Harlow Robinson, Milissa Knox win 30-mile Kesugi Ridge ‘suffer-fest’

In Harlow Robinson's mountain- and trail-running lexicon, a phrase he usually says with a hint of both amusement and agony — "suffer-fest" — perfectly captured what he endured on a sun-splashed Saturday in winning the 30-mile Kesugi Ridge Traverse.

Robinson, 50, of Anchorage, won the rugged race in Denali State Park for the second time and paid in pain from cramps that wracked him in the last 10 miles of a journey he covered in 5 hours, 25 minutes, 58 seconds.

"It's funny, when you're in a race, you think you're the only one suffering, and everyone else is doing great," Robinson recounted. "It was nearly 80 degrees some places. Just about everyone was having cramping issues.

"It was a suffer-fest, 10 miles in a perpetual state of cramp. From the tip of my toes up to my waist, every single muscle cramped."

Robinson said he tried various techniques to alleviate the cramping — he ran duck-footed, flat-footed, on his toes and on his heels. No dice. Warm weather, heavy exertion and long stretches without water — he said several water sources he knew from past Kesugi races were dry — left him dehydrated. One time late in the race, Robinson said, he looked behind to check if anyone was gaining on him, and that move prompted cramping.

Also, the Kesugi course is a beast that can cramp anyone's style. It includes two major climbs, one at the start of the race and the other about midway through, and features 6,200 feet of vertical gain and 6,800 feet of descent.

Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures and a founder of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, said he ran one stretch of 7 or 8 miles without water. He finally found standing water in muskeg and decided to drink from it.

"I did a quick risk-reward analysis and decided I should drink two or three bottles' worth," he said. "In that situation, it tasted wonderful."

The race served as a touchstone for Robinson. His father, Pete, and his father-in-law, Dave Johnston, helped build the original Kesugi trail in the 1970s.

"It kind of felt like connecting with my childhood," Harlow Robinson said.

Women's winner Milissa Knox, 31, of Eagle River, prevailed in her first ultramarathon in 7:37:14 and, like Robinson, endured cramps in the second half of the race. That was the first time Knox had that lovely experience. She said she was fine while running, but any stop proved painful.

"If I stopped to tie my shoe or jump a creek, I ended up in a collapsed pile," Knox said.

She credited her friend, Andy Kubic, for racing along with her, furnishing motivation and especially for his water filtration system that kept them hydrated.

Knox, a veterinarian, said she began running long distances as an undergraduate and grad student at the University of Maine and continued in vet school at Washington State University.

Colleen Bolling, 35, of Anchorage won the overall title in the 14.5-mile Kesugi Ridge Half-Traverse in 2:40:05. Bolling in 2015 won the women's division in the Mayor's Marathon.

Chris Marchant, 36, of Anchorage, won the men's division in the Half-Traverse, losing time with a wrong turn late in the race but crossing in 2:46:04.

Robinson said he raced equipped with bear spray for the first time in his career, but didn't see a bear on the course. Race director Matias Saari said racers did not report any bear sightings.

Concerns about bears have heightened after 16-year-old Patrick "Jack" Cooper of Anchorage was killed by a black bear after completing the junior race on Bird Ridge on June 18. That was one of two fatal black bear attacks in Alaska this month. Also, multiple brown bear attacks have been reported in Southcentral Alaska in the last two weeks.

Saari said he encouraged Kesugi Ridge racers to carry bear spray and never considered canceling the race. When he asked racers in his pre-race talk for a show of hands to see how many were carrying bear spray, he said nearly everyone raised a hand. REI donated 10 cans of bear spray to the race and Saari said he issued a few cans to racers.

"This was six days after a tragic event," Saari said. "There were some nerves, for sure. Some people grouped up. People carried bear spray.

"It was important for people to get back on the horse, which is what we do."

Kesugi Ridge Traverse (30 miles)

Kesugi Ridge Half-Traverse (14.5 miles)