By Brad Thiessen

The Mountain Magic Trail Run, a race with 5, 10, and 25k options on the Mt. Spokane Nordic ski trails, is now in its 7^th year and set for June 30, 2024. Here’s the challenging, sometimes harrowing story of how it was born, and how it got its quirky name.

I’ve had cancer three times, including nine brain surgeries and assorted other operations. My body is tattooed by a scarred map of every single stitch along the way. Coming out of that last recurrence in December 2015, I knew the only way to rebuild was to set a major goal. So I decided to run my first 50k trail race the following September. It was kind of a foolhardy goal, since at the time I could barely run 100 feet at a light jog before collapsing to catch my breath.

With help from Dave Dutro of Trail Maniacs, I set out on a nine-month training journey. It started with a disastrous Bloomsday where I staggered across the finish line. That was followed by 25k Trail Maniacs runs at Farragut State Park in Idaho in May, another at Heyburn State Park in June, and then the last one, at Mt. Spokane in July. To train, I started running on the Nordic ski trails on Mt. Spokane almost every week. It was like magic. Every time I got back, I felt a little stronger. Plus, it took me above the smoke that plagued the Northwest that summer, with air so thick and yellow we weren’t supposed to even go outside to the grocery store. That last race on Mt. Spokane was a fitting end to my training—a body- and soul-crushing grind that started easy with a fun downhill to Bear Creek Lodge, then kicked straight up to the peak and back down the near-vertical hardpan of the mountain’s east face to the Selkirk lodge.

Runners leave the start of the first-ever Magic Mountain Trail Run

By the time I crossed the line, I had moved up in the rankings far higher than any of the previous races. Not that it mattered, but it meant my training was paying off. Cancer hadn’t beaten me. When the morning of the Riverside 50k came, the email came in just as I was making my pre-race breakfast—the race was cancelled due to smoke.

But truthfully, it didn’t faze me too much. We had been warned it might happen. And after all, what had the goal really been, at its heart? To rebuild, to conquer the fear and discouragement and brokenness left by cancer and its treatment. My training—and the trails—had accomplished that.

That afternoon, my brother and I went up above the smoke to those Mt. Spokane Nordic ski trails and had a great few hours enjoying the trails. I eventually ran my 50k in October, on my own with a crew of friends and family. The Mt. Spokane Nordic trails had been my go-to training ground, my place of healing. So the following summer, a trail race seemed like a great way to share some of that magic with my fellow runners. And because of that, the name was born—Mountain Magic.

That’s why the event is so special to me. I hope you’ll join me on June 30, 2024.

You can learn more about Mountain Magic at mountainmagicrun.com, and more about my journey at curioussurvivor.com.

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1. Don’t Time Yourself

Okay, who am I kidding—you’re probably going to time yourself. Just don’t beat yourself up about it. Unless you’re running a familiar route, no two miles on trails are the same. The whole goal of trail running is to enjoy your body, enjoy the trail, and soak in nature.

• Don’t Get Lost (unless you like doing that)

A satisfying run can go sour pretty quickly if you find yourself off-course and unprepared or out of time. Trail running is more than just running—it’s also orienteering. There may not be landmarks to guide you, or they may look different when approached from a different angle. So plan your route and pay deliberate attention as you go down the trail.

• Dress for This Afternoon

Bring a pack with clothes that layer. My strongest cautionary memory is my brother looking up at the blue sky from the parking lot and saying “It’s not going to rain,” then putting his jacket back in the trunk. Watching him shiver uncontrollably with hypothermia four hours later was a rather sobering experience.

• Go with a Friend (unless you really like running alone)

Trail running with a friend has a couple of huge benefits. First, running frees the mind and the heart, and you’re together for a long time, maybe hours. Some of my best conversations have been on the trail. Second, there are risks on the trail you don’t have when running on the road. Technical aspects like rocks and roots can easily bring spills, and you won’t necessarily be near help if anything goes wrong including an encounter with a rattlesnake, moose, or other wildlife. Trail running is time spent in the woods, so backcountry knowledge is a handy skill.

