Mountain runner Denali Strabel one of five women to break course record in California trail run

Three Alaska women grabbed top-six finishes Sunday at the Broken Arrow Skyrace, a long-distance off-road running festival in Olympic Valley, California.

Leading the way was Anchorage’s Denali Strabel, one of five women to break the course record in the 26-kilometer trail run that is part of the World Mountain Running Association’s World Cup.

“It was like three Mount Marathons,” Strabel said by text. “A climb then a steep down, then back up again. Over three peaks!!”

Strabel, last year’s women’s runnerup at Mount Marathon, finished fifth among women and 26th overall in the 16.2-mile race, an arduous trek with more than 5,200 feet of climbing and lots of uphills and downhills. Conor Deal of Anchorage placed 21st overall and 17th among men.

In the VK race – 3,100 feet of climbing in five kilometers -- Mara Rabinowitz of Anchorage claimed sixth place among women and 33rd place overall.

In the 11K race, described as a “gateway drug” to longer, more demanding trail runs, Taylor Ostrander of Kenai placed second among women and 11th overall.

In the 52-kilometer run, Anchorage’s Trent Foldager was 276th overall and 219th among men, and Nome’s Carol Seppilu was 305th overall and 67th among women.

Strabel said she and Deal did well on the snowy downhills of the 26K, a race that will help determine the U.S. team for November’s World Mountain Running Championships in Argentina. On the uphills, runners who live at altitude did best, she said – the highest part of the course is close to 9,000 feet,

“It was insane,” she said. “A good warm-up for Mount Marathon.”

Andrew Douglas of Great Britain won the 26K race in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 31 seconds. Lindsay Webster of Canada took the women’s title in 2:22:35, a time that took more than 14 minutes off the previous course record – 2:36:45 by Dani Morena.

Strabel’s time of 2:34:05 beat the old record by about 90 seconds. Deal finished five spots ahead of her in 2:32:33.

In the VK, wins went to a pair of Mount Marathon runners-up – Max King of Oregon, who topped the men in 42:46, and Morgan Arritola of Idaho, who topped the women in 45:50. Rabinowitz clocked 55:33.

Ostrander ran 1:05:36 to finish 62 seconds behind women’s winner Jennifer Schmidt of California.

Collecting victories in the 52K were Hatden Hawks of Utah (4:25:50) and Megan Kimmel of Colorado (5:09:40). Foldager finished in 9:01:44 and Seppilu finished in 9:27:37.

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