Tim Ruiz
I am often impressed by my clients. They are always stretching themselves in ways that prove they are willing to work hard and put themselves in less than comfortable places. Such is the case with LWFS Athlete Tim Ruiz. Tim is still relatively new to trail racing. He set out to run the Bridger Ridge Run in Bozeman, Montana last month. He knew it was going to be a challenging event and in the short time I had to prepare him for it, I think his performance was quite impressive! He not only overcame the challenges one faces of racing in unknown territory . But endured the altitude, struggled with fueling and race anxiety. I think most of us can relate.
Here is Tim’s Race Report in the event you decide you want to stretch yourself outside of not only your geographic comfort zone but also elemental.
I excitingly won a lottery entry to The Bridger Ridge Run in Bozeman Montana. When I showed family and friends the elevation profile and the dramatic, narrow ridgeline that links together several of its peaks, they thought my lottery winning was more of a punishment than a victory.
The course features 4 peaks as racers scramble over boulders, cross talus fields, and navigate cliff systems on a trail that narrows to one foot wide in places and is surrounded on both sides by thousand-foot drops. 6,800 ft of climbing at altitudes up to 9,500ft in 19+ miles. 
To prep for this, I ran hills and mountains seemingly in every run, even a 20 miler on the Tahoe Rim Trail in preparation. I felt adequately trained, fit, excited and was mentally prepped. I was ready so I thought.
As I summited the first peak, I soon realized this race was going to be more about the course and not so much about the distance. The trail was predominately “paved” with shale and talus fields while running over rocky cliffs. I struggled with each step to find footing to run the race. My time goals went out the window by the halfway point. Each step became an exercise in patience and the race became as much a mental exercise as it was physical. At this point, my goal was to finish with an official time. There was no way off the course but to keep going to the end. That was my only option and as such, I made the mental and physical resolve to push on.
Crossing the finish line never felt so good. This race took everything I had physically, mentally and emotionally. Satisfaction was sweet. Later that day and the next, I assured myself this was a one and done race, cross it off my list and move on. Of course days later as I got home, I was already trying to figure out how I can improve on my time!
Question and Answer Follow Up Interview with Tim
