Finding freedom on the trails
Katie Rominger (#2), Emily Gokita (#3) and Andrew Wilson (#2) on the podium after the 25k. Photos by Rikke Bitten Bonde.
Written by Karl Dickman, edited by Chris Smith
On the night of July 12, Rose City Track travelled up to the mountains to camp before the Mt. Hood Trail Races. This event has become a summer staple for teammates looking to immerse themselves in the majestic conifer forest around Timothy Lake. Some of them had raced this course before, but many were stepping out of their comfort zone or simply trying something new and different.
The weekend began with Rikke Bitten Bonde’s epic debut in the 50 mile distance. Rikke ran 8:58:13.8 and finished 5th in the women’s category. Rikke had planned to exit the race at mile 28, but was forced by circumstance to stay in it to the end. She shared this experience in a previous blog post.
The next morning, seven Rose City athletes lined up to race the 25k. Pat Liu ran 2:44:09, finishing 19th in the women’s category. Pat previously ran the race in 2023 and improved her time by over two minutes. Sediqa Nedam debuted in the 25k, running 2:25:11 for 6th in the women’s category. Emily Gokita ran 2:13:25 for a podium finish, 3rd woman. Emily says:
I didn't put a ton of pressure on myself to train for this year's 25k. "Low-pressure running" has been the name of the game in my postpartum experience... and is something that has led to quite a few PRs and breakthroughs over the past year in the marathon, on trails, and even on the track.
My prep for this race was: run trails 2x per week, lift heavy 2x per week, yoga 1x per week. Everything else (usually daycare drop off jogs) was a bonus.
I think there's something there that a lot of running parents (or generally busy people) can learn from: a quality training cycle is sometimes less about weekly mileage and more about booking time for quality sessions—workouts that are going to support your goal without leaving your body/mind/spirit completely depleted.
Kaite Rominger ran 2:01:21 for 2nd W, sharing the podium with Emily. Katie says:
I’ve run completely different races over the past 3ish months: road half, track mile, and 25k trail, and had a blast in all three. I haven’t had super consistent training for any of them, but I’m … finding freedom in less structure and expectation. As someone with a lot of pre race anxiety, I’ve found that being surrounded by other yellow jerseys and going in with just the expectation to enjoy myself has been a pretty good recipe for success!
Brandt Bergeron ran 1:54:48 for 5th man. Brandt says:
Coming off a successful stretch of road and track results with PRs from 5K to marathon, I was quickly humbled by the distinct challenge of trail racing. After going out hard with the lead pack and then falling back, I never really found a consistent rhythm or effort level throughout the race that felt productive. Even the moderate elements of vert and technical trail quickly put me in a mental and physical blender—I found it hard to maintain focus and picked up a couple rolled ankles and bruises along the course. That said, despite not being prepared and fit for the race, the overall experience was super enjoyable and uplifting. Running along a beautiful trail, supported by teammates, friends and volunteers, and a cold beer at the finish—what more can you hope for?
Sam Nishi and Andrew Wilson rounded out the Rose City squad in the 25k. Sam ran 1:48:39 for 4th in the men’s category. Andrew Wilson ran 1:43:09 for 2nd, RCTC’s third podium finish for the day.
The Mt. Hood Trail Races continue to be a special weekend for RCTC. Teammates who weren’t racing created a supportive environment. Sara Bea Myre and Harrison Holzgang volunteered making burgers for finishers, and Bridget Moore and Todd Moore joined Rikke at the finish line of the 25k, cheering their teammates in. Transitioning to the trail can be challenging, but it also brought freedom and less self-pressure.
More RCTC members will hit the trails this summer. Stay tuned to hear about Crazy Mountain, Volcanic, Wy’east TrailFest, and Backcountry Rise.