I think Timp is 14 miles? I've been on the Timp summit only twice before, so it was easy to turn in a nice fast time on my first running attempt. Virtually the entire trail is runnable and I kept moving quickly through 99% of it. I met Craig Lloyd at the Timpooneke TH and we were off in the dark shortly after. A group of hikers was about to head up at the same time so I decided to skip using the potty at the TH and just get going. About a mile up I stopped to have a quick wiz and later the mile-one poo struck so I did not get within shouting distance of Craig again until we both arrived at the summit at virtually the same time (he was a minute or two ahead of me). The most difficult 'crux' of running Timp on a Saturday is weaving around all the hikers on the trail. I am certain I can get to summit faster on a weekday. When I got into the upper reaches of the basin I saw Craig ahead and above on a switchback. I waved but he was zoned and did not see me. When I ran into the saddle there were dozens of young people there and I happened to arrive right at sunrise. The golden light reflecting off the mountains, combined with how good I was feeling was enough for my brain to say "Hey, here are some endorphins for you." I was high and just shouted out WOOO! as I ran past 50 people watching the sunrise. I kept going, trying to catch Craig who may as well have been an elusive mountaingoat. Now I saw him, now he vanished into the folds of the mountain trail. At the summit switchbacks I was determined to get to the top under 2 hours. Then I saw that I could get there in 1:55. I pushed hard, sometimes on all fours, ignoring all the people around me as I passed dozens. Car to summit time: 1:55.50. I'm happy with that. Now I would like to see if I can beat that in any significant way. I met Craig in the shed at the summit, we chatted for a minute while I caught some breath, then started down. Again, he vanished. Before I could really get going he was halfway down, and for me the ordeal of trying to pass hundreds of people on the narrow trail began. I didn't see Craig again until I reached the trailhead. Next time I will be doing this on a weekday. Round Trip time: 3:16. Could have been several minutes faster if I was on a less crowded day. | 