<\/a>Eliza Dorn, 39, finishes the 7.5-mile run in the Magnificent Mendenhall Mudpuddle Meet on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo \/ Quinn Tracy\/ Heather Parker)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
“I thought it was really fun, and it was in the sun,” Dorn said. She is also training for the Victoria Half as well as riding the Kluane Chilkat Bike race and a full Canada Ironman in August. “It was a fun course, the trails and the neighborhoods… No surprises in this race. Hills are never fun but it was a fun race. It was a good turnout. It’s fun to see people. I had never done this one before and I just really enjoyed being on the trail. It brings back all those feelings of all the triathlon running I have done around here.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Due to a structural course issue, the original 8-mile race was shortened to 7.5 miles. The route started at the Auke Lake boat launch parking lot and followed the bike path south along Egan Drive to Karl Reishus Boulevard (left) to the gravel horse trail and connected to Brotherhood Bridge Trail. Runners turned right on the footbridge and left behind the Thunder Mountain Track to Riverside Drive and then to Back Loop Road. They took a left to Auke Lake Trail and finished in the parking lot at the boat launch.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Basically it was the same route as years past,” co-race director Quinn Tracy said. “But this year the bridge over Montana Creek was closed so we had to reroute around Riverside Drive and Back Loop…”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Runners start the Magnificent Mendenhall Mudpuddle Meet on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo \/ Quinn Tracy\/ Heather Parker)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
The reroute included a near-mile hill.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I thought people in Juneau loved to run hills,” Tracy said. “You have to have a course in Juneau that has a hill. There is no other way to go.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Co-race director Heather Parker said, “We really love the running community here in Juneau and we love these races so we just wanted to pitch in for this particular race… and we love loop races. It looked like people were having a good time.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Bursell led the early pace with this reporter to the final Back Loop hill where Bursell took a two-second gap followed by Henry. Henry took a three-second lead through the roller coaster Auke Lake Trail and was briefly overtaken by Bursell in the final 100 yards but held on for the win.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“That was the point where I was going to make my move,” Bursell said of the Auke Lake Trail. “He beat me to it. Then I realized I couldn’t make a move so I had to just take my time and see if I could close the gap on the downhills. He seemed to be running faster on the uphills and I was faster on the downhills and the flats…”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t