• Bring Enough Nutrition and Hydration

With trail running, proper nutrition and hydration are a must. Other than an injury, nothing wrecks a run quite like dehydrating or feeling the energy drain out of your legs. Invest in a hand-held water bottle and, as your runs grow longer, get a hydration vest. Experiment with different food to see what gives you energy and sits well in your stomach. The right nutrition and hydration level is very much an individual thing, and something you will have to learn about yourself.

• Follow Your Bliss

If you had a distance planned, but you’re in the zone: keep going. If you’re curious, explore. If you’re blown away by the scenery, stop and let it wash over you. If you’re tired, slow down or stop for a while to rest. This is not a track meet. This is you and nature, one on one. //

Brad Thiessen is Race Director for the Mountain Magic 5/10/25k Trail Run and Marathon, June 17 & 18 at Mt. Spokane State Park. Learn more at Mountainmagicrun.com.

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The Spokane Nordic Challenge Loppet on March 8 is more than just a long-distance ski event; it’s a season-long training goal, a celebration of the Nordic skiing community, and a farewell to winter. And it all takes place on the some of the longest, most picturesque rolling cross-country ski trails in the Pacific Northwest. Participants can choose from 20, 30 or 50K distances which are all more than long enough to keep your heart pumping. If you’re wondering what a Loppet is, it’s a competitive or non-competitive long ski event, which sums up the spirit of the Challenge. Some hit it hard, some take it easy. All have a good time. Sign up at Spokanenordic.org/challenge-loppet while early lower prices are still in place. Then recruit a friend and start training. 

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Once kids get familiar with the basics of Nordic (cross-country) skiing, they move beyond the flat learning area to the rolling trails. After a few sessions, many groups will venture off-track to explore the forest or head out as far as the Nova Hut for a break in front of the warm glow of the wood stove. The season is capped off with a Snow Carnival of games and food. The cost for the program is $80 per child with financial aid available. More details are available at Spokanenordic.org. 

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In early 2018, my cousin Laura, whom I had been getting to know recently through Facebook, mentioned she had signed up for the inaugural Lone Wolf trail race in Fernie, British Columbia in June.

The premise was intriguing: Every hour on the hour, all the racers leave together on a 4-mile loop. The next hour, everyone starts together again. If you didn’t finish the last loop in the appointed hour, you’re out of the race. The winner is the last person still at the starting line the last time the gun goes off. It was clear right away I had to sign up, and my running buddy Jack joined me.

Since winning was not a reasonable goal, the question became, How many loops can I pull off? The website called it a “runnable” course. Some quick math guaranteed at least a 20-minute break each hour, and my goal grew from eight loops to 10, to 12, then to, This could be my first 50-miler!

The email from the organizers a week beforehand announced the location as the trailhead to the Nordic ski area. Great! I thought. Cross-country ski trails are fairly flat, so my goals should be on track.

Saturday morning, 78 of us lined up facing those flattish Nordic trails, took off, and took a sharp right. We continued through a parking lot, across a footbridge, and up—not up a wide Nordic ski trail, mind you, but up singletrack. Almost 80 people jammed single file onto the trail, moving uphill at a slow jog that often slowed to a hands-on-knees trudge in the morning fog that was threatening to thicken to rain.

As we snaked up the mountain that first lap, there was lively chatter, mostly echoing my goals. “How far do you think you’ll go?” asks one person. “I was thinking 60 miles,” says another. “I’m aiming for 100,” brags a third. You practically had to swat the optimism aside just to see the trail in front of you.

Our collective enthusiasm waned as we realized Fernie has its own alternate dictionary, where “runnable” means a sometimes slick, root-riddled course that heads up a relentless 720 feet for 2 miles, then shoves you another 720 feet downhill. The fact that you reverse direction each time doesn’t much help.

