State #45, Missoula Half Marathon, Missoula, MT, 6/30/19, Part 2

The next day we decided to stay local in hopes that I wouldn’t be too tired out for the early race start the following day. We settled on a morning hike up to the big "M" on the hillside overlooking the University of Montana. The campus was a short walk across the river from our hotel, and it also allowed me to see exactly where I needed to pick up the shuttle the next morning for the ride out to the race starting line. Easy peasy. 

View of the "M" on the hillside above U.Montana campus.

We found the entrance to the M trail easily along the side of the campus. The walk wasn’t far, only a about a mile, but it was steep. The trail was a series of switchbacks to help with the incline, but it was still pretty tough. I quickly became a frustrated hiker, as I couldn’t keep up with my speedy husband and kids, but I decided to just forget their pace and take my time. After all, I didn’t want to overdo it the day before the half marathon. 

Once I changed my mindset, I enjoyed the walk more. The views got better and better as we reached the top. Our destination was the big white letter M that is cemented on the side of the hill. We finally all reached the M and had fun just taking in the view. We even saw a few parachutists running & jumping off the next hill over. Fun! Craig and the kids decided to hike a bit higher, but I just stayed at the M relaxing and enjoying the view. 

Me at the "M". 

The kids sitting on the "M."

Kids looking out at the view.

Panoramic view from the "M."

View of the University of Montana campus from the "M."

Ella and I took the lead on the hike down, both of us needing to find a restroom after all that walking! At the base of the trail we found what we needed and then decided a trip to the university bookstore was in order. The bookstore had all kinds of UMontana gear, and the family certainly cashed in. We learned that the university's mascot is Monte the grizzly bear and the teams are known as the Grizzlies (or Griz for short). With bags of shirts & hats, we started back to the hotel. 

Just as we were coming by the athletic center on campus, Monte, the mascot, came charging out of the building and right toward us! We were literally the only people around, and we were so excited for this chance encounter with the head Griz! We took some photos with him, and he seemed pretty shocked when we told him I was running the half marathon the next day. We laughed and had the most fun with him for a few short minutes. It looked like he was getting ready to film some kind of promotional video, so we left him to his work. I considered this meet up with us a good luck charm for the run. 

The kids with Monte! 

Monte, amazed that I was going to run the half marathon.

We dropped off our UMontana merch back at the hotel and decided to try another one of the Missoula breweries for lunch. It was called Tamarack Brewing and we had a fun lunch. We walked around a little bit after lunch to find where the finish line was. It was just in front of the Wilma Theater just after the Higgins Street bridge. It would be tough for Craig and the girls to be there due to the narrowness of the bridge. We figured they would find a spot nearby where they could see me coming to the end of the run. 

Cityscape drawn by Ella at Ciao Mambo.

For dinner we decided to try an Italian place called Ciao Mambo that our waitress from the hotel restaurant recommended to us. They didn’t take reservations (except for large parties), so we figured we’d get there as close to 5:00 pm (opening time) to grab table. Unfortunately, every other runner had the same idea. We ended up with about an hour and a half wait after putting in our name. This was not ideal, and for the kids it tough, but we made it. I’m glad to say the wait was worth it. The food was awesome, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Absolutely worth another visit if we are ever back in Missoula (preferably on a day that isn’t right before a marathon)!

Bedtime was early that night, as I had to get up at 4:15 to catch an early shuttle bus to the 6:00 am start. I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life though, which really stunk. I think I finally fell asleep around midnight or so, not ideal the night before an early race. 

State #45, Missoula Half Marathon, Missoula, MT, 6/30/19, Part 1

My Montana race was a family vacation trip, timed perfectly just after school ended for the year. I chose the Missoula Half Marathon for Montana after researching and finding it was one of the top marathons/half marathons in the country! The whole family came on this trip, and we flew out on Thursday (June 27th) for the Sunday (June 30th) race. After a bit of a delay with the second leg of our flight, we arrived at the Missoula Double Tree Hotel situated very conveniently to most everything in the city. We ended up having dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly really amazing. It was a top notch restaurant, and we all enjoyed a light meal before turning in after a long day of travel.

