconds to identify the trail then I’d be off again until I lost the trail again. It was really difficult to stay on track without overrunning a turn and getting off course in all the rock slabs.
[TAYTE] Do you plan on flying to the Azores for the Golden Trail Championship?
[MAX] Yes, if I can get to the Azores then I’ll race it. It’s a big culmination of the year and I’ve been trying to get to the final of the Golden Trail Series the past two years. This is a race I really want to be a part of and I like the stage race aspect of it. It’s something that I feel suits me pretty well.
[TAYTE] With an uncertain future for racing in 2021, what do you think this type of virtual challenge or FKTs and would you do them again?
[MAX] I’m not usually big on virtual races. They just don’t hold the same appeal as a head-to-head race. That said, an FKT attempt feels a lot different. Part of it is that it’s on trails that we’ll never be able to have a race on. Part of it is that for this challenge there was a significant “prize” at stake, which can be motivating. Another part of it is that it is on your own terms and this year has been a lot of fun not to have that obligation to races. I’ve been able to do a lot more fun adventures on the weekends because I don’t have races and these FKT attempts can be done whenever you have the time to do it. It gives you more flexibility.
Kimber Mattox is the women’s winner of the Golden Segment USA California.
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What was your approach to this virtual segment challenge compared to a normal trail race?
[KIMBER MATTOX] The virtual segment type of racing is such a different experience than a race where you’re competing alongside other people, but it’s been fun to embrace that new way of competing. I had no idea what to expect for this segment because I had never run in that area and it was a bit of a last minute decision to run it on my way back home from a trip to California.
One thing that’s unique about segments compared to races is the navigation piece. I was most nervous about getting lost. Navigation and use of GPS watches are not my strong suit! I spent some time the night before my attempt writing out directions on my hand. Segments are also different in the sense that you’re running on your own, so pacing and fueling and knowing what parts to push are all up to you. There’s something unique about knowing that someone could come the next day and run a faster time, so it’s sort of like you’re just trying to set a new time for everyone to beat.
My main strategies were don’t get lost, don’t fall apart, and don’t forget to fuel. In a race setting, I’m usually more comfortable pushing harder early on because there are more safety nets and people to push you, but I knew the most important thing was a consistent effort for this segment.
[TAYTE] What were some of the toughest aspects of this segment?
[KIMBER] The toughest part was the fact that it was a net ascent route, with a pretty good climb at the end. Whenever there’s a climb at the end, it’s hard to know how hard to push earlier on if you haven’t done the route before. That type of running suits me well, but it’s still always tough. I think I got a bit lucky because this Golden Segment wasn’t as competitive as some of the others, but I would definitely recommend it as a beautiful trail to check out.
[TAYTE] Do you plan on flying to the Azores for the Golden Trail Championship?
[KIMBER] This of course feels like a really strange time to be traveling and racing with everything going on and up to this point in the last several months I’ve avoided major travel because it didn’t feel important enough for me to be traveling. I think everyone is trying to make decisions they feel good about related to travel and racing right now, which are tough decisions to make. I’m planning to race in the championship in Azores, as long as work and travel plans align. I feel good about the precautions the race organizers are implementing, so I think it will be a safe and fun event.
[TAYTE] With an uncertain future for racing in 2021, what do you think this type of virtual challenge or FKTs and would you do them again?
[KIMBER] Probably like most other runners, I’m looking forward to real in-person races happening again, but it’s been fun to have a season of new and different challenges. One thing I think we’ve seen in the world of track and road racing is that without a lot of key races, athletes right now have the opportunity to train hard, recover well, stay healthy and listen to their bodies without the external pressures of needing to race on any specific weekend. This is leading to more PRs (personal records), national records, and world records. In the trail and ultra world, similarly, we’re seeing lots of FKTs being set that I think will create a new sense of excitement and competition around those FKTs for a long time in the future. I would be excited to compete in more virtual challenges and FKTs.
David Sinclair is the men’s winner of the Golden Segment USA California.
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What was your approach to this virtual segment challenge compared to a normal trail race?
[DAVID SINCLAIR] I struggle a bit with motivation for FKT-type efforts and would much rather race head-to-head. The biggest challenge has been staying motivated with fewer races on the calendar this year. I’m really lucky to be living in Truckee with the sement just a few miles away, so I was able to train on it weekly and get to know every mile well.
It’s nice but also tough to not have a set race date. On one hand, you choose the date and time that works best for you and try multiple times but without a set date I never did a full taper for the event.
I ended up trying the segment at the end of July once I was feeling fit and healthy after rehabbing a hip injury all winter and spring doing most of my training skiing and biking. After a good first attempt, where I ended up just over 2 minutes off Max King’s really stout time, I was confident I could go faster. However, with wildfires causing smoky conditions the past few months as well as a few weeks long forest closure it was difficult to keep training consistently and find a good day to attempt the segment again. I ended having to run the segment three times with the last two separated by a week, so it was difficult to get recovered and motivated for a third attempt after missing it by just a few minutes twice.