By the end of the second loop, the goal of running my first 50-miler was tossed onto the heap of future dreams. I soon found a 10-minute break between loops was the minimum needed to gather enough energy for the next loop, so speed was crucial. This meant getting a fast start off the line—on the third lap, I got caught in a slow group and almost missed the cutoff.

The biggest struggle was staying upright. On loop five, I flew off the end of a switchback and into the jagged arms of a felled tree, gifting me with a nasty gash on my lower arm that should have had stitches. The resulting scar is now a permanent reminder of my day on the Fernie trails.

I still made the cutoff time for the sixth loop. Even if that round went past an hour, I was guaranteed 24 miles. Instead, I called it quits. I settled for 20 miles, with only a slight pause. Laura did the same and she, too, had no regrets about stopping.

Around midnight, Jack and I watched the final competitors go through the same process. One by one, those who made the cutoff decided not to start the next loop until it was down to two, and the winner was the one who chose to run that last loop. The last guy who stopped was happy to drink his complimentary beer and drape the second-place wood medallion over his neck.

There seemed to be a shared sense among many of us on the trail that we knew when our time was up—we’d logged enough miles and entered enough races to knows there would be plenty of other great trails ahead. //

Brad Thiessen’s trail running goals include directing the June 22 Mountain Magic 5/10/25K run on Mt. Spokane. He last wrote about Nordic skier Trevin Hansen in the February issue.

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His aid station passion grew to the point of having so much equipment he needed to purchase a pickup and camper to haul it down remote roads. He now takes his traveling oasis to races across the western U.S. every year, often with wife Carmen and his two teen kids in tow.

“I feel it’s my calling,” he says. “It’s my way to serve these runners and bring a little joy into their lives.”

I decided to get a first-hand look at Jack’s operation by joining him at the 141-mile aid station of the Bigfoot 200-miler last July.

On a warm Friday morning, we left Spokane in a pickup with a covered box stuffed with equipment and supplies, the camper hitched behind. Son Jason followed in their SUV pulling an empty trailer. Six hours later, we were in the sweltering heat of the high school parking lot in Randle, Washington piling the trailer with food, jugs of water, and other supplies. Then with vague directions that don’t take road closures into account, Jack recalls enough from previous years to navigate the sketchy backwoods roads to where it dead-ends at the forest.

The next morning, we faced the monumental task of setup. The main area was 30 by 50 feet, with a single huge tarp overhead that draped past the kitchen to provide a back wall. It stretched across to butt up against a 10 by 15-foot warming hut set next to a snack/drink station of the same size. Since this aid station was one of several sleep stations, four sleeping tents had been set up in an adjacent field.

The kitchen was a marvel of portable culinary technology with a large griddle, toaster, coffee pot, and—get this—microwave oven, all powered by a gas generator with a separate vegan area to the side. Then there was the jumble of coolers, disposable plates, napkins, serving bowls, and utensils.

The all-hours, on-request menu included breakfast burritos, burgers (meat and veggie) with all the fixings, cheese quesadillas, make-your-own sandwiches, and pancakes. Throughout the rest of the aid station was an array of fruit, potato chips, cookies, M&Ms, sodas, and energy gels.

Over the next two days and nights, runners glided or stumbled into the camp and were met with claps and shouts by anyone present. Many looked around deliriously and quickly stumbled into the warming tent for first aid for feet shredded by blisters and a common grumble, “How come I fall asleep while I’m running but I can’t fall asleep at an aid station?”

The next sixty hours were a blur of short sleep shifts and the smell of burger grease. Any self-pity was muted by the fatigue and pain in the faces of many of the runners.

The last runner left the station at 10:30 Monday morning. What followed was seven hours of washing and packing. We stuffed Jack’s belongings, jigsaw-puzzle-style, into the back of the pickup, and precariously strapped the race supplies and garbage to the trailer.

“This is the side of it no one sees,” Jack says as he strapped the final empty gas cans to the back of his camper.

