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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, July 11-13, 2018 The Park Record B-3 Expect a hot day at Jupiter Peak Steeplechase The 16-mile race will gain 3,000 feet with forecast in 80s BEN RAMSEY The Park Record The 22nd annual Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, a 16-mile trail run, is scheduled for this upcoming Saturday. Charlie Sturgis, executive director at Mountain Trails Foundation, said the run will likely be hot, though a less dusty trail and an altered finish could help take some of the edge off. The race will end near the First Time lift instead of near the Silver Star lift at Park City Mountain, and this year, Sturgis said recent rains will hopefully keep the trail hard, reducing dust – a boon for runners. So far, Sturgis said around 300 people have registered for the race, which goes over Jupiter Peak, then up to Tri County Peak for an elevation gain of roughly 3,000 feet. “For most people (the hardest part) is going from Jupiter Peak, which a lot of people think is the top, but isn’t – you still have to go to Tri County Peak, so that’s a little bit of a heartbreak hill,” he said. Racers then descend back down to Park City Mountain’s base area, the fastest of which will set 5-minute mile paces. PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Participants of the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase take off along the starting straightaway at Park City Mountain Resort on July 30, 2016. Runners have five hours to complete the challenging course, which summits Jupiter Peak and Tri-County Peak. mean new record standings, depending on if the finish stays in the same place year after year, and is adopted as a standard. Last year’s top finishers were Ben Robinson, who took first overall with a time of 1:55:56.9, and Holly Hagerman, who finished in 2:18:33.6, earning the women’s title. Regardless of if the new route sticks or not, Sturgis said it does have an immediate upside: it will allow more room for people to spread out after finishing, especially for those that are “hammered” from the run, and need to collapse after crossing the finish line. That could be a bigger issue this year because of the heat, which is forecast to climb from a low in the low 60s to its apex in the mid-80s the day of the race, with winds speeds under 10 miles per hour. “Even 60 degrees is pretty warm for that race, for that type of strenuous exercise,” Sturgis said. Those interested in watching the race will be able to see the start and finish easily, with time to get a meal or a short bike ride in before the first finishers arrive. Registration is still open online at mountaintrails.org, or in person at the Mountain Trails office at 1665 Bonanza Dr. Racers should arrive at the starting area around 7 a.m. The race will start at 8 a.m Saturday, July 14. “These guys go up in 58 minutes, and they are down in 45,” Sturgis said of the race leaders. “I mean, think about running downhill for nine miles in 45 minutes. That’s, what, 12 miles an hour? That’s insane.” Sturgis added that the most impressive part is how runners navigate steep, uneven terrain. “You watch these guys come down any part of (the Spiro trail) – and think of all the washboard (rough terrain) on Spiro – and these guys are rocketing down the trail,” he said. “They’re flying.” The new ending this year will likely add five minutes to the race, which Sturgis said could event at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The announcement came as the new Major League Triathlon four-event series was about to kick off, using that very same format. The teams were already set for that season, with O’Neill a member of the Colorado Peaks, so the news didn’t shake up Major League Triathlon’s debut year too much. Heading into this season, though, O’Neill said he could feel a new energy surrounding the sport. “All of a sudden, Major League Triathlon because the biggest identifier of talent in the country for this new format,” O’Neill said. “So much so that there will be international teams in the league this year.” He describes the process on majorleaguetri.com: “Waking up at 5 a.m., driving 30 minutes to the site, waiting for the race to start, seeing her for (maybe) 10 seconds at each transition, and waiting patiently at the finish line for her to finish.” His analysis as a spectator was similar to his wife’s: “It felt like the longest day I ever had at a race. A simple thought was born: ‘Triathlon needs a change.’” Cassidy set out to create something more “Americanized” — a league with teams that represent cities, similar to other professional sports. “This structure is not only spectator friendly, but also incredibly television friendly; with the entire race taking roughly 70 minutes in total of nonstop action,” he said. With men and women com- peting together, it will be something unique for the Olympics in 2020, as well. ‘You can’t blink’ Major League Triathlon started as a small race league for Americans to experience a slightly different version of triathlon. “I’ve always enjoyed the Ironman format, as well, but you can take a nap during the event and still catch the exciting moments,” O’Neill said. “With Major League Triathlon, you can’t blink or you might miss something.” League founder Daniel Cassidy said his wife made him aware of the shortcomings of traditional triathlon with a simple observation: “This is so difficult for me as a spectator.” Cassidy said he didn’t know what she meant until he finally attended a triathlon as a spectator rather than a competitor. His wife was competing in her first event, and he was excited to see how she was going to do. Rooting for Florida With Major League Triathlon’s new notoriety, O’Neill had to shift around a bit not to get left behind. He joined the Sarasota Sun, the team from Florida, which was a bittersweet shift, being born and raised in Eagle County