SEASON OF THE SUN

HEALTH + WELLNESS PICK UP THE PACE

Get introspection while also logging some miles by elevating your mindful hiking practice to trail running. Two popular local race series, the Park City Trail Series and the Triple Trail Challenge, offer a variety of opportunities throughout the summer, each with bragging rights, fun giveaways, and awards on the line.

Perfect as an introduction to trail running or as a race for training buddies, the Park City Trail Series (pctrailseries.com) features a different distance race each month. The series is staged on Park City’s Round Valley Trails and kicks off with a 5K on June 4, followed by a 10K on July 9, a 10-Miler on August 6 and finishes with a half-marathon on September 10. The courses are approachable for new trail runners yet fast and enjoyable for more experienced participants.

For the ultimate summer challenge, test your mettle in the Triple Trail Challenge (runttc.com), which includes the Round Valley Half- Marathon (June 11), Jupiter Peak Steeplechase (July 16) and the Mid-Mountain Marathon (August 20). The half-marathon, considered a “reality check” for the series’ final two races, traverses the rolling, high-desert terrain of Round Valley and features several long and steady climbs followed by fast downhills.

The Jupiter Peak Steeplechase draws elite athletes and weekend warriors alike to this 16-mile test, which begins at Park City Mountain Resort and ascends to Jupiter Peak at nearly 10,000 feet. The race route follows an elevation profile that resembles an inverted “V,” with more than 3,000 feet of gain, and runners finish near the Park City Golf Club at Silver Star Cafe.

Voted best trail marathon in Utah, the Mid-Mountain Marathon features intermittent technical sections, a few sustained climbs and fast downhills. Runners start mid-mountain at Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Lodge and wind along the Wasatch Back on mostly shaded single-track trails, down through the Utah Olympic Park trail system before finishing at the bottom of the ski jumps.

Salt Lake Running Company (saltlakerunning.com) organizes both events, and registration details and complete information can be found online.

With an abundance of different routes and access in and around Park City, a beautiful escape is just outside your door. For a complete list of trails, updated conditions, and information visit the Mountain Trails website: MountainTrails.org.

WORLD- CLASS

PIONEER

MASSON SPINE INSTITUTE

Spine surgeon Dr. Robert L. Masson is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery and sports spine medicine. As the founder of the Masson Spine Institute Of Orlando and Park City, he serves as a chairman of education for cervical arthroplasty and lumbar microsurgery. Having built a nationally accredited minimally invasive spine Center of Excellence for the Orlando Health Hospital system, Dr. Masson performs surgery at the Masson Spine Institute (MSI) Outpatient Surgery Centers of Excellence in both Orlando and in Park City, Utah. Patients travel from all over the world for a focused return to performance after a spine health crisis. Dr. Masson, himself a spinal reconstruction patient and lifelong adventurer, is a passionate advocate for prevention, wellness, fitness and ultimately extreme recovery in the face of spinal injury. He has performed over 13,000 microsurgical spine procedures, with a focus on return to life for athletes and fitness oriented people of all age.

Dr. Masson received his medical degree in biomedical engineering with honors from the University of Florida. He stayed in Gainesville for Neurological Surgery Residency, finishing in 1995 with special training in microneurosurgery and minimally invasive spine surgery.

Dr. Masson treats recreational, amateur and professional athletes of all ages.

In addition to inventing spine surgery procedures and the tools and implants required for use, Dr. Masson is the founder of Expanded Existence, Augmented/ Mixed Reality Solutions Company (expandedexistence.com). He has several patents pending for the use of augmented and mixed reality technology for operating room logistics, organization and management with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

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