BOISE, Idaho — The Race to Robie Creek is dubbed the toughest half-marathon in the northwest, and it's an iconic event in Boise that really kicks off the running season.
The 13.1-mile course takes runners on a journey over Aldape Summit, where runners gain more than 2,000 feet of elevation before cresting the summit and running downhill off the backside to the finish line.
"It’s really fun, and then you always question why you are doing it about mile seven, and then you get over the summit," explained Spencer Batt. "Then it happens again in the last mile when things flatten out, but then everyone is cheering you on at the end, and there are kegs of beer, so what more can you ask for?"
WATCH| Check out the video to see the conditions of the course
The beginning of this week brought snow and rain showers over multiple days, which had runners concerned about the condition of the course ahead of the race this Saturday.
"The conditions are really unknown at this point," said A.K. Whitaker, of Fleet Feet Treasure Valley, who helped train a team of 46 runners. "We have been training for 12 weeks doing hill work training on the course, we have matching shirts, and we are super stoked."
I drove up the backside of Rocky Canyon and hiked the remaining mile or so to the top of Aldape Summit. I was expecting snow, ice, or at least mud, and I didn't really find any. Despite the storms, the conditions look good to go with another day to dry out on Friday, before perfect weather conditions are forecasted for Saturday.
"Heck yeah, we are ready for those conditions for sure," said Whittaker. "We trained in spikes, we trained in rain, we trained in mud just in case— to be ready for any conditions, but we will take good conditions for sure."
The Race to Robie Creek sold out all 2,000 bibs in a record amount of time this year. It took seven minutes, beating the old record by more than two minutes, and runners look forward to taking on this challenge on Saturday.
"It is one of the toughest half marathons," said Whittaker. "We are looking forward to seeing if all the training paid off in this awesome race."
The race starts at noon, and spectators need to buy a pass and take a bus from the start to the finish line because there is not enough parking at the bottom of Robie Creek.
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