It was quite a weekend in Mammoth, and the DPMR members showed up in force across all events, racing hard and cheering louder. You may have followed some of the results, including Anna Yip becoming the queen of the triple crown! But beyond results, memories and shared experiences are what keeps a lot of us coming back. So here’s what a few of the DPMR members had to say about the weekend.
Anna Yip – Triple Crown
This was my first time signing up for a multi-day race, and it was SO fun! The energy of the crowds and volunteers was magical and really made the whole weekend so special. Doing the Dragon’s Back Ascent three times was brutal, but the views at the top are so worth it. The 50K was surprisingly difficult, with a couple of punchy climbs in the second half that will humble you. The 26K was a highlight for me. I’m also super glad the order of the races for the Triple Crown was dba, 50K, and then 26K! If you’re curious about it, you should definitely try it 🙂 And, the race offers FREE photos, though they’re not organized by bib so you have to sort through them all.
Staying with Kelly and Bruna in a nearby AirBnB was a blast and a lovely reminder of how incredible this community is. It also made getting to/from the start/finish so convenient — highly recommend staying nearby if you can!
Alex Woods – 50K
This is the best 50K I’ve run! I loved the first half, winding past lake after lake, and it was much more runnable than I expected. Even the climb was enjoyable, with awesome views along the way. Staying in the village was great too. I could walk to the start, walk back to my room after, and then come back out to the finish line, which turned into one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Cheering in the runners who finished after me was a blast, and watching the final finisher come in with about 20 seconds left before the cutoff was really fun. As for the organization, I don’t have a single complaint. Bib pickup was quick and easy, the aid stations were well stocked and well run, and every volunteer I met was fantastic. I tried to think of something they could improve and came up empty. Between the big scenery, the runnable course, and a village setup that makes the whole weekend easy, I would absolutely recommend it!
Bruna Bradford – 50K
We had a group of friends going together, which always makes racing better, and it was so nice catching up with Anna Yip after ages, along with Kelly Fuson and her dog Pixel making a huge difference. Knowing it was going to be a really hard race, I went in with zero pressure just to have fun, with a strategy to take it easy until reaching the summit. By Mile 13, I was doing well and had great timing, but when I hit the Dragon’s Back, it was a total kick in the teeth—and being afraid of heights made it even worse! Even though it ended up being my longest race duration ever at 8 hours and 7 minutes, I was so happy with the friends and high spirits on the course, especially getting to see Isaiah, a fellow DPMR member, as a great surprise at the last aid station. Everything got even better when I found out I placed 115th out of 734 runners (top 15%), Anna Yip took 1st place in the Triple Crown while setting a new course record, and Jack Macy, Christie Jackson, and Tracy Cuneo all made the podium—DPMR absolutely slayed this race and it was so much fun!
Tracy Cuneo – 26K
Epic race weekend. Stunning views. Chill, yet enthusiastic vibe. Super well-run race and aid stations. Loved having crazy supportive DPMR-ers to race and cheer with.
The race: running up over a very exposed “Dragon’s Back” summit at 11,056 feet was surreal. Felt “light” at that elevation. I have no idea how the elites ran all the way up. Whew! The soft pumice trail surface made for incredibly fun running down off the summit. Massive cheering crowds throughout the course. Our bibs had first name only, so I heard “Go Tracy!” maybe 10 times. Two super nice runner guys peeled me off the dirt after tripping 3 miles from the finish. Loved, loved Mammoth Trailfest!
Kelly Fuson – 26K
This was my first year doing the 26k distance for this race which reminded me a lot of Broken Arrow except the climb was all in one big go and at higher elevation which made it perhaps even more challenging, but worth the views which are spectacular. They implemented three waves to stagger the start which helped avoid some crowding on the single track uphill but you should still expect some spots with a conga line. The aid stations were perfectly spread out and had great volunteers but I wish they had more real food options like potatoes and quesadillas instead of chips and pretzels, but I made due with bananas and pickles. The downhill included some technical mountain biking sections and wooden bridges which was fun but could be tough on tired legs. Overall, if you’re looking for a community driven challenging mountain trail race, this is for you!
Leave a Reply