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You are here: Home / News / Fun Runs / Events

Thank you to our Resolution Run (A Fat Ass 50K) volunteers & participants

January 17, 2023/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters, Races /by Mira Brody
Big Sky Wind Drinkers ran in the New Year on January 7 at the Headwaters State Park with our annual FatAss 50k (resolution run). The weather was chilly until the sun came up over the frosty ridge of the river, and the footing was a challenge but we were ready with a fire, snacks and hot soup. In the end, three runners were able to run the entire 50k!
We were pleased that we had 25 runners taking part, including a runner who interrupted his road trip from Pennsylvania to Missoula to join us; a runner from California;  and new runners from Montana towns like Toston and Townsend.
Three runners completed the entire 50k run: Ryan Ojeda from Auburn, CA; Randy Oostema from Manhattan, MT;and Grant Marcuccio from MT.
Thank you everyone for making this year’s FatAss 50k a big success!

Ryan Ojeda from Auburn CA runs the Fat Ass 50k.

Runner Grant Marcuccio at the Fat Ass 50k.

How to “Run” a Running Club

December 31, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Races /by Mira Brody
Q:  What does a running club run on?
A literal answer, of course, might be, “Our FEET (or legs) … DUH!!”.  But, in a figurative sense, it’s really our volunteers that ‘make the club go’!  From our races, to our Fun Runs, to our social activities, all our events require volunteer efforts to plan and execute. Without volunteers, there are no events!
The bulk of our volunteer efforts are performed by your Wind Drinkers officers, race directors, and committee members.  This involves scheduling events, coordinating with land and venue managers, plotting out race courses, meeting with vendors who support our events with timing services, porta-potties, refreshments, etc.  It also covers related administrative functions like managing memberships and running the business side of the club – functions like registering with the state and filing tax returns.  Unlike some large running clubs, which can afford to pay CEO’s to manage club activities, these functions are all performed by volunteers, in the Big Sky Wind Drinkers (with the exception that we DO pay some of the race directors of our largest race events).  In addition to these “standing” volunteer roles, we also solicit volunteers from our membership to support additional needs for specific events – these might include helping with Sweet Pea registration, or flagging along a race course, or, for some of our smaller runs, help with handing out race bibs, or performing hand timing functions.  This support is critical to our being able to hold our events, which is one reason we require people to volunteer in order to earn participation awards during our Fun Run seasons.
Over the past several years (seemingly, since COVID first started impacting our events), we have struggled to get the volunteers we need to conduct our events.  For many of our Fun Runs, volunteer timer and run support positions go unfilled, and this impacts the conduct of the events – from delays in posting results, to errors in capturing race times, or not having refreshments available for all the runners at the end of a run.  This past summer, we went almost a whole month (4 Fun Runs) when we had no one who volunteered for any of our Fun Run volunteer positions.  So far this Winter season, we are seeing a similar trend – of the 10 volunteer positions we have posted for our upcoming Winter Fun Run events, only 1 has been filled.
Our Board of Directors is trying to address this issue.  The first step is making sure our members are aware of the need (hence, this article!).  We discuss making sure the Vice-Presidents mention the need for volunteers in their pre-run announcements at Fun Runs, but sometimes, in the excitement of listing upcoming races and explaining the race course, this call for volunteers gets overlooked.  Aside from knowing of the need, though, what might motivate our members to increasingly volunteer?  We would love to come up with some creative incentives to bolster our volunteer numbers – if you have an idea you’d like to suggest, please let us know your ideas, using one of our Contact forms (on the right side of our Officers and Contacts page, at https://winddrinkers.org/trailhead/club/officers/)!
Volunteering can really be fun – it’s a great way to participate in running events when you can’t, or don’t want to, run (e.g., due to injury, or tapering for a major race), and is a way for non-running friends and family to be involved!  Right now, our biggest needs are for race-day support of upcoming Winter Fun Runs.  Our website’s Volunteers page (https://winddrinkers.org/trailhead/fun_runs/volunteers/) has a listing of available volunteer positions, and signing up for one of them only requires a click and entering your name and email address!  We are particularly in need of help for our first event of the new year, the Resolution Run (also known as the Fat Ass 50K) on January 7th – and, unlike last year, I can promise you it won’t be 26 Below for the 2023 edition!
Whether volunteering, or simply coming out to run, we look forward to seeing you at BSWD runs in the New Year – the Wind Drinkers’ 50th Anniversary Year!