Back at the high school headquarters, we dumped the leftover supplies then headed a mile back down the highway for a quick bite. As we crossed the street to the diner, a runner passed us, probably on the way to about a 30th-place finish. Jack doesn’t recognize the runner. They probably crossed paths during Jack’s sleep shift.

It’s okay. Whether they met face-to-face or not, he and Jack have connected in spirit, one runner to another, on opposite sides of the grill. //

Trail Ultra Volunteer Opportunities

Below is a non-exhaustive list of ultramarathon (50K or longer) trail runs in and near Washington that list volunteer opportunities on their websites. A more complete list of Washington ultras can be found at ultrarunning.com.

• Capitol Peak 50 Mile April 27 / Olympia, WA
• Snake River Island Hop 50K or 100K/ April 27 / near Pasco, WA
• Spokane River Run 50K/ April 28 / Spokane, WA
• Mt. Si 50 mile or 50K/ April 28 / Snoqualmie, WA
• Lake Hills 50K / May 5 / Bellevue, WA
• Tiger Mtn 50K / May 18 / Issaquah, WA
• Vashon Island 50K / June 1 / Vashon Island, WA
• Trail Rail 50 mile or 50K / June 8 / Mullan, ID
• Race the Wolf 52K / July 6-7 / Sandpoint, ID
• Mt. Spokane Vertical Challenge 50K / July 13 / Spokane, WA //

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This year the race has been expanded to include a 5K option. The shorter distance was added to encourage adults, youth, and kids who have never run trails or entered a trail race to make the move from pavement to dirt. It covers one of the most beautiful, winding parts of the run.

Fees are low to encourage participation. A hearty lunch follows. Funds go toward the future OutLive organization, which will help cancer survivors find emotional and physical recovery. Learn more and register at mountainmagicrun.com. //

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The Nordic skiing began at age 7, and it wasn’t smooth sailing from the first outing. In fact, his mother Amanda recalls it took a half-dozen tries for Trevin to tolerate it, and even longer before he could head out on skis with his father Jon without standing “like a wet noodle” before falling over—sometimes by accident, but often on purpose—and rolling around in the snow.

Thinking back, she recalls, “The first time he went downhill standing up at age 13 was a GREAT day!  Previously he’d squat down on his skis, which works well and it’s wonderful to see him develop caution, but we knew he was physically capable of standing up to go down the hills.”

Everyone has personal goals when they’re on the trails. At the Mt. Spokane Cross-Country Ski Park, the first challenge for the beginner is to reach Trail Junction One, followed by Junction Two. A ways further is the Nova Hut, a common rest stop appreciated for the warmth of its log stove.

Not surprisingly, Trevin’s goals don’t necessarily align with the ones others might set. Who needs a snack break or warm up at the Nova Hut? With what Trevin’s mother affectionately calls his “abundant energy,” his usual goal is to race as quickly as possible to Junction 2 and back, with no stopping for photos, please. As Amanda says with understatement, “Waiting is not his strong suit.”

One of the biggest barriers for any Nordic skier in Spokane is getting their gear together and making the one-hour trek up the mountain to the ski park. That was no less the case in the early years for Trevin, Amanda, and Jon. Because of Trevin’s love of skiing as well as the tremendous physical and emotional benefits it offered, the family bought a condo on Mt. Spokane in 2011 when he was 9 and had been skiing for two years.

Despite his love of skiing, Trevin still has a hard time getting out on the trail some days. Like others with autism, transitions between activities can be difficult. But since he’s rarely sitting still, he usually makes it onto the trail eventually for what he calls his “exercise.”

Overall, Amanda sees Nordic skiing as an excellent way for Trevin to participate in the world outside his sheltered space at home, particularly because he is functionally non-verbal. Being out on the trail is good both for him and for the general public. “His presence is what we like to call ‘autism ambassadorship,’” Amanda says.  “People, given the opportunity to learn through exposure, are generally very understanding of those who experience the world differently, but without that exposure it’s human nature to be leery of the ‘other.’”

