After a nine-mile battle with first-place finisher Sopagna Eap, US Olympian and US Ski Team (USST) member Morgan Arritola finished the inaugural USA Half Marathon Trail Championship in second place, less than a minute behind Eap. The runner-up performance was particularly impressive given that Arritola is in the midst of summer training for a different sport and was competing against the best of the USA Track and Field team.
“I was a little surprised,” Arritola admitted. “I don’t train for running so I don’t have huge expectations. In this race I set my sights on the woman who I thought would win and tried to run with her as long as I could.” Arritola didn’t put in any specific training or tapering for the half marathon, preferring to use the race “as a chance to put on a bib and go hard.”
The top places were crowded with locals as Bend native Lisa Nye rounded out the women’s top three with a time of 1:27.54, 4:40 behind Arritola and 5:32 behind Eap. Hometown favorite Max King took the men’s crown with a time of 1:11.03, followed by twins Carlos and Esteban Trujillo of Eugene, Oregon in second and third.
Arritola’s next big move will be heading for New Zealand for a USST training camp in a couple of weeks. Until then, and for the rest of the summer, she will be focusing on skiing as usual, “just working hard day in and day out.”