STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BEN BLESSING

Wood River High School’s band program got a boost from 235 runners who spent up to 39 hours running a hundred miles through the backcountry atop Trail Creek Summit.

The 12th annual Standhope Ultra Challenge took runners as high as 11,000 feet at the tail end of July.

Medals should have been awarded to those packing in the aid stations, as well.

This year’s event featured three different races. The 30K climbed 6,000 feet up Surprise Valley. The 60K started at Park Creek Campground and headed for thin air at 11,000. The 100-miler started on Friday morning and ended at midnight Saturday, giving runners 39 hours to finish it.

In addition, there was a free race for kids giving them the opportunity to run 5K or 10K race. About 300 kids took part in the race, in addition to the 235 adults who ran their races.

The 100-miler had 20 people start with a 70 percent finish rate. Eight-five started the 60K and 150 started the 30K The weather was surprisingly cool given how hot it’s been this summer; there was just a hint of smoke from western wildfires in the air.

Ginny Robbins, 38, of Victor, won the 100-mile race outright, beating all the men in what was the second best time ever for the 100-mile race. It took her just 24 hours and 51 minutes. Skye Thompson, 47, of Ketchum, was the top men’s leader, crossing the finish line in 26 hours and 10 miles.

Cody Lind, 29, of Challis, ran the 60-kilometer leg in 6 hours and 25 minutes, which was the second fastest in Standhope’s 60K history. Abby Rideout, 44, of Salt Lake City, ran it in 8 hours and 34 minutes.

Peter Holmes, 28, of Ketchum took third, running it in 8:18:56 and Gardner Cord, 31, of Hailey, finished right behind in 8:20:52. Emily Williams, 31, of Hailey, placed third in the women’s 60K with a time of 9:02:59.

Jordan Fields, 30, of Boise ran the 30 kilometers in 2:58:00, coming in three minutes ahead of Duke Wasteney, 37, of Ketchum, who ran it in 3:01:26. Leigh Anne Wasteney, 33, of Ketchum, was the women’s 30K winner with a time of 3:23:44.

Marit Glenn, the mother of Olin Glenne who owns Sturtevant’s, finished the 30K at 81 years of age.

Organizer Ben Blessing used to work for the Ketchum Ranger District but now lives in Boise where he is a school band director and a composer of classical music.

“I ran my first 100-mile race in 2008 and I wanted to give back to the ultra-marathon community,” he said. “People thought the Pioneers would be a good place to have an event, and they were right. The Pioneer Mountains are world-class terrain. The Forest Service did a great job cutting a trail between Surprise Valley and the lakes up at 11,000 where you’re way up in the rocks, way above the trees.”

The logistics of servicing the runners are almost as taxing as running the race as volunteers have to pack in all the supplies for aid stations. Sun Valley Community School volunteers, for instance, packed in supplies for an aid station at Baptie Lake, an endeavor that involved climbing 2,000 feet along a five-mile trail from the Broad Canyon Trailhead.

Proceeds from the race go to a medical charity dealing with kidney disease and band programs at Wood River and Buhl.

“I feel really strongly how important music is for kids,” said Blessing. “I started playing trombone when I was young and it gave me so much confidence in myself when I was growing up.”

Got the itch to run? The 2025 Standhope Ultra Challenge will be held July 26-27. Learn more at https://standhopeultrachallenge.wordpress.com/.