Ultra marathon

Ronan man completes ultra-marathon

By Taylor Davison / Valley Journal

RONAN — The Crazy Mountain Ultra Marathon is the only 100-mile race in Montana and is reputed among runners as one of the most grueling in the country. Fifty-six runners were unable to finish, but of the 73 that did, Mike Adams of Ronan was one.

The Crazy Mountain Ultra starts in Wilsall and ends in Lennen and has approximately 25,000 feet of vertical gain through extreme backcountry. Due to the difficulty of the race, officials don’t allow this to be participants’ first ultra. “Do not underestimate this terrain,” the race website states. “… and the weather doesn’t care what day you’re running. It can be 90 degrees and turn to hailing sideways and then snowing an hour later. You must be prepared for anything.”

“For me, it was kind of crazy,” Adams said of his time in the race. Within the first 20 miles he ended up taking in too much salt, which can lead to gastrointestinal issues during a run and left him with what he described as a mixed experience for the first half of the ultra. Despite these issues at the beginning of his run, Adams was able to finish strong, beating the 36-hour cutoff by hours with a time of 28 hours and 33 minutes.

A life-long endurance athlete born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Adams took up running at an early age. “Endurance running has honestly saved my life,” Adams shared. “Early on in my life, my mother passed away and I had some trouble with that, and running was a way to alleviate stress. That just kind of carried through to the rest of my life.”

Adams continued running through college, obtaining a degree in laboratory science at University of Alaska Anchorage. He moved down to Montana around nine years ago when job opportunities opened and now lives in Ronan with his family. Mike works in the medical field

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as a clinical laboratory scientist at Providence. Through it all, he’s never stopped running. Despite all his experience, however, he credits getting through the race to the support of the people close to him.

“I work a fulltime job and have four kids. I’m married. It’s not without their support that I’m able to do any of this kind of stuff,” Adams commented. “(And) I had some really awesome pacers, a couple friends of mine.”

Pacers are not able to help runners carry any equipment, nor are they able to accompany the runner for the entire race. They are, however, able to join in for sections by getting on and off at aid stations along the way.

“Something like that helps immensely, especially when you’re doing something that challenging,” Adams explained. “I think you could have all the self-motivation on the entire planet but it’s not going to hurt any if you have a couple buddies just telling you ‘Hey, we can get through this. We’re just going to break this down in sections and take it one mile at a time.’”

Adams said he will likely be signing up for another 100mile marathon soon, as his ultimate goal is to run in Europe at an exclusive race called “Du Mont-Blanc.” Starting and ending in France, the ultra-marathon takes runners through Italy and Switzerland around Mount-Blanc. In order to get into the raffle to join the race, runners must gain points by running other races within two years of their application. The Crazy Mountain Ultra could potentially get Adams six out of the 12 points he would need due to its length and difficulty.

“Honestly, it’s the experience of the whole thing,” Adams said of his motivation. “I completed my first hundred miler last year, and there’s a saying that goes ‘You live a lifetime when you a hundred-mile race.’ I find it to be very true … and it’s actually really incredible.”

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‘The Maverick’ to host grand opening Friday

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

POLSON — After a successful opening on June 15, The Maverick men’s clothing store on Main Street invites the community to join them for their official grand opening on Friday, Aug. 19. Owned by Valley Journal proprietors Boone and Summer Goddard, The Maverick went from idea to reality through the help of some talented friends, a great location and the desire to offer a variety of men’s clothing styles that had been difficult to find in Lake County. “I thought it would be fun to mix things up,” Boone said. “Summer and I have thought about opening a second business for a long time. Over the years, it never really panned out, but doors for (The Maverick) just kept opening up. There was very little resistance. That’s not to say the venture has been challenge free, we had to put a lot of work in. But forward momentum prevailed, so it just felt natural. It’s all worked out.” When looking for a downtown location with enough square footage to offer the variety in selection the Goddards wanted, Boone spoke with a friend who had secured a large location downtown, the former Crow’s Nest Art Gallery, to further expand her business. “She was excited to see a men’s clothing store downtown, so she offered to relinquish the space,” Boone explained. “We talked it over with the landlords and they said, ‘If you want it, it’s yours.’”

At 2,600 square feet, the space is large enough to house both The Maverick and a brand new office for the Valley Journal newspaper in the back.

The Valley Journal newspaper, founded by the Goddards and four other business partners in September of 2004, will celebrate its 18th year in business next month. Summer and Boone have run the Journal themselves since 2010. Until September of 2020, the Valley Journal office was located in downtown Ronan. The pandemic closed that chapter of the Journal’s history.

“We live in Polson and commuted for many years to our office in Ronan. The distance and financial burden became too much with Covid and homeschooling three children. Re-opening the Valley Journal office in Polson made a lot of sense for us logistically.”

“Taking the newspaper completely remote two and a half years ago, was a difficult decision,” Boone added. “For a lot of reasons, we had to, but it was always our intent to get back to business in an office setting. The opening of the Maverick has allowed us to do just that. It worked out perfectly.”

Located at the back of store, the Journal office is open by chance or appointment. Messages, payments, newspaper submissions and any other correspondence can be dropped off or picked up through Maverick staff. Appointments with Journal staff can be made by calling 406-676-8989 or via email. Journal staff will also be on hand to meet with community members during The Maverick’s grand opening celebration.

“Things do change, but our love for community journalism, the Mission Valley and all its vibrant communities remain,” Summer said. “We look forward to serving our readers and advertisers in our new location.”

Friday’s grand opening is planned for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Polson at 214 Main Street, Suite B. The Maverick will offer a 20% off storewide sale, refreshments and in-store giveaways.

Clothing in the store is organized in four main categories with 6 foot by 6 foot sculptures made by Rob Gunderson representing each: Lake Life, Mountain Man, Business Casual and Hipp Camp.

Men’s gift items including Dr. Squatch soaps and deodorants, hats, bags, wallets, playing cards, grooming kits and a smaller selection of women’s gift items including jewelry are also sold. Clothing and gift items will refresh regularly as the seasons change.

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