Compassion Over Competition at the 2025 Speedgoat 50k – iRunFar

It’s an ask made on the begin line of many path races: If you see somebody in bother, cease to assist.

This yr, on the rugged backcountry trails of the 2025 Speedgoat 50k, a gaggle of racers confirmed that caring for one another got here earlier than race outcomes after they occurred upon one other runner mendacity immobile on the floor. It’s a nightmare situation nobody needs to come across — on or off a race course — however on this case, everybody concerned shortly realized that their very own races have been now of secondary significance and serving to the fallen runner was their prime precedence. One of the runners, Majell Backhausen, utilized his wilderness first assist coaching to verify for responsiveness and assess the runner’s potential accidents. After just a few lengthy seconds, the injured runner, Scott Klingonsmith, responded by flippantly squeezing Backhausen’s hand. While others ran forward to the subsequent assist station to get assist, Backhausen stayed with Klingonsmith, sacrificing any race targets for the day.

While his evacuation was sluggish, Klingonsmith was finally capable of stroll out, assisted by the race’s medical crew. The tales from that day present hope that when issues get critical, persons are greater than prepared to place their private targets apart in an effort to assist others.

A Fall on the Speedgoat 50k Trails

The Speedgoat 50k takes place in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains in late July. Over two days, the occasion hosts three races that begin and end at Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, roughly 30 miles from downtown Salt Lake City. Sunday’s 50k premier occasion, which was began in 2008 by ultrarunning legend Karl Meltzer, is thought for its greater than 11,000 toes of vertical acquire over 31 miles and is marketed as the hardest 50k in the U.S.

About 14 miles into the race, Backhausen was descending from Hidden Peak on a rock-strewn path. “The race was feeling robust on the first climb, however that’s Speedgoat, I suppose, and I had discovered some extra rhythm descending a really technical part of the course in its first main downhill,” remembers Backhausen. “Myself and various different runners have been in shut proximity descending this part, and the subsequent second, we simply noticed Scott mendacity on the floor, immobile.”

Scott Klingonsmith wrapped in an emergency blanket whereas Majell Backhausen (orange shirt) manages the scenario. Photo courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

Backhausen stated the group stopped to verify on the unconscious runner, and to his reduction, Klingonsmith stirred after just a few moments. “The second large reduction got here when he slowly pressed pause on his watch,” Backhausen shared. “Like a real racer.”

Both Backhausen and Klingonsmith are aggressive athletes and skilled path runners. Backhausen is an athlete for the Australia/New Zealand The North Face workforce and has been path operating and ultrarunning since 2012. He’s accomplished a number of 100 milers and notable races equivalent to UTMB, the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, Marathon des Sables, and the Skyrunning World Championships. Klingonsmith is 20 years previous and began operating 4 years in the past as a highschool cross-country and monitor athlete and had targets of ending in the prime 10 at Speedgoat. “Before my fall, I used to be doing nicely,” stated Klingonsmith. “My fueling plan was going completely, and I used to be in a superb place as we have been about midway into the race. I used to be excited to see what my physique might rally in the second half of the race.”

The Fall, Rescue, and Priorities

Klingonsmith remembers operating downhill quick, making an attempt to make up floor on the runners forward of him, when he fell: “I used to be in a superb rhythm till my toe snagged on a rock and I fell onerous on a rocky a part of the path. My knees took 90% of the weight of my fall as I landed on some sharp rocks … I bear in mind falling and shutting my eyes after I got here to a cease. I used to be mendacity down in the center of the path. From that time, I don’t bear in mind a lot besides that I began to achieve consciousness when Majell got here down the path and had me squeeze his finger. I bear in mind he saved feeding me the Precision gel I used to be carrying, in addition to a few of my liquid carbs.”

Unfortunately, the competitors got here to a halt for each athletes, though Backhausen did finally go on to complete the race. “As the seconds ticked by and [Scott’s] motion and consciousness have been sluggish however evident, it occurred to me that any kind of racing was nicely and actually completed for the day,” stated Backhausen. “I believe it was robust for us each to just accept, however in the end, I needed to imagine the phrases I advised Scott, which have been: ‘This is a blip on the radar of life, man; there will likely be many extra alternatives to race and don’t sweat it. There are larger issues in life.’” For the subsequent 40 minutes, Backhausen stayed with Klingonsmith as he slowly recovered and waited for medical consideration.

Scott Klingonsmith was finally capable of stroll out with help from the race medical crew. Photo courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

Meanwhile, a few mile and a half down the path at the American Fork Canyon assist station, Ryan Cooper, a part of the occasion’s operations workforce with medical coaching, began organizing a rescue as quickly as he obtained stories of an injured runner. Cooper shared, “It’s a distant space between Snowbird and Midway, and takes two to a few hours to get there on a gnarly, boulder-ridden 4×4 street.” He famous, “It’s not a superb place to get damage.”

As Cooper was making his means up the path with medical provides, Backhausen and Klingonsmith, wrapped in an emergency blanket and with lacerations on his fingers and legs, have been slowly strolling down. Cooper famous that he confirmed some indicators of shock, however he was coherent and capable of stroll and discuss. The group obtained Klingonsmith to the assist station, the place he rested and hydrated whereas Cooper cleaned and bandaged his cuts. “He stated he was capable of hike out,” stated Cooper, and Klingonsmith made it to the medical tent at the end line by the time Backhausen ran the second half of the course and completed the race.

The Selflessness of Trail Runners

Since the incident, Klingonsmith has nearly absolutely recovered. “I had a deep puncture wound on my left knee that required stitches, my proper knee was swollen to the dimension of a grapefruit, however fortunately had no inside fracture, my finger was damaged, and my fingers had loads of cuts and scrapes,” Klingonsmith shared. Fortunately, he didn’t maintain a head harm. “Perhaps I had the wind knocked out of me,” he stated. He is now operating once more — largely pain-free — and he not too long ago returned to racing by taking third at the 2025 Big Cottonwood Classic, a neighborhood race.

Backhausen went on to compete at the 2025 TDS in August, a part of the UTMB Mont Blanc pageant.

Majell Backhausen and Scott Klingonsmith reunite in the medical tent at the finish of the 2025 Speedgoat 50k. Photo courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

The two runners have saved in contact over social media. “We each obtained a brand new Instagram follower out of it, so I suppose that’s big success on this sport,” stated Backhausen with amusing. “I’ll be watching his profile for the subsequent race celebration.”

Klingonsmith shared, “I’ve discovered so many classes from my expertise at Speedgoat. The major one being that there are good folks on the market who’re prepared to cease what they’re doing and prioritize somebody in want over themselves. I’ve discovered that the path operating neighborhood has a few of the most selfless folks I’ve ever met. Every runner who ran down that path as I used to be mendacity down in ache was prepared to cease and assist. Training months and months for a race solely to throw it out the window to assist a random one who fell, that’s a real act of selflessness and kindness. I skilled an immense quantity of gratitude that day, for everybody who was concerned.”

Call for Comments

• Have you ever encountered an injured runner on the path who wanted assist or been in a scenario the place you wanted help on the path?