Winter Fun Run Schedule

November 30, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody

The Winter Fun Run schedule is out! Stay motivated and warm through Montana’s chilly winters by joining a FREE monthly Fun Run. And yes, that is a New Year’s weekend 50k on the schedule. A few insider tips:

-The Jingle Bell Jog usually involves cookies.

-The Resolution Run is a “Fat Ass 50K” meaning it is a grassroots, minimal support, backyard ultra (look up the history of the term on our website – it’s fascinating!). It’s always a bit Western, and ALWAYS a fun time.

-Froze Nose and Handicap are comparative races; run the same route and try and beat your previous time.

-Back from the M is a LONG time BSWD tradition and a great way to “spring” back into warmer weather.

Hope to see you there!

12/17 — Jingle Bell Jog

GVLT courtyard

1/7 — Resolution Run; a Fat Ass 50K

Headwaters State Park

2/4 — Froze Nose

Town & Country lobby (S 11th location)

3/4 — Handicap Run

Town & Country lobby (S 11th location)

4/16 — Back from the M

M trailhead and Story Mill Park

You’re Invited to Our Annual Meeting!

September 26, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article listed the meeting time at 5 p.m., and has since been corrected to 6 p.m.
The Big Sky Wind Drinkers will be holding our Annual Meeting and Officers election on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Story Mansion. We won’t be hosting a run like in year’s past, but you are welcome to run there for bonus points. Meet club members, fellow running enthusiasts and enjoy food and drink as well as a recap of the year’s events. We also have some fun participation prizes this year to hand out.
BRING: Yourselves, a friend or family member, a dish to share and drinks (BYOB). Hope to see you there!

Summer Happenings

June 27, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody

We’re off and “running” this summer with Bridger Ridge Run lotteries out of the way and invites sent, and Old Gabe out of the way, we’re in full swing training, hauling water and running every Wednesday at 6:30. A few announcements:

Signs ups for the John Colter race are open! Sign up soon, this is one of our most popular race and we are capped at 300 runners. (SIGN UP)

We had a VERY successful weekend of water hauling for the BRR to the point that we have fully stocked both the Baldy and Halfway aid stations along the southern portion of the route. Next up is Ross Pass and Bridger. Stay tuned for more information and how you can help! Volunteering doesn’t guarantee you get into the next BRR, but it helps a LOT and we appreciate our volunteers tremendously.

Our July Fun Runs are as follows:

6-July                           Glen Lake Rotary Park (formerly East Gallatin)

13-July                         Middle Cottonwood

20-July                         Bear Canyon

27-July                         Kirk Hill

Just show up at the trailhead and be ready to run by 6:30. Each run has a 1, 3 and 5 mile option. Hope to see you there!

Spring and summer race updates

April 29, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters, Races /by Mira Brody

Hello Wind Drinkers! A few updates from the team concerning spring and summer races.

The Baldy Blitz is May 14. We have to cap this race, so please sign up beforehand to ensure you are able to participate. Register here.

The Frank Newman Marathon and Half Marathon is May 28. You can register and pay AT the event, but please download and print the registration form beforehand to bring with you! Form can be found here.

We are in need of volunteers! We need an equipment manager and someone to help with our membership team. For more info on the equipment manager position, please contact twholleman@gmail.com, for more info on the membership position, please contact memberships@winddrinkers.org.

Join the Bozeman Running Company for Thursday social runs! We are partnering with BRC for a few fun, summer fun runs every Thursday starting April 28 for 3 and 5 mile options. Learn more here.

