Compassion Over Competition at the 2025 Speedgoat 50k

It’s an ask made on the beginning line of many path races: For those who see somebody in hassle, cease to assist.

This 12 months, 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 bottom. 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 many runners, Majell Backhausen, utilized his wilderness first assist coaching to test for responsiveness and assess the runner’s attainable accidents. After a number of lengthy seconds, the injured runner, Scott Klingonsmith, responded by flippantly squeezing Backhausen’s hand. Whereas others ran forward to the following assist station to get assist, Backhausen stayed with Klingonsmith, sacrificing any race targets for the day.

Whereas his evacuation was sluggish, Klingonsmith was ultimately in a position to 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 keen to place their private targets apart so as 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 Metropolis. Sunday’s 50k premier occasion, which was began in 2008 by ultrarunning legend Karl Meltzer, is understood for its greater than 11,000 ft of vertical acquire over 31 miles and is marketed because the hardest 50k within the U.S.

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

Scott Klingonsmith wrapped in an emergency blanket whereas Majell Backhausen (orange shirt) manages the state of affairs. Photograph courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

Backhausen mentioned the group stopped to test on the unconscious runner, and to his reduction, Klingonsmith stirred after a number of moments. “The second huge reduction got here when he slowly pressed pause on his watch,” Backhausen shared. “Like a real racer.”

Each Backhausen and Klingonsmith are aggressive athletes and skilled path runners. Backhausen is an athlete for the Australia/New Zealand The North Face staff 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 Path Operating 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 within the prime 10 at Speedgoat. “Earlier than my fall, I used to be doing effectively,” mentioned Klingonsmith. “My fueling plan was going completely, and I used to be in a very good place as we have been about midway into the race. I used to be excited to see what my physique might rally within the second half of the race.”

The Fall, Rescue, and Priorities

Klingonsmith remembers operating downhill quick, attempting to make up floor on the runners forward of him, when he fell: “I used to be in a very good 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 load of my fall as I landed on some sharp rocks … I keep in mind falling and shutting my eyes after I got here to a cease. I used to be mendacity down in the course of the path. From that time, I don’t keep in mind a lot besides that I began to realize consciousness when Majell got here down the path and had me squeeze his finger. I keep in mind he stored feeding me the Precision gel I used to be carrying, in addition to a few of my liquid carbs.”

Sadly, the competitors got here to a halt for each athletes, though Backhausen did ultimately go on to complete the race. “Because 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 effectively and actually completed for the day,” mentioned Backhausen. “I feel it was powerful for us each to simply accept, however in the end, I needed to consider the phrases I instructed Scott, which have been: ‘This can be a blip on the radar of life, man; there will probably be many extra alternatives to race and don’t sweat it. There are greater issues in life.’” For the following 40 minutes, Backhausen stayed with Klingonsmith as he slowly recovered and waited for medical consideration.

Scott Klingonsmith was ultimately in a position to stroll out with help from the race medical crew. Photograph courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

In the meantime, a couple of mile and a half down the path on the American Fork Canyon assist station, Ryan Cooper, a part of the occasion’s operations staff with medical coaching, began organizing a rescue as quickly as he acquired studies of an injured runner. Cooper shared, “It’s a distant space between Snowbird and Halfway, and takes two to a few hours to get there on a gnarly, boulder-ridden 4×4 highway.” He famous, “It’s not a very good place to get harm.”

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

The Selflessness of Path Runners

For the reason that incident, Klingonsmith has virtually totally recovered. “I had a deep puncture wound on my left knee that required stitches, my proper knee was swollen to the scale of a grapefruit, however fortunately had no inside fracture, my finger was damaged, and my palms had plenty of cuts and scrapes,” Klingonsmith shared. Happily, he didn’t maintain a head damage. “Maybe I had the wind knocked out of me,” he mentioned. He’s now operating once more — largely pain-free — and he not too long ago returned to racing by taking third on the 2025 Large Cottonwood Basic, an area race.

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

Majell Backhausen and Scott Klingonsmith reunite within the medical tent on the finish of the 2025 Speedgoat 50k. Photograph courtesy of Scott Klingonsmith.

The 2 runners have stored in contact over social media. “We each received a brand new Instagram follower out of it, so I assume that’s big success on this sport,” mentioned Backhausen with amusing. “I’ll be watching his profile for the following race celebration.”

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

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