This route was created by Jared Campbell. I’m so incredibly lucky to call the Wasatch Mountains my home and it was such an honor to run another of his classics. Here is a link to Jared’s blog and the description he provides:
Backround
The idea of Millwood began back in 2010 with simple motives. The Wasatch mountains are home to hundreds of miles of incredible, steep, and rugged trails, yet a small fraction of them are actually used in endurance foot races. The route is compact, taking place completely within the boundaries of Millcreek Canyon and the Cottonwoods (Big and Little), has only 0.5mi of ground that is touched twice, < 1 mi. of road, and hardly any flat terrain. It is easy to set gear caches for solo or minimally support efforts, and similar to objectives such as Nolans 14 and the WURL, you can do it anytime you like. While it is a challenging route, it is not technical. Portions of it feel poorly maintained because, well, they are poorly maintained as a result of minimal traffic. For the most part, however, the route is on nice steep trails.
Millwood presents an interesting opportunity for us to study the psychology of motivation. For many folks, the lead-up to a big race, the energy of competition, the obligation that comes with an entry fee and travel expenses, and simply being “visible” to a broader audience seem to push folks to do things they wouldn’t normally do. What would happen with Millwood? It is arguably more challenging than Hardrock and with no fame/glory at the finish. No kissing the rock, not awards banquet, no belt buckle, no t-shirt, no Ultrasignup score. So, why start? Why keep going? Why finish? For 5 years the “results” weren’t even published…
For me, it has been a real treat to watch people research the route, find the requisite unwavering internal commitment, apply themselves, try multiple times if necessary, and eventually finish. If you attempt it and want to share you story, please me know either by email or in the comment section below.
