STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

John Steel Hagenbuch didn’t mince words when asked how it felt setting a new course record in the Baldy Hill Climb.

“Awful!” he said.

And with good reason. Hagenbuch of Ketchum shot across the starting line at the bottom of Warm Springs Saturday morning and maintained a pace that no one could catch, even throwing up his breakfast as he approached the finish line 1.86 miles and a grueling 3,140 vertical feet later.

He crossed the finish line in 34 minutes and 42 seconds----a half minute ahead of Miles Havlick’s longstanding record of 35:04 set in 2014. He was rewarded with $100 for his effort.

“I really wanted to break the record as it hadn’t been broken in a long time,” said Hagenbuch who hopes to compete in Nordic competition at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. “This is my fourth Baldy Hill Climb and it never gets easier. But my last time was 37.30 so I was able to come out faster this time.”

Finishing behind Hagenbuch was 23-year-old Will Koch at 36:07.6 and 27-year-old Simon Zink at 36:57.8. Peter Wolter, last year’s winner finished fourth with a time of 37:10.0, and Elijah Weenig finished fifth with a time of 37:28.1.

“It was brutal, particularly the section right at the end where you kick up some loose rock in the ground,” said Will Koch, a newcomer to SVSEF’s elite Nordic Gold Team and the Baldy Hill Climb. “John was superfast—he ran out in front at the beginning and would not be caught. I just tried to follow him the best I could.”

Annika Landis who grew up skiing in the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation’s Nordic programs, came in first among women with a time of 49:59.1. But she was unable to beat Morgan Arritola’s record of 39:51 set in 2010.

Coming in behind Landis was 22-year-old Mia Case at 53:02.5, and 38-year-old Lili Hansen 55:11.9. In fourth and fifth were Helen Wilson with a time of 56:28.1 and Alison Burpee with a time of 56:58.2.

Saturday’s race saw 241 registrants come out for a perfect day under cloudless blue skies, according to Heather Foster, communications manager and director of development or SVWSEF. That’s about the average amount, said Rick Kapala, who has been with the SVSEF since the 1980s. The high number of registrants was just over 350, he added.

Saturday’s participants in the Baldy Hill Climb ranged in age from 10 to 81.

“The men’s race is very tight with four Gold Team members and maybe a dark horse out there, too,” she said before the race started. “Peter Wolter, who won last year, may be running scared.”

MikeMcKenna took part with his wife Brooke and sons Jack, a high school senior, and Sam, a high school freshman.

“This is my 16th time and I ‘ve got the T-shirts to prove it,” McKenna said.  “This is the first year we’ve run it as a family, though.”

Jack, who plans to study business in college next year, finished in an hour and seven minutes with his brother two minutes behind. Mike finished in an hour and 10 minutes.

“We’ll really savor it when we got to Grumpy’s or Lefty’s,” McKenna added.

Adelia Watson signed her husband Victor up when he wasn’t looking.

I love running and I had the best time,” Victor said. “Running with a crowd makes you feel alive—this hill climb is just another great thing for the valley. And, even though I don’t run up Bald Mountain, I did very well.”

“I loved seeing all the ages coming out,” added Adelia. I loved that.”

Elizabeth Greer and Riley Hopeman walked the course hand in hand. Enrique Hurtado was helped across the finish line when he pulled up lame about 50 yards from the top.

Muffy Ritz finished 7th among the female racers with a time of 1:01:15.5, despite nursing a foot injury for past six months.

“I’ve always finished under an hour before, but I found the grass a little slippery where they mowed it and the loose rock a little slippery where they worked on the World Cup runs last year,” she said. “But I’m happy to be here.”

Gigi Hill, a member of the SVSEF’s U14 alpine team and a seventh-grader at Hemingway STEAM School, was taking part in her first “sufferfest,” as runners like to call it.

“I did the Kinder Climb three years ago,” she said. “To do the full hill climb is exciting.”