Sallyportal: Madly Blogging Reed

Reed Runners Attack Klickitat

By Chris Lydgate ’90 on November 03, 2014 10:43 AM
Reed student runners

The scrappy Reed running squad after vanquishing the Klickitat Trail. Bonus points to anyone who can explain the mysterious K on the hillside behind them.

A scrappy band of Reed runners ventured into the Columbia Gorge last weekend for the Klickitat Trail Half-Marathon and 5K Run.

The course was spectacular—and brutal, winding along the sinuous Klickitat River, whose jagged basalt made short work of aching calves and noble intentions.

Freshman Natalie Hawkins ’18 took first place in the women's 5K and chemistry major Anton Zaytsev ’18 nabbed second place in the men's 5K.

Physics major Trevor Soucy ’18 led the Reed pack in the Half-Marathon, coming in fourth overall with an impressive 1:32:12, followed by history major John Young ’15 at 1:36:05, Chinese major Aaron Finsrud ’15 at 1:39:28, and physics major Jack Flowers ’15 at 1:46:44.

Other Reed runners who braved the Klickitat were bio major Robin Byron ’15, Joan Guidin ’15, bio major Shelly Anne Skolfield ’14, physics major Ross Petersen ’15, and alumni wrangler Todd Hesse, who ran the entire 13.1-mile course carrying the Reed standard.

The squad was delighted to encounter local resident Barbara Strait Robinson '70, who served as a volunteer for the event.

The Klickitat outing was the latest demonstration of the unexpected burst of advanced pedestrianism that has swept over Reed in the last several years. Reed runners have competed in a veritable bonanza of recent races, including the Portland Marathon, the Hood-to-Coast Relay, the Columbia Gorge Aluminum Man Triathlon, and even the 50-mile American River Ultramarathon (see the recent article in Reed magazine.)

Tags: running, sports, jagged basalt