BOISE, Idaho — The Race to Robie Creek is one of the toughest half marathons in the west, and at noon on Saturday, participants will test their endurance in this classic Boise race.
The course takes runners from the edge of Boise to the top of Aldape Summit and down the backside. The course features 2,000 feet of elevation gain to reach Aldape Summit.
"I’m going for some pain, I want to get the full effect, and it's my first time doing it," said David Clayton. "Everyone talks about the steepness of the hill, so I've been preparing for that."
This year, the race sold out in 11 minutes, and it will be the 47th organized by the Rocky Canyon Sail Toads, who have a team of volunteers that make it all happen.
"Why do the salmon come back? Robie runners are the same way, but half our field this year are first-time participants," said Brian Rencher. "Next year, half of those people will come back and they become Robie runners for life, while other people do it once and they are done."
I went up to Aldape Summit to check out the course, and the conditions are dry all the way to the top. However, on the backside, as runners start their downhill trek, it enters the shade, which brings a few short sections of ice, slush, and mud.
I also stopped by the packet pick-up to talk with some of those first-time runners. Josh Goicoechea hasn't ran the Race to Robie Creek, but his father did back in the early days of this race.
"The time to beat is 1:32:42, but I’m hoping to just finish this year," said Goicoechea. "I feel confident, I haven’t done this before, so we are going to find out how tough it really is. I’ve been trying to do a little bit of hill training, so I can’t say how prepared I am that way, but I have been running the distance."
The race happens at noon, and there will be a shuttle taking runners back to the start. There is no parking at the finish line, and spectators need a ticket to take the shuttle to the finish line.
