Top of Fire Trail: Cheer Tunnel
Each season, the first trip the complete MVXC squad makes to climb Fire Trail is a milestone. Including Regnart Road and Fire Trail itself, the total is about one mile in distance and 400′ of elevation gain. That might not seem like a lot. However on a hot day, for first timers not sure how far the climb is, the first time up Fire Trail can seem like a journey to the moon!
MVXC has a developed a few tricks to make this day more palatable. First off, we run most of the way to Regnart and stop and drill so everyone has a chance to reset a bit. Next, a few juniors spread themselves out on Fire Trail to encourage the new athletes. And finally, the seniors form a cheer tunnel to welcome the runners at the top, and every athlete to complete the climb adds to the tunnel.
This climb might not be fun, exactly, however the achievement is incredibly satisfying! And satisfaction might be a more enduring emotion than fun.
Following the climb, we rolled around to Matt’s Hill for some hill repeats to complete the workout.
This was another great milestone day for MVXC17!
Video: What does it feel like to be going through the tunnel?