Now you can catch Trevin on the trail most weekends, whooping it up and probably speeding past you. Just don’t expect him to stop for a chat. He’s got places to go. And fast. //

Brad Thiessen is an avid runner and Nordic skier. He last wrote about Nordic skiing as cross-training in the December edition.

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Those of us who pursue the joy of gliding along the snow on long sticks have a hard time reconciling that writer’s low opinion of Nordic skiing with the endorphin-fueled highs we experience on the trails.

“When I raced triathlons professionally, Nordic skiing was a way to cross train and avoid the winter doldrums,” recalls Spokane triathlete Haley Cooper-Scott. “Instead of lamenting the fact that I couldn’t ride my bike outside, I looked forward to the change of scenery and challenge that Nordic skiing provided.”

Many other local athletes point to the massive training benefits of Nordic skiing. Fitness Fanatics owner Robin DeRuwe, herself an avid triathlete, says that getting out on the winter trails works “muscle groups that would not get worked if all I did was swim, bike, and run.” Cooper-Scott expands on that benefit, saying that it “[strengthens] the body in different planes of motion… Skate skiing works the external hip rotators and abductors, which are notoriously weak in runners and cyclists.’’ Her husband Aaron broadens that list to “every part of the body… back, abdomen, arms, glutes, thighs— and especially the heart and lungs. Even your fashion sense is challenged.”

Lisa Sunderman leads Spokane Nordic’s adult lessons and bikes and runs during the off-season. One huge benefit she points to is that “Nordic skiing is super low-impact so your body can rest from a summer of running and hiking. I never get bruises like I do while mountain biking.”

The warm-season athlete looking to cross-train faces the question of which form to start with: classic, with its parallel forward-and-back motion, even in set tracks, or skate style, with its side-to-side motion on a wide groomed deck.

Chris Sharman runs Spokane Nordic’s Cross-Train Ski Team, which introduces high school-age athletes to Nordic skiing, specifically as cross-training. His program starts the skiers out on classic skis, so they can figure out the balance required and gain proficiency using only one ski at a time. From there, they quickly move to skate skiing.

He points out that “skating takes more time to figure out the basics initially, whereas you can get up and moving with classic right away. But true mastery of classic style skiing can take a lifetime and sometimes be fleeting even after you’ve mastered it; whereas once you “get” proper skating technique it doesn’t tend to disappear.”

The most commonly-mentioned hurdle from summer athletes is the challenge of getting up to trails.  A coalition including the Spokane Parks and Recreation department and other parties began a city-level grooming effort last winter on area trails such as Dwight Merkle, Antoine Peak, and Rimrock, which is a good option when snow is adequate. Long-term plans are in place to develop a trail system around Mica Peak. Still, the Mt. Spokane Cross-country Ski Park remains the most reliable option close to Spokane; and with its 35 miles of groomed trails, it is an enviable training ground for the cross-training athlete and casual skier alike.

For most athletes in any pursuit, their chosen activity is about more than just performance. Haley Cooper-Scott sums up her love of Nordic skiing in a way that points beyond physical results. “The greatest benefit is psychological.  I can spend my winter staring at power numbers on a bike computer while riding the trainer, slogging through ankle-deep slush on Spokane’s poorly-plowed roads, or I can spend the morning on a snowy mountain top, often above the fog that settles in town, (enjoying) the fresh air, the sunshine, the workout, and the wonderful community of Nordic skiers.”

For information on introductory lessons, Spokane Nordic’s new Masters Ski Program training group, and the Mt. Spokane Cross-Country Ski Park, visit spokanenordic.org. If you’re a high school athlete looking for winter cross-training, look up the Cross-train Ski Team. While you’re on the website, check out Winterfest on Jan. 13 and sign up for a $5 ski lesson! //

Brad Thiessen is a runner and Nordic skier. He last wrote about electrolytes and hydration in the July edition.

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