2025 Highlands Sky 40 Mile Race Report

The Annual Trail Family Reunion

Highlands to me is like Western States is to AJW. It’s a race that holds such a special place in my heart. It was my first ultra back in 2017 and from it I have found such a love for the ultra/trail world and more importantly the people it has connected me with. Those that run Highlands say that it reminds them of a family reunion because each year you get to come back and see most of your trail family. What is your trail family you might ask? Your trail family is the one you get to spend countless hours traversing mountains trails with during these races. The ones who encourage you to get out of the chair at aid stations and prod you to keep eating and drinking even when you are on the verge of throwing up. They are the ones that understand what it feels like to fight off that voice in your head telling you that you should quit at the next aid station. They have done the miles of trials with you and from that you now share a bond that is stronger than iron. These folks are family.

I chose Highlands to be my first true test back from injury not because I thought it was a smart decision but rather I knew that if I could finish this race and come out injury free, then that means that the body, mind, and soul are truly ready to race. I say this because this race is hard. When you look at it on paper, you won’t be terribly impressed. It’s 41 miles with roughly 6,000 to 6,500 feet of elevation gain, nothing crazy. However, it’s the mixing of extreme differences in terrain that makes this a true test for any ultra/trail runner. In this race you are climbing 6 mile ascents, getting shoes stuck in black mud that goes up to your knees, clipping your toes on jagged rocks, bouncing off boulders in a scree field, running in mountain laurel thickets and across dirt roads at 4,000 feet. You have to be a good runner but also a good technical runner to be able to run this race.

6 am the race starts. Logan Kerby, Adam Perry, Butch Slabach and I run in the front behind our friend David Smith on the lead bike. For two miles we run on the road before taking the left on the Flat Rock Run Trail. Then we switch backed our way to the top of Mount Porte Crayon, the 6th tallest mountain in West Virginia standing at 4,770 feet. During this climb you traverse through an old railroad grade that climbs almost 3,000 feet through dense stinging nettle, creek crossings, and old spruce forests. Once on top of the mountain you begin the Roaring Plains Trail which puts you in boulder fields and mountain bogs. Everything is extremely wet and if you aren’t careful, you can lose a shoe in the knee deep mud.

It was during these miles where the trio of me, Logan, and Butch separated. Ever since my torn labrum, I have had a tougher time than usual climbing (which is really sad as that was my biggest strong in trail running). So, I was having a much more difficult time going up the initial ascent than I have in the past. Add the fact that I had Logan breathing down my neck, I started to break down both physically and mentally. Around 3/4 of the way up the climb, I slipped and fell on a slick spot and thankfully Logan took the lead and then opened it up on me. I say thankfully because now I could just focus on myself and not worry about slowing Logan down. Shortly after Logan dropped me, here came Butch. After exchanging pleasantries he went around me and disappeared into the forest.

Now I was finally in the position I had expected to be in, 3rd place and totally solo. I typically like running by myself in trail races as I can really focus on foot placement and staying relaxed rather than being pressed by others. And this section of the course, the Roaring Plains Trail, Boar’s Nest, and South Prong (miles 10-20) is a good place to be alone as it is the most technical part of the course. I ran this section primarily focused on not tripping over the jagged rocks rather than the actual race. In essence, I go into conservation mode and try to get out of this section in one piece.

This caution caused my time at the halfway point (mile 20) to be a good bit slower than in the past. In 2023 I came through halfway at 3:01 and this included a 2ish minute stint where I wondered around the fog trying to find the trail up on the Roaring Plains. This year, I came through in 3:07 and was roughly 9-10 minutes behind the leader Logan and 5-6 minutes behind Butch. Not exactly the numbers I wanted to hear but after a short bottle swap, I was off running on the 7 mile “Highway Across The Sky” section. This section is on Forest Road 75 which is all dirt/gravel and is very runnable. It has some decent climbs and descents on it but I typically average around 6:30 mile pace on this road. However, I did not do that. Once again, I tried to run based off of feel and each mile I ran was a good deal slower (between 6:45 and 7:30). I felt like I gave the same effort as I do in previous years but my body was just slower. That and I had made the mistake of not carrying water and instead just had various electrolyte drinks and after consuming 350 carbs in the past 3 hours, I needed straight water. Something of a rookie mistake I must admit. I forced as much liquids as I could stand but I made plans to refill my soft flasks with water at the next aid station. I anxiously awaited this opportunity which would come at Aid Station 6 marking the end of the road section and began the “Bear Rocks Section” which started at mile 27. Most would say that the race is won on the Bear Rocks Section and I would agree with them.

