BOISE, Idaho — This year runners had the additional challenge of navigating slippery conditions in the Race to Robie Creek, dubbed the most difficult half-marathon in the northwest.
The race starts with an eight and half mile climb where runners gain 2,000 feet of elevation, first time runner Kenneth Sengendo told us that was the hardest part.
"Climbing all the way that was tough I should have listened to earlier advice and ran that hill 100 times," said Sengendo. "I'll do it again next year, I'm not settling for a two and a half hour time."
I climbed up the backside of the course to see what kind of conditions the runners had to brave to navigate in the 45th Race to Robie Creek. pic.twitter.com/OxPYyr1ElJ
— Steve Dent (@idahodent) April 16, 2023
The snow started about a mile before Aldape Summit and then the runners had to navigate those conditions coming down the backside before the snow disappeared.
"It was slippery a lot of people fell, I should have had my skis," said Gayle Marie.
Gayle is an original member of the Rocky Canyon Sail Toads, a running group that started the Race to Robie Creek, and she's still going strong.
"It has been a long time since I've run this," said Marie. "I started about 40 years ago, but yeah I’m 73 and if you don’t run, you rust."
This race had a unique aspect as nearly half of the 2,000 runners attempted this classic half-marathon for the first time.
"The race was hard, but it was really nice," said Sengendo. "This is my first half-marathon and I loved it."
Check out the video in this story, I hiked up the backside of the course to see if I could show the heart and soul of the Race to Robie Creek.
This kicks off a busy running season in the Treasure Valley, next week is the Boise River Marathon which also features a half-marathon, a 10k and a 5k.
