John Harris took a break from the run to propose to Michelle Gessner – who accepted, according to the Methow Trails Facebook page.
There were some no-shows, but a sizeable field still took on the challenge of Methow Trails’ annual Cutthroat Classic Trail Run last weekend despite smoky conditions at lower elevations.
The winner was David McKay of Hood River, Oregon, who completed the 10.6-mile course in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 33 seconds. The first local finisher in the overall standings was Rob Crandall of Winthrop in 22nd place with a time of 1:35:15. Ben Nelson of Winthrop finished 26th overall with a time of 1:36:09.
The top woman finisher was Tyler Hudacek of Seattle in 1:32:34 in 17th place. The top-finishing local woman, in a time of 1:43:26, was Elizabeth Walker of Winthrop in 57th place.
Other local finishers in the top 100 included Chad Gregg of Winthrop in 39th place, Scott Waichler of Winthrop in 60th place, Kelsey Mcgill of Winthrop in 66th place, Kate Orlofsky of Winthrop in 73rd, Rachel Mozzetta of Winthrop in 74th, Luke Garing of Winthrop in 82nd, Justin Porter of Twisp in 83rd, and Tom Venable of Winthrop in 88th.
Anika Libby of Twisp was second in the 17-and-under women’s group; Mcgill was fourth, Orlofsky seventh and Mozetta eighth in the 18-29 women’s group; Nelson was seventh in the 30-39 men’s group; Walker was second in the 40-49 women’s group; Crandall was second and Waichler seventh in the 50-59 men’s group; Bo Thrasher of Mazama was third in the women’s 50-59 group; Robert Hardwick of Mazama was second in the 60-69 men’s group; and Bob Hockman of Mazama placed third in the 70-plus men’s group.
The race included a wedding proposal, ring included, that apparently was successful.
The course begins at Rainy Pass on the North Cascades Scenic Highway, elevation 4,870 feet. The route follows the Pacific Crest Trail north to Cutthroat Pass, elevation 6,835 feet. Runners then descend 4 miles to Cutthroat Lake and then downhill for 2 more miles to the Cutthroat Creek Trailhead.
