Pikes Peak Ascent is Uniquely Demanding

Trail running straight up Pikes Peak climbing 7,815 feet takes amazing grit.  As we posted the last time Michelle ran this race, the race finishes at 14,050 fee elevation after the runners run UP 13.32 miles (downhill portions are virtually non-existent).

In this year's Pikes Peak Ascent on 8-24-19, Michelle finished FIFTH place in females, 2nd place in her age group, and 42nd overall.  She completed the run in 3 hours, 8 minutes, 27 seconds.  Michelle ran at a pace of 14:09 minute miles.  Given her recent injuries, this performance is simply astounding.

By the way, that's her fiancé Art Messal next to her in the photo above.  He's had some impressive running results in some of these races, too.  It's nice when your partner in life likes to do what you like to do, right?

Here's is a link to a video of Michelle crossing the finish line:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVq3b9jT5Os&feature=youtu.be&t=12035

Here's another link to an article about Michelle and her running philosophy:
https://lifelongendurance.com/athlete-spotlight-michelle-hiland/?fbclid=IwAR0yA8boVW8mx2ajOQR7JzSrnwrtDobqsqi2C6MCQPkzTcbhjbuonV_kti8

First Montana Race, First Place !! - Snowbowl 15K

Sleep-deprived, behind on training, and with family medical problems heavy on her mind, Michelle took FIRST place trail running at the Montana Snowbowl 15K.  Her time of 1 hour 15 minutes and 48.96 seconds beat the second place woman by 3 minutes!  She finished 9th out of 240 runners, so that means she was ahead of lots of guys, too.  Her pace was a stunning 8:08 minute miles.

The Snowbowl 15K is a 9.3 mile race that climbs 2,150 feet up for 4.65 miles.  This year, the race was on August 3, 2019.  Michelle said the trail was very scenic and fun.  Way to go, girl!!!

Here is a link from the local newspaper.  Scroll down toward the middle to read about Michelle:
https://missoulian.com/sports/brotherhood-of-guts-mission-valley-pals-battle-for-top-spot/article_8fe32ca5-1f8c-5830-a5a8-571b38658773.html

Triple Bypass Bicycle Ride - Not a Problem for Michelle

In a stunning surprise shift from her usual sport of trail running, our beloved Michelle entered the epic Triple Bypass bike ride -- just for fun.  On July 13th, 2019, she completed the intense 120 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain over three gorgeous mountain passes in 7 hours and 48 minutes.  This bicycle ride has been a premier event of the nation for 30 years and thousands of people participate.  The route goes from Evergreen to Avon, Colorado, over Juniper, Loveland, and Vail passes.

Take a close look at the photo.  Our Michelle, at the top of Loveland Pass, is riding with ease.

One Week After Taking 1st in a 50K, Michelle Pushes It to the Limit in One of the Most Challenging 10K's in the Nation

In a surprising late entry into one of the most challenging 10K's in the nation, Michelle took SECOND place overall and first in her age group on June 9, 2019, in a race in the high mountains of Vail, Colorado, just one week after taking first place in the 50K Golden Gate Dirty 30.

The Casio Pro Trek Smart 10K Spring Runoff is considered exceptionally difficult because the runners start at an elevation of 8,200 feet.  The uber runners cover the 6.3 miles of mountainous terrain with constant elevation changes for a total elevation gain of 1,457 feet.  Let's put that into perspective:  The tallest building in Denver, Colorado, is the 56-story Republic Plaza building which attains a height of 714 feet.  The Casio Pro Trek Smart 10K Spring Runoff climbs more than TWICE that.

Michelle achieved a race time of 53 minutes and 54 seconds with a pace that floored us all:    8:41 minute miles!

Watch for Michelle's next big challenge on July 13th, which is the Triple Bypass Bike Ride.  This tedious bike ride climbs three passes in 120 miles with 10,000 feet in elevation gain.  Yes, you read it correctly -- she's biking as well as running.

Our Michelle WINS the Dirty 30 Ultra Race June 1, 2019 !!!!!!

She ran it perfectly and won!  The Fan Club is ecstatic.

It is our greatest pleasure to share with you that Michelle Hiland achieved FIRST place out of 167 women in the 50K Golden Gate Dirty 30 Mountain & Trail Run on June 1, 2019!!!!!  She was the only woman to finish in under 6 hours with a winning time of 5 hours 53 minutes and 24.4 seconds.  The second place female finisher was 31 minutes behind her.  

Out of the 432 total women (167) and men (265) who ran the race, Michelle came in 14th overall, so she ran faster than 252 men!  Her pace over the 31+ miles was 11:22 minute miles.  

Check out the Elevation Profile on this race.  It's grueling.

Remember last year when she took third in this same race and also took a nasty tumble?  We knew it was only a matter of time that she would take first place and we are so proud.  We can all say "we knew her when . . . "

Michelle Holds Women's Fastest Known Time for Boulder's Mesa Trail Out & Back

On a lark one day in July 2018, Michelle decided to see how fast she could run Boulder's popular Mesa Trail (in & out) with just water and a gel -- no support, no gear dropped, just for pure joy.  She ran the 13.4 total miles in 1 hour 59 minutes 10 seconds.   To her surprise, her run earned her the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for all women running this trail.  The woman holding second place ran it in 3 hours 3 minutes 51 seconds, so you can see why we think Michelle is INCREDIBLE.  Our Michelle plans to go back and beat her own record some day, since she didn't feel she was really pushing it that day.

