[Author’s Note: This is the fifth article in an 11-part series celebrating legendary aid stations. You can read about the series here.]
“Get the hell out of Brighton!” – Roch Horton, six-time Wasatch Front 100 Mile finisher.
Nestled deep in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains in Central Utah lies Brighton Lodge, a sturdy wooden structure at the base of the Brighton Ski Resort. In addition to being the lodge for one of Utah’s oldest ski resorts, Brighton Lodge has, for the past 40 years, hosted the 70-mile aid station of the Wasatch Front 100 Mile each September.
My earliest memory of Brighton was when I first paced and crewed a friend of mine, one of the Wasatch pioneers, Rob Landis, to his finish in 2006. A classic old school style ski lodge, on race day Brighton is transformed into a key aid station that provides runners with the final stopping point where they can revive and refresh before they begin the ascent up and over the 10,000-foot Catherine’s Pass.
The start of the 2023 Wasatch Front 100 Mile. Photo: www.macklambertmedia.com
One of the challenges of Brighton, as is noted in Roch Horton’s quote above, is simply getting out of the aid station. In addition to being a warm indoor aid station with a full-sized bathroom, ample places to sit or even lay down, and even toothbrushes prepared for runners to brush their teeth, Brighton has some of the best food on the course. One year at Brighton, I recall eating a half a dozen McDonald’s style hash browns with salt and ketchup while I waited for my runner to arrive, and another year, when I was running the race, I enjoyed a freshly prepared cheeseburger that magically appeared at my table.
The volunteers at the Brighton aid station are a hardy lot and they know the important role they play in getting the runners in and out as efficiently as they can. Yet, as one might expect from an aid station like this, there are more than a few DNFs here every year.
Elizabeth Butler, the 2024 Wasatch Front 100 Mile women’s winner. Photo courtesy of Wasatch Front 100 Mile.
One case in point is the year I was crewing and pacing my friend Rob Edde from Oregon. Rob was having a great race by the time he reached Brighton, but he knew he needed to take a bit of a rest there. One thing led to another, and he eventually found himself curled up in his cozy sleeping bag taking a nap. When he awoke, he confronted the harsh reality that he would not be able to go on.
I walked with him over to the older gentleman who sat at the front door of the lodge. This man had the responsibility of checking the runners in and out of the aid station and also recording any DNFs. When Rob approached the table and announced he was stopping, the man looked at him and gruffly asked, “What’s your reason?” Turns out there was a column on his chart where he had to note the reason for the drop and some of the notes listed there were medical, injury, stomach troubles, and blisters.
When Rob addressed this question, he looked off into the distance, thought about it for a couple minutes, and said simply, “Loss of will.”
I suspect that over the years Brighton has seen more than its fair share of runners who have simply lost the will to continue. After all, running 100 miles is hard, and at Wasatch at mile 70, it gets particularly hard. At the legendary aid station of Brighton Lodge, the volunteers and crews do their best to get their runners out of there, but sometimes the urge to quit gets the best of them and so, like Roch Horton said all those years ago, it is best to “Get the hell out of Brighton.”
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s beer of the week comes from Wasatch Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Polygamy Porter is a rich, dark, chocolatey brown porter that is one of Wasatch’s best-selling beers. With the cheeky tagline, “Why have just one?” Polygamy Porter is as funny as it is tasty and well worth a try the next time you find yourself in the Wasatch Mountains.
Call for Comments
- Have you done the Wasatch Front 100 Mile?
- If so, what are your memories of Brighton Lodge?
Jose Cruz on his way to winning the Wasatch Front 100 Mile. Photo: www.macklambertmedia.com
