Well, let me tell you about this McCall Trail Running Classic thing. It’s a big ol’ race they got up there in McCall. Been goin’ on since, oh, 2012 or somethin’. They got all sorts of folks runnin’ around in them woods. Some folks do a short run, some do a longer one, and some are just plain crazy and do a real long one, like 40 miles. Goodness gracious, my old knees couldn’t do that no more. But you young ones seem to love it.
They changed where it’s at now, used to be one place, now it’s up near them hot springs, Burgdorf. That’s in the Payette National Forest. Pretty country up there, I reckon. They got all them trees and hills. If you like that sort of thing.
Now, if you wanna run in this thing, this McCall Trail Running Classic, they say you gotta train. Can’t just jump off the couch and run 40 miles, you know. Gotta build up your, uh, your air-gettin’ ability. They call it “aerobic base”. Runnin’ on them hills, walkin’ fast in the mountains, even ridin’ a bicycle, they say that helps. All that rough ground, them steep climbs. Gets your heart pumpin’, I guess.
- They say you gotta run kinda slow at first, like every other day, just 10 or 20 minutes for the first week.
- Keep your feet movin’ quick, they say, like 160 steps a minute or somethin’.
- And you gotta run on dirt and hills, not just flat roads. Gets you ready for the real thing.
This McCall Trail Running Classic, they got different races. They got a 10-mile, a 20-mile, and that crazy 40-mile one. They say registration is open, you gotta sign up. They did one back in July, on a Saturday evening, I think it was the 17th. They had it up at that Brundage Mountain place. They had a marathon race there, too, over 26 miles. That’s a long way to run.
They got rules, too. You gotta get to a certain place by a certain time, or they make you do the shorter race. Somethin’ about Nethker Creek and 1:30 PM. You got 5 hours and 30 minutes to run 13.5 miles. If you’re doing that long run, the 50K or something they call it and don’t get to that Nethker Creek in time, you gotta drop down to the 30K run. So, gotta be fast.
I saw somethin’ about a fella named Rich L., he ran in this McCall Trail Running Classic thing, the 40-mile one, back in 2018. He must be a tough one. It’s a real big deal, I guess, this runnin’ in the woods. Lots of folks do it. They run and run and run.
Seems like they got a lot of trails up there in McCall. They say you gotta watch where you’re goin’, too. Make a hard left at some point, head east, don’t go south on some Bear Pete Trail. Sounds like you could get lost easy if you ain’t payin’ attention. They say the trail goes down real steep for a bit, a quarter mile.
They got all them rules and such for this McCall Trail Running Classic. Seems like a lot of work to me, just to run in the woods. But, like I said, you young folks seem to like it. Just be careful out there, watch your step, and don’t get lost. And make sure you train up proper before you go runnin’ 40 miles in them mountains. And don’t be runnin’ on an empty stomach, either. Eat a good breakfast.
They keep saying it’s a “McCall tradition.” Well, I suppose it is. People been doin’ it for a while now. If you like runnin’, and you like them woods, then maybe this McCall Trail Running Classic is for you. Just remember what I said about trainin’. And listen to the folks runnin’ the race, they know what they’re doin’. They’ll tell you where to go and what to do.
So, yeah, that’s what I know about that McCall Trail Running Classic. It’s a big runnin’ thing in the woods. Lots of folks do it. They got different races, different rules. You gotta train. And it’s in McCall, up in the mountains. That’s about all there is to it, I reckon.
Now, I think I need to go sit down. All this talkin’ about runnin’ has made me tired. You young folks have fun with your McCall Trail Running Classic, and remember to be safe out there in them woods.