Giant grizzly bear at the Missoula Airport.

On Friday, we got up bright and early (still on east coast time) and jumped in the car for a ride up to Glacier National Park. The drive was about 2 and a half hours from Missoula, but we experienced a good flavor of the state along the way. Missoula is definitely a big city compared to the outlying areas. Although by major city standards, it still felt like a small town. The outlying areas were very rural, and at times, a little rough. We took in all the mountain vistas and big sky views along the way, which were beautiful. Highlights on the drive included passing along the east side of Flathead Lake (which was so gorgeous and I’m ready to look for a lake house there!!!)  as well as Big Fork (a tiny little town where our friends Kav & Roxann have a place). We passed by countless cherry orchards and farm fields on the drive. 

Views of rural Montana on our drive. 

Vibrant field of yellow flowers along our drive.

We finally reached the entrance to Glacier National Park around 8:30 am and made our way along the road that winds through. Called “The Road to the Sun” in homage to native tribes of the area, the views along the drive were spectacular and majestic. My husband had downloaded the GyPSy Guide touring app for the National Parks  for our visit, which operates off the GPS of your vehicle and narrates your travel for you as you progress along the national park route. We learned many fascinating facts about the history of park, how the roads were built, who its early directors were and how it is protected and maintained today. Only 50 of the original 150 glaciers in the park still remain, and we were startled to hear that it is expected that all the glaciers will be gone by the year 2030. A very sad state for our world, indeed. 

Jackson Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Family selfie at Jackson Glacier.

Information about the shrinking glaciers.

We intended to park at Logan Pass and hike one of the trails there, but upon arrival at that point (around 9 am or so) the parking lot was completely full and we were out of luck. The best we could do was jump out for a bathroom break while Craig circled around the parking lot hoping for a space. 

The mountains in Glacier National Park were taller than what I remember seeing in Yellowstone, and they were very rocky, snowcapped and steep. It seems impossible that the crews back in the Depression Era could carve roads through this treacherous  terrain. Absolutely astounding! The narrow, winding road along the mountain’s edge is nerve-wracking to drive, but the views are well worth it. Absolute beauty surrounded us in all directions. 

Gorgeous mountain views surrounded us. 

Each view was more stunning than the next!

At one point in the drive, we went through a pass that still had upwards of 20 feet of snow on either side of the road. The road often is impassable until sometime in the month of June, and we had heard that it was finally cleared on June 21st. Wow! Amazing to think of how much snow must be up there in the depths of winter! We also spied a few of the famous red touring vehicles the park uses to drive visitors along the road. This is a great way to see the park if you don’t feel comfortable driving or if you have a vehicle that wouldn’t fit along the road (RV, etc.). And they are kinda cute cars, too.  

If you look closely, you can see the red park touring car in the photo.

We finished the Road to the Sun drive, and rather than turn around and drive it back the other way, we exited the park and took the long way around to get back to the road that would bring us back to Missoula. This “long way” featured some beautiful views of the mountains we just drove through as well as some adventurous “off road” type driving. Some of the road was under construction, so it was dirt only for a bit. We pulled off at a nice spot with a river view to enjoy the picnic we brought with us for lunch. Eventually, the road led us back to the route we followed on our drive out. 

Some final views of Glacier National Park.  

Literally a postcard in every photo.

One panoramic of the stunning view!

Once back in Missoula, we decided to walk around the town a little bit, and we found a great local brewery for dinner. It was called Conflux Brewing Company. After dinner, we walked toward the river where we found the race expo underway. I was able to pick up my race bib and t-shirt, and we watched the beer run participants. 

Race shirt and bib number both feature the shape of Montana!

The Missoula Marathon features events all weekend long including a beer run, kids fun run, 5k, half and full marathon. There were lots of people milling about and a festive atmosphere was all around. 

Riverfront behind our hotel with running/biking path beneath car overpass.

We walked along the river bike/walking trail and ended the evening with a ride on the carousel for the kids. We walked back to our hotel along the trail which conveniently ran directly along the hotel’s back side. It was a great night in Missoula!