and living right near the Avon venue for quite some time. Nevertheless, he says he couldn’t be more excited about the fact that he’ll be able to come back home for the event on Aug. 4. “The world is now watching this league,” O’Neill said. “It’s going to be incredible to bring that level of exposure to Nottingham Park, where I did my first ever Dunk ‘N’ Dash.” Avon’s Dunk ‘N’ Dash run/ swim duathlon is still underway, now in its 14th year. The next one takes place on Monday, July 16, at 6 p.m. at Nottingham Park. “Avon’s lake is something we don’t have anywhere else in the valley, and these events — the Dunk ‘N’ Dash, the Xterra off-road triathlon, and now Major League Triathlon — are some of the best ways to showcase it,” O’Neill said. “I really can’t think of a more perfect event for that park.” Major League Triathlon’s Avon event will be the second of four in the series. The main event is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and a concert from Austin Plaine will follow starting at 6 p.m. For more information, see http://www.majorleaguetri.com. military members. With a focus on creating a positive outlet and community for military members who may be struggling with depression, Breuninger has his sights set on one free adventure event per month. “We are not a mental health provider,” Breuninger said. “What we are is a peer-support network. When you separate from the service, you lose a lot of the connection to the overall mission. You don’t have a mission anymore. You don’t have your folks in your unit. You lose that camaraderie. That’s why we are introducing these outdoor activities that require planning. Just like the military, you have to plan it out. It’s reminiscent of a military-style mission.” The native Kansan’s story of finding Summit County as his home centers on finding a wild place full of adventure. And with that, he said, Summit’s beauty and terrain act as a respite from grim military memories. Many years before finding his way here, though, Breuninger, in March of 2003, entered the Kansas Air National guard at the age of 18. At the time the U.S. Department of Defense was searching for candidates for their planned surge in fields related to military intelligence. Not soon after the former high school wrestler, soccer player and lifelong hunter fell in love with the challenge and satisfaction of intelligence work. His dozen years of service evolved from raw information analysis in removed rooms to inthe-field operations. And whether he was flying Predator drones in the Middle East from a remote location in Arizona or testing the U.S.’s own military vulnerabilities while replicating an enemy foreign intelligence service, everything Breuninger did revolved around protecting the country in the global war on terrorism. “It was the coolest job in the world,” Breuninger said. But then a regular gig had to follow. And it wasn’t easy on Breuninger’s psyche and mental health. That’s a transition many military members wrestle with in the wake of their service. It’s a reality that leads to mental health struggles for former military members seeking the same adrenaline rush and importance in their new non-military job. After a few less exciting job, Breuninger began working for Red, White and Blue in August of 2016. He only ended up here after a friend living in Silverthorne, Brock Johnson — whom had helped with Breuninger’s own mental health struggles, and now serves on HCVA’s board— requested help with depression in the spring of 2015. Just a year later Breuninger was still here, putting the wheels in motion to launch the nonprofit. It wasn’t easy. Breuninger was shocked when local land-use officials told him twice that he had “no shot” of getting a permit for his commercial operation. Yet Breuninger was adamant that his operation wasn’t at all commercial and that all he needed from them was access to a few locations. Then this past winter, the White River National Forest granted him permission to use four trails for his veteran’s ad- ventures: Baldy Mountain, Acorn Creek, Rock Creek Road and Mesa Cortina. The turnout has been modest for HCVA events , which include backcountry splitboarding up Baldy and stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Dillon. In fact, for the June SUP event out of Dillon Marina, only one veteran showed up. Even if it’s just one former service member they’ve helped, Breuninger knows that may equate to one veteran saved from suicide. “He was a Vietnam War veteran double my age, in his 60s, easy,” Breuninger said. “But our motto right now is ‘just get here.’ If you get here, the event is free. Introducing these outdoor adventures, it provides that challenge, that sense of accomplishment — that reason to get up off the couch.” Now an Olympic sport, triathlon intensifies with Majors New competitive system puts teams over individuals JOHN LACONTE Vail Daily AVON, Colo. — Vail native triathlete John O’Neill said it felt like it happened overnight. Major League Triathlon, an upstart league that formed as an experimental effort to bring a more spectator-friendly version of triathlon racing to the U.S., is now the main showcase of a new Olympic sport. The International Olympic Committee announced last year that the super sprint mixed team relay format — a 300-meter swim, 9-kilometer bike and 2-kilometer run — will be an Continued from B-2 Veterans recoup in outdoors he still carries with him the harrowing memories of warfare. That’s why this winter Breuninger — who now works as a fire inspector for the Red, White and Blue Fire Protection District in Breckenridge — officially launched his nonprofit High Country Veteran’s Adventures. In just a few months, the group has hosted a handful of splitboarding, hiking and stand-up paddleboard events for former Get the top local news stories delivered directly to your inbox with a new weekly email update from the Park Record! Sign up now at bit.ly/prrecordroundup |