(Creator’s Be aware: That is the fifth article in an 11-part sequence celebrating legendary support stations. You’ll be able to learn concerning the sequence right here.)
“Get the hell out of Brighton!” – Roch Hortonsix-time Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile finisher.
Nestled deep within the coronary heart of the Wasatch Mountains in Central Utah lies Brighton Lodge, a sturdy wood construction on the base of the Brighton Ski Resort. Along with being the lodge for considered one of Utah’s oldest ski resorts, Brighton Lodge has, for the previous 40 years, hosted the 70-mile support station of the Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile every September.
My earliest reminiscence of Brighton was once I first paced and crewed a pal of mine, one of many Wasatch pioneers, Rob Landisto his end in 2006. A traditional old-fashioned fashion ski lodge, on race day Brighton is remodeled right into a key support station that gives runners with the ultimate stopping level the place they’ll revive and refresh earlier than they start the ascent up and over the ten,000-foot Catherine’s Move.
The beginning of the 2023 Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile. Photograph: www.macklambertmedia.com
One of many challenges of Brighton, as is famous in Roch Horton’s quote above, is solely getting out of the help station. Along with being a heat indoor support station with a full-sized lavatory, ample locations to sit down and even lay down, and even toothbrushes ready for runners to brush their tooth, Brighton has a number of the finest meals on the course. One 12 months at Brighton, I recall consuming a half a dozen McDonald’s fashion hash browns with salt and ketchup whereas I waited for my runner to reach, and one other 12 months, once I was operating the race, I loved a freshly ready cheeseburger that magically appeared at my desk.
The volunteers on the Brighton support station are a hardy lot they usually know the essential position they play in getting the runners out and in as effectively as they’ll. But, as one may anticipate from an support station like this, there are various DNFs right here yearly.
Elizabeth Butler, the 2024 Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile girls’s winner. Photograph courtesy of Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile.
One living proof is the 12 months I used to be crewing and pacing my pal Rob Edde from Oregon. Rob was having a terrific race by the point he reached Brighton, however he knew he wanted to take a little bit of a relaxation there. One factor led to a different, and he finally discovered himself curled up in his cozy sleeping bag taking a nap. When he awoke, he confronted the tough actuality that he wouldn’t have the ability to go on.
I walked with him over to the older gentleman who sat on the entrance door of the lodge. This man had the duty of checking the runners out and in of the help station and in addition recording any DNFs. When Rob approached the desk and introduced he was stopping, the person checked out him and gruffly requested, “What’s your motive?” Turns on the market was a column on his chart the place he needed to notice the explanation for the drop and a number of the notes listed there have been medical, harm, abdomen troubles, and blisters.
When Rob addressed this query, he appeared off into the gap, considered it for a pair minutes, and mentioned merely, “Lack of will.”
I think that over time Brighton has seen greater than its fair proportion of runners who’ve merely misplaced the desire to proceed. In spite of everything, operating 100 miles is tough, and at Wasatch at mile 70, it will get notably onerous. On the legendary support station of Brighton Lodge, the volunteers and crews do their finest to get their runners out of there, however generally the urge to stop will get the perfect of them and so, like Roch Horton mentioned all these years in the past, it’s best to “Get the hell out of Brighton.”
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s beer of the week comes from Wasatch Brewery in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah. Polygamy Porter is a wealthy, darkish, chocolatey brown porter that’s considered one of Wasatch’s best-selling beers. With the cheeky tagline, “Why have only one?” Polygamy Porter is as humorous as it’s tasty and effectively price a attempt the subsequent time you end up within the Wasatch Mountains.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever performed the Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile?
- In that case, what are your recollections of Brighton Lodge?
Jose Cruz on his approach to successful the Wasatch Entrance 100 Mile. Photograph: www.macklambertmedia.com
