For many, turning 30 means settling down, kids, mortgage payments and carving out a comfortable niche in which to grow old. Maybe buy a sensible car.
When Canmore’s Michelle Katchur Roberts turned 30, she challenging the world.
Fresh off a successful ski mountaineering season, Katchur Roberts earned a surprise invitation to the World Mountain Running Association’s long distance challenge championships at Pike’s Peak in Manitou Springs Colorado on Saturday (Aug. 23).
Katchur Roberts was the fastest Canadian woman on the 20 kilometre run up the 4,303 metre summit. She finished the race in 3:22:10, conquering 2,382m of elevation gain in the process.
“I was definitely OK with my time, considering I only had three weeks’ notice,” Katchur Roberts said. “It was such an amazing experience from beginning to end.”
The race wasn’t on her radar at all to begin the year, however, after finishing third in the Canadian Mountain Running Championships, she decided to accept the invitation.
Pikes Peak has varied terrain ranging from rooted forests to hard-packed dirt and deep runnels, all leading to a boulder field at the peak where the race finished. The entire experience was at an elevation rarely seen in the Canadian Rockies, so Katchur Roberts had to rely on her fitness and experience to get her through.
Hiking the course three days before the race was a definite advantage, as she was able to decide beforehand where to push and where to conserve energy.
“There was only one spot a mile and a half from the top where I felt queasy. I just stopped for 30 seconds and felt great,” she said. “With so many spectators and energy, I was able to push through to the top on peak fever.
“The mountain was a challenge; however, not the greatest challenge. With ski mountaineering, I taught myself how to suffer. The greatest challenge was social. I’m not used to racing around so many people. That part was difficult,” she said.
The single-track course was lined with crowds cheering on the runners, but passing proved difficult. Katchur Roberts found she was expending too much energy passing hikers on the trail, and she was frequently stuck behind slower competitors. While that slowed her progress, it also allowed her to stay well fed on gels, grapes and pretzels from the major aid stations. A dedicated vegan who also suffers from lactose intolerance, she kept a close eye on her hydration and salt levels throughout the race.
“Anytime I was going slow, I shoved food in my mouth,” she said.
Eager to try the race again, she said the race community made the entire experience memorable. When she arrived in Colorado, a friendly mountain running community greeted her with open arms.
“There was a lot of getting to know the community. On the course, people were shouting ‘go Canada.’ The search and rescue guys even sang the Beatles song ‘Michelle’ as I passed,” she laughed.
The race was her last international run for the season, although she does plan on competing in the Grizzly Ultra race in Canmore on Thanksgiving weekend. After another season of ski mountaineering, she’d love to return to the Pikes Peak run next year, and perhaps run the marathon distance up and down the mountain.
“I was feeling great the next day. The marathon would be a great challenge,” Katchur Roberts said.
Visit www.wmra.info for full results.
