https://naoko.github.io/tags/skyrunner/Recent content in Skyrunner on the art of simplicityHugoen-usSat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://naoko.github.io/posts/2026-08-01-beast-of-big-creek/Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://naoko.github.io/posts/2026-08-01-beast-of-big-creek/<p>I finished the <a href="https://www.beastofbigcreek.com/">Beast of Big Creek Skyrace</a> in 5:04:34, toward the back of the pack. It&rsquo;s one of only a few races that made me tear up at the finish line, and I&rsquo;ve been trying since then to explain why.</p> <h2 id="the-warm-up-laps">The Warm-Up Laps</h2> <p>The Beast is 24 km with 5,300 feet of climbing, up to the summit of Mount Ellinor and back down. Standing at the start, I was doing what I always do before a hard race, which is nothing at all — staying still, staying calm, saving everything I had for the mountain.</p>