After a quick refill of water, I began running down the Bear Rocks Trail I scanned the landscape to see what I was working with. This section changes dramatically depending on the weather. Typically fairly muddy, it is a rocky trail that can be very runnable if you have to strength and energy to push. Back in 2023 and even a bit in 2022, it was fairly dry and this made it even more runnable. However, this was not one of those years. Instead of a muddy rocky trail, I saw a stream running down where the trail usually is. That is what 2 inches of rain the night before will do to the trail. Some sections where there is a board walk going over the bogs was completely under 2 inches of water. It was evident that this was going to be a slower section than normal but it still was a place where time could be made up so I tried to press as hard as I could. This caused me to catch a toe on a rock and sent me plummeting onto the trail. Thankfully I wasn’t hurt or anything but it did take me a few moments to recollect my bottles that went into the mountain laurel bushes. That was my 4th and thankfully final fall of the day. But even with the bruises and cuts, it was game time and I tried to continuing pushing as hard as I could.

During these miles I began to accept the fact I was more than likely going to get third and how I was okay with that. Not the goal I had in mind but with it being my first real race back from injury I could accept a decent performance here on a tough course. My main goal was to not get hurt so I had to keep focused on the trail and just run as fast as I could without falling again. And honestly my legs felt pretty good, I just felt like I didn’t have a lot of juice in the tank. That juice usually comes from good long runs, hard workouts, and even other races and I hadn’t had too many of those since I began the build so it was understandable to not feel as strong as I wanted. As I crested the hill covered in fire azaleas and ran in to Aid Station 7 also known as “Willy’s Aid Station” I just wanted to refill my soft flask and begin running again. However, it was at this aid station that the race changed.

I didn’t even ask but the aid station leader changed the whole race for me by telling me that 2nd place was only about a minute ahead. While it took me a while to register what he said and what it meant, I was out of the aid station as fast as I could run. All of a sudden, it felt like I had life back in to my legs. I was running at a hard clip even on pretty rocky trails. My stride lengthened, my cadence quickened, and it felt as if with every step my confidence grew. Was I back in the race? Could I catch Butch? And if so, how do I stay close enough going down ButSlide (the last big descent) to stick with him for the last few miles back into the Canaan Valley resort? I made my preparations and was ready to enact them as I took the right hand turn to go up the Salamander Ski Slope.

As I charged up the ski slope I looked up and saw 2nd place. However, it wasn’t the white shirt that Butch was wearing. Was I catching up to just someone hiking? That thought cross my mind but as I got closer, I realized that it was my fellow Bargain Boy Logan. As h disappeared into the trees I rethought my plan. Logan is a great descender so I knew that I had to get as close as possible before we started the descent off the mountain. He also has a lot of road speed (naturally since he ran the 800 and 1600 in high school track) so I needed to make ground where I could and then hope that I could throw a surge to catch him on the road or the pasture.

As I descended I lost track of where Logan was. Like I said, he is a great downhill bomber so I knew I had to go hard and make sure he didn’t put too much time on me on this downhill. About halfway down I noticed that he reappeared and it looked like he was frustrated. It looked like he started to go down the wrong way and was coming back to the trail. We connected shortly thereafter and chased the orange flags/blazes as we bombed down the hill. A few sections of buttSlide were still a bit dicey with where the trail is but this was by far the best marked it has ever been. Race Director Adam Cassaday and former director Dan Lehman did an awesome job with it.

As we emerged out of the woods onto Freeland Road, we both knew it was time for moves to be made. I pulled up beside him and took a few deep breaths as I wanted him to see I was relaxed and hoping he would make the first surge. It seemed to have worked as he started to drop the gears but unfortunately had a calf cramp which caused him to slow down and work out. I knew I couldn’t let that moment go to waste so I threw a hard shift going up the slight incline and then opened up a big surge down the gravel hill towards the final aid station. I felt absolutely amazing lengthening my strides and picking up my legs as high and as quick as I could. Confidence was growing but I knew Logan could definitely still come back on me. He is one of the toughest competitors I know so I pressed as hard as I could.

As I passed the aid station, my dad yelled “Butch is 6 minutes ahead!” I let that one bounce off of me as I was not concerned with catching Butch but rather defending against Logan. I love the last four miles of this race and I just tried to live in that moment as best as I could. Getting hunted down/being the hunter in the last few miles of an ultra gives you such a rush and it is honestly a feeling that is really tough to replicate except when its all on the line in a race. Those last few miles I relished because just a few short months ago, I was not sure I would ever feel that feeling ever again. It felt like I was back to my old self again, hungry, dangerous, a runner to be feared. I know that sounds dramatic but those are the thoughts that get in your head when you are racing. I was just full of joy to be back doing what I love doing and that is racing with some tough guys.

I cross the finish line in 6:01:46, which was 2 min and 17 seconds behind Butch. While I didn’t win the race nor run a personal record (I have run 5:51 before),I had just as much joy finishing as I have during the years I had won. This race will always be special to me for many reasons but mainly because it challenges me. It is extremely hard for me and there are several parts of it that I will always struggle with. But, overcoming tough parts is what ultra/trail running is all about. When you fall; you get back up and you finish the darn thing. When you get frustrated with yourself, you take the time to recollect and you finish the darn thing. Highlands is a reflection of life in that regard. It teaches you to find a way even when the odds aren’t in your favor. These lessons, along with the trail family I have here, is why my heart belongs to the Alleghenies up in Dolly Sods.