[TAYTE] What were some of the toughest aspects of this segment?
[DAVID] Definitely figuring out the pacing and nutrition strategy. The course was 20 miles of mostly gradual uphill with 4,500 total vertical feet on fairly smooth single-track. It feels pretty comparable to running an all-out marathon, so you have to start fast but save enough to avoid a bonk on the last four miles, which has the two steepest climbs up Basin and Castle Peaks. On my first attempt, I started too slow and was too far behind to make up ground on the record. On the second attempt, I started much faster but completely blew up the last forty minutes and had to hike the final climbs. I was so dead at the end it took me an hour and a half to hike the three miles down to my car. On the third try, I finally nailed the pacing and nutrition but came close to losing it with a wrong turn nearly two hours in. It wasn’t until the last 100 meters that I knew I would make and I technically “virtually” passed Max only in the last half mile.
[TAYTE] Do you plan on flying to the Azores for the Golden Trail Championship?
[DAVID] Overall, it’s been awesome to have the Golden Segments to keep me motivated this summer and fall and I was hoping to find a way to get to the Azores. However, travel to Europe is really difficult right now with limited flights. Also, I work as a coach and teacher at Sugar Bowl Academy here in Truckee and if I traveled to the championship I would need to do a full quarantine when I return.
[TAYTE] With an uncertain future for racing in 2021, what do you think this type of virtual challenge or FKTs and would you do them again?
[DAVID] It’s been really cool to see so many people chasing FKTs this summer and using them to stay motivated and get creative exploring trails and routes locally. I think we’ll continue to see FKTs and virtual challenges stay popular into 2021. However, I also really enjoy racing head-to-head and getting to know my competitors afterwards. I hope 2021 can be more of a normal season with a return to some larger races (modified to keep them as safe as possible).
Bailey Kowalczyk is the women’s winner of the Golden Segment USA Colorado.
[TAYTE POLLMANN] What was your approach to this virtual segment challenge compared to a normal trail race?
[BAILEY KOWALCZYK] Coming from a track and road background, I am just beginning to dip my toes into these longer mountain runs. A huge difference for me was running a long effort mostly alone. This was a test of my mental and physical strength, and ability to maintain composure on a long route by myself. My approach was fairly simple. At this point in my career, I try not to get caught up on numbers and splits, so I really tried to keep the effort controlled knowing that it would be a long day. Once I reached the first peak, I opened up a bit on some of the faster more technical downhills, as I felt like this was an area where I could make up a lot of time. I felt way better than I expected for the first 2/3 of the effort, and decided to just test myself from there on. In a more classic race, I find myself feeding off the energy/pace of the racers around me. In this effort, it was all completely unknown, which was actually really exciting and energizing.
[TAYTE] What were some of the toughest aspects of this segment?
[BAILEY] Mentally, the toughest part of this segment was coming off an injury and trusting that my body was not breaking while running over a lot of technical terrain. Physically, transitioning from a fairly long downhill to a loop on Mount Sanitas (pretty dang steep uphill) in the last 3 miles is ruthless. This is where you just have to hold on for dear life in my mind. It wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, but this is a super tough transition, especially given that you pass through the finish line before completing the 40 min loop.
[TAYTE] Do you plan on flying to the Azores for the Golden Trail Championship?
[BAILEY] Yes, I do plan on racing! After much internal and external debate/discussion around this, I feel that this is an opportunity that can’t be missed. In addition, the race organizers and country have put forth strict safety measures to keep the health and safety of everyone as a priority. Given that every athlete will have 2 to 3 negative covid tests by the time they arrive at the start line, and social distancing will be practiced, I feel that this is a safe event that will benefit the sport, community and athletes in so many positive ways.
[TAYTE] With an uncertain future for racing in 2021, what do you think this type of virtual challenge or FKTs and would you do them again?
[BAILEY] I absolutely love challenges like these! I think it’s so important for athletes to get to a spot in their career where they can test themselves to their limits without a race setting. This is a true test of physical and mental fortitude that I think is so important in the sport! It is also amazing to still be able to get out there against some of the strongest athletes in a more healthy and distanced setting. I never had time to chase these times when races were always looming, and I have found a (temporary) sense of peace with this new reality that is fun and rewarding.
Here is the complete list of the Golden Segment USA winners:
- Golden Segment PNW (Pacific Northwest) – Max King and Rachel Drake.
- Golden Segment Colorado – Joseph Gray and Bailey Kowalczyk.
- Golden Segment New England – Aaron Newell and Jess Marion.
- Golden Segment California – David Sinclair and Kimber Mattox.
- Golden Segment Arizona – Jim Walmsley and Michelle Hummel.
[Editor’s Note: As of this writing Portugal plans to introduce new COVID-19 restrictions from October 15. It is not yet known how this will affect the Golden Trail Championship.]
** Salomon Golden Trail Championship “golden tickets” are not related to the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run’s golden ticket program founded in 2015.
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