local 10K up Smithfield canyon and back down, starting and ending at mack park. It is a challenging course because the first 3 miles are a continual uphill climb up canyon road with an elevation gain of about 450 feet. Then you turn around and rip back down the canyon, taking a loop around upper canyon road. I mapped the course here. It was a cold morning, maybe 38 degrees at race time (7:30 AM) but no wind and the sun was coming out. I ran a carbon copy of this race from the last time I ran it (2008) hitting the turnaround at an average 6:47 pace. then I let it rip as fast as I could back down again. I ran the whole way down with Keith Anderson. We came down the steep hill off upper canyon road back onto smithfield canyon road side by side and then went into a sprint for the finish 0.2 miles away. I got lucky today and help him off by 0.9 seconds. . Unusually strong field this year with Steve Anderson, Carson Campbell and Trevor Ball running, with Carson taking first Steve second and trevor third. A guy from Vernal I don't know rounded out the top 4 and then a 13 year old kid finished 0.4 seconds ahead of me.My time this year was 4 seconds faster than 2008.
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