Here's a link to the site:  

https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mesa-trail-boulder-co

Blue Sky Marathon: Fort Collins to Loveland . . . and back

Our Michelle came in SECOND place out of 114 women who ran the Blue Sky Trail Marathon on October 20, 2018!  Only one other woman beat her time of 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 39 seconds.  Michelle's pace was an astonishing 8.97 minute miles.  She kept this pace running 26.7 miles with 3,500' of vertical gain and approximately 3,500' of descent.  She accomplished this in spite of recent injuries and not feeling 100% well.  A gal with true grit!  There were 393 people who ran the race and Michelle finished 19th overall.  The trail headed north for an eight-mile loop on the Horsetooth Mountain Park trails before returning south for a trip down to the Devil's Backbone Open Space.  The terrain ranges in difficulty from smooth dirt trail to technical rock gardens.  

Aspen Power of Four Makes Us So Proud of Michelle

Our Michelle competed in the breathtaking Power of Four 50 kilometer trail run in Aspen in July 2018.  Inconceivably, this run traverses all four Aspen Snowmass mountains (Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass Mountain) in its 31+ miles and has 12,178 feet of elevation gain and 11,632 feet of elevation loss.

Michelle was the first woman to finish the race, finishing before a number of front runner men, but her time ultimately didn't count.  Poor course markings with a directional sign down caused her to follow several front runner men off course for awhile and midway through the course, she was informed that she and the 9 others making the same mistake were disqualified.  (NOTE:  The Fan Club is very upset about this whole thing because it happened in this race the year before -- the race organizers should have taken care of the problem).  In any case, Michelle made us so proud by continuing on to the finish.  

She said:   "I discussed it for 10 minutes with the people who notified me of the disqualification and considered ending the run but, then, I decided it's beautiful here.  I love trail running.  I can do this.  I'm happy I finished and I came in (unofficially) first among the women even though I wasted 10 minutes talking and also wasted time running off course."

Ultimately, she was awarded 6th place in the 25K run.

See the article in the Aspen Times link for additional details:  

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/sports/max-taam-caroline-tory-win-power-of-four-triple-crowns/

Our Ultra Runner Took Third Place in the Golden Gate Dirty 30

Our uber-athlete, Michelle, ran the Golden Gate Dirty 30 in June 2018.  The race is held at Golden Gate State Park and features 7,250 feet of climbing and descending.  Michelle placed THIRD in this 50K race (just over 31 miles) out of 115 women.  What's even more remarkable is that she placed third even though she took a bad fall within moments of the finish line.  Plus, wet feet caused a bad blister.  Even so, she ran the race in 5 hours 54 minutes and 51 seconds (11:25 minute miles).  She is truly a powerhouse.

High Altitude Trail Run Up Pikes Peak is Physically Demanding

Even though our Wonder-ful Woman grew up in a Colorado mountain town at high altitude, trail running straight up Pikes Peak climbing 7,815 feet was grueling for her.  The peak is at 14,115 feet and the race finished at 14,050, after running up 13.32 miles (downhill portions were virtually non-existent).  The Pikes Peak Ascent run occurred in August 2017.  Michelle finished SECOND in her age group, 7th in females, and 44th overall.  She completed the run in 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 30 seconds.  Michelle ran at a pace of 13:47 minute miles.  The fastest female in the race beat her by only 15 minutes.  We are so proud of her.

Michelle Breaks Record at 50K Desert Rats Trail Run, Fruita, CO

To our delight, Michelle ran her first 50K race in April 2017.  A 50K race is a little over 31 miles (31.0685596).  She not only won it, but she set a new women's record in the race.  Michelle traversed terrain that offered 3,400 feet of climbing between 4,500 and 5,400 feet of elevation.  She held a pace of 9-minute-29-second-miles during this race and completed it in 4 hours, 55 minutes and 17 seconds.  She was the FIRST female to cross the finish line in front of 32 other females and finished eighth overall behind the top male runners.  She shattered the previous women's 50K record of 5 hours, 10 minutes and 31 seconds for the course  The race is on the Kokopelli trail near Fruita, Colorado and is an annual event called the Desert Rats Trail Running Festival.  Michelle is so strong and so fast, and she's only at the beginning of her trail running career.  Her Fan Club is certain she's going to be even more famous in the future. 

Long's Peak Women's Speed Record

This is our spectacular Michelle running up Long's Peak.  It was when she first told us she ran to the top of Long's Peak via the Keyhole Route to in 3 hours and 5 minutes to claim the unofficial women's speed record for the run that we began to understand her incredibleness and it is when we decided to organize the Michelle Hiland Fan Club.  This is a 12.4 mile round-trip with an elevation gain of 3,825 feet that most hiker's accomplish in 12-16 hours and, again, she did it in 3 hours and 5 minutes!  

Would you like to be a member of the Michelle Hiland Fan Club?  If so, email us at:

MichelleHilandFanClub@hotmail.com

We will send you an email whenever there is a new posting on the Fan Club website.