Summer 2022 Fun Run schedule

March 28, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody
Spring is just around the corner, and it’s time to ready yourselves for our 2022 summer fun run season!
This year, we kick off the season at The Mountain Project on April 27th, where we’ll have a run through Story Mill Park, and listen to informative and inspirational talks from runners, the Mountain Project staff, and local public land managers, followed by a bit of socialization,  Come start the season off right with a fun evening!
We are also trying out some new running locations this year – including making a return trip to Manhattan for an early-season run, heading up to some new trailheads in Bridger Canyon, and conducting a joint event with the Bozeman Running Company during their June Brew Pub Run at Bozeman Brewing.
Here is the planned schedule (bear in mind that all locations are tentative while we coordinate these dates with the necessary local land managers!):

January Fun Run recaps & more

January 27, 2022/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody

Happy February to our Wind Drinkers! We had a busy kick off into 2022, with a successful (and cold) Fat Ass, Resolution Run at Missouri Headwaters State Park as well as a fun for the Cats around the MSU football field to cheer them on before their big game.

Randy Oostema reigned supreme in the Fat Ass run, completing seven laps in sub-zero temperatures. Thank you to our volunteers for serving pipping hot soup, providing a cozy Solo Stove for warmth and for cheering all the runners on. Here are some photo highlights from the day!




About a dozen showed up with their Bobcat spirit in full force for a quick fun run celebrating MSU’s championship game later that day. We encouraged participants to donate canned food for the food bank and wear yellow and blue!

Happy Holidays from the Big Sky Wind Drinkers!

December 25, 2021/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody

Thanks to all who make this community what it is. Here’s a group of us who came out for the Jingle Bell Jog, our December Fun Run. We enjoyed hot chocolate, a brisk, snowy run, and the company of our fellow club mates.

Don’t forget the Resolution Run, a Fat Ass 50k is coming up Jan. 1. Come down to Missouri Headwaters State Park and run as many 5K laps as you’d like and cheer on other runners! This is a great Wind Drinker tradition and a wonderful way to kick off the New Year. More details here.

The Mature Runner – Let’s Start 2022 With Some Fantastic Energy!

December 25, 2021/in Fun Runs, Latest News, News, Newsletters /by Mira Brody

By David Summerfield

Let’s make this more than a “Happy New Year” – how about a year full of aliveness, inspiration, and “going after it” if you know what I mean. This month, Stacy and I watched all of Bill Moyers’ interviews with Joseph Campbell, which was made into a PBS series “The Power of Myth” (1988). I became incredibly energized by watching all the interviews. Campbell was the consummate multidisciplinary scholar ever. Born in 1904, he kept learning all he could in every discipline, traveling the world over, and looking 1st hand into all the various cultures he could find. And his thirst for knowledge was always guided by an innate intention to live fully and show others how to do the same. He taught for almost 40 years at Sarah Lawrence College, and his interviews (guided by Bill Moyers) were really just treatises on how to be totally alive.

(From “Billmoyers.com” – Moyers asking Campbell a question from The Power of Myth interviews)

The kicker for me happened when Moyers asked him what his “peak” experience in life had been. We’re talking about his most outlandish or “over-the-top” experience in his life. Looking thoughtful for a few seconds, the by now familiar grin spread over his face – it was as if he were telling us a secret. It was a month before he graduated from Columbia University. (Incidentally, May 17, 1925). He was entered in the 880 (or half-mile), in a dual meet with Brown University. You could see by the look in his eyes that he was actually reliving the run right there in front of the camera. It was the perfect experience. He knew he was going to win it, and everything leading up to the start had been perfect. He led all the way down the home stretch and ended up running the world’s fastest 880 that year. (for track fans, it was a 1:56) This was Campbell’s example of what it felt like to be really alive or to have a real “peak” experience.

Perhaps you know why I’m bringing Joseph Campbell into this newsletter. Here was a tweed-jacketed professor of advanced years, sharing his knowledge. But ask him what the most meaningful experience in his life was, he immediately came up with this simple ‘ole 880-yard run on a track, during a regular ‘ole “dual meet”. Most of you have participated in track meets. Do I dare ask if you have just one track run that was the peak experience of your life? I bet many of us do have that one moment, which left an indelible mark on our psyche. Wanting proof that this really happened, I bought a subscription to the New York Times and went to their archives, and with the date of May 17th, 1925 (Wikipedia), I found my proof. There it was, and here it is:

(from New York Times “timesmachine.nytimes.org” May 17th, 1925, page 119. I’m guessing Campbell is the 5th from the left, back row.)

Of course this has led me to ponder what can happen inside our heads while we run. (And, frankly, run for more than 880 yards. Okay, I’m talking about “distance” running….hours at a time. This is not to belittle those with fast-twitch muscles, who pack it all in, in just a few seconds. That kind of running is SO intense, I can’t imagine much “thinking” can happen as the yards flow by, it’s all just a matter of survival. But I do remember delivering what I’d call a ‘sprint’ at the end of a marathon – the final 100 yards…and I can’t imagine why I did that, other than trying to shave off a second or 2 in a 3-4 hour run. Surely I wasn’t trying to beat someone to the finish line at that point!) I digress again. With all that, now I have to include the fast-twitch runners along with the slow-twitch ones too, they are out there training almost as long as us LSD folks. Where am I going with this? Yes, Joseph Campbell comes into the picture again.

During the interviews, Campbell kept going back to the theme of “follow your bliss”. Running that race in 1925 was obviously still blissful to him over 60 years later. And that has everything to do with the act of being really alive….“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.” So, I’m at least nudging you to go out there and “feel the rapture of being alive”. You’re out there running along for

hours of “alone time”, you can at least use the time to fabricate a way to really feel alive! Something tells me every being on this planet has a fire burning deep within…that’s waiting for its person to honor it by letting that fire burn bright and clear for all to see. And the “all” can just be the trees around you, or the rocks, the birds, the clouds – heck, even just the pavement!

First off, there’s no need to get on a world stage and pull off something remarkable (produce world records, etc.) You don’t have to be a Joseph Campbell. But you can be a____________(insert your name here). That’s a good place to start. So, I can be a David Summerfield, meaning – “Hey there David, what can you do or are doing to really ‘be’ David Summerfield?” Ask yourself that question. What do you love doing more than anything else? (And that can…should…change as you evolve.) And if you’re already doing “it”, then find a way to carry it to a new level. Oh, and this doesn’t have to be witnessed by anyone but you! My favorite “rapturous” activities are rarely done for others to even know about. That’s the fun part. It’s actually taken me years to realize everything I do is really just for me – I’ve come to actually need that influx of energy that comes from the “aliveness” activity. “Awhile” ago, I entered all sorts of running races, enjoying getting to the finish line as fast as possible, and I loved passing people towards the end – which always felt “rapturous”. Wait – what about those I passed on the way to the finish line? They must have felt a bit diminished, no? Absolutely. I did when I got passed at the end! Suddenly, the rapture was transformed into a “what an ego trip, David”. So now my rigorous outings are for me only. And I set my own standards to surpass or not, and the intense aliveness can come about fairly easily now.

So, no Earth-shattering feats, okay? But definitely shattering the blandness (repetitive tasks/chores/jobs done on a daily basis) of a life path that has perhaps become lacking in deep meaning. Of course Campbell dealt with that in his interviews: “If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.” Wait! What is he saying? Read that more carefully as I had to. Another way to put it is “every step you take is creating the path you’re on”. If you question the path you’re on….look no further than to observe the steps just taken. Do you like what you see? Is there anything there you’d like to tweak a bit – to make it more full of life…..or rapturous….blissful? I’m just saying, no matter what it is you do, do it with an aliveness that “knocks your socks off”. And keep trying the next day to do it again some other way. Why not have that rapturous feeling on a continual basis? Why not? Happy New Year with a continual experience of Rapture 🙂

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Latest News

  • Ladakh Frozen Lake Half MarathonFebruary 26, 2023 - 9:18 am
  • Mature Runner: Some Inspiration From Julia HawkinsJanuary 25, 2023 - 5:09 pm
  • Thank you to our Resolution Run (A Fat Ass 50K) volunteers & participantsJanuary 17, 2023 - 4:46 pm

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