Anna Dalton ’12 traded the tracks for the trails and is climbing the ranks of competitive technical runners
Montana’s Rut Mountain Run is a challenging 50k race with steep ascents, 崎岖的山脊线上, 和苛刻的下降. 这场比赛技术含量很高, there is a disclaimer on the website highlighting the extreme nature of the course that warns, “The result of a fall in these sections could be injury or death.” The average person would be unable to hike this, let alone run for time. 换句话说, 10,500 feet vertical gain/loss over the 31 miles is double the elevation gain and distance of Mount Wilson, a popular hiking spot for 洛杉矶 locals.
9月15日, Anna Dalton ’12 placed fourth among women and 20th overall in the Rut Mountain Run with a time of 6:08:38. It’s her latest standout performance in a string of extremely challenging races and national competitions. Dalton earned a national title when she won the 2022 USATF Trail Running Championship with a time of 1:30.17. 前一年, she ran in the USATF Mountain Running Championships, finishing ninth with a time of 48:28.
As an urban and environmental policy major (with minors in biology and sociology) at Oxy, Dalton ran both cross country and track and field for the Tigers, serving as a team captain for two out of her four years. 毕业后, she went to La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica with Professor of Biology Beth Braker for research and did the occasional jog. Upon returning to her native Alaska a few months later, 然而, “我累坏了, 贫血, and had no plans of continuing to compete in running,她回忆道。.
It wasn’t until a friend got Dalton involved in an informal trail race series that she rekindled her competitive drive. She later joined a running group, and “that was the foundation for my introduction to a whole new type of running as an adult,道尔顿说. “I trained for a marathon that winter with new friends, and was hooked.”
Coming from a traditional running background, Dalton has competed in the Rut twice with soaring success. Her first time on the mountain course at Big Sky was in 2017, which also was her first real mountain run. She finished fourth among the women and 23rd overall with a time of 6:43.02. (Her efforts in September showed an improvement of 35 minutes.) What makes her 2023 time even more impressive is that up until five weeks 之前 to the Rut, Dalton had planned on running the Berlin Marathon in late September. She made the last-minute pivot because she was enjoying running in the mountains with friends and was unable to commit to the rigorous training schedule for a road marathon.
Although Dalton has been able to avoid the stereotypical runner maladies, she has not been immune to injury. Following her venture into technical running, she had an unfortunate fall that resulted in her needing surgery for a torn patellar tendon a few years ago. After recovering, Dalton got back to work, which has obviously paid off.
Away from the trails and mountains, Dalton works to protect Alaska’s land, 水域, 野生动物, and ways of life as director of grants and programs for the Alaska Conservation Foundation in Anchorage, 她在2014年加入了哪家公司. Her efforts help secure the necessary funding and connections to sustain Alaska’s 野生动物, 海岸线, and mountains from the effects of climate change.
“The most fulfilling part of my role is leading a network that’s collectively focused on the issue of hard-rock mining in Alaska and its impact on frontline and Indigenous communities,她说。. “Part of my job is helping to ensure that people in those communities have a voice in the decision-making process through free, 之前, 知情同意, so that those communities have the power to say no to a mining project that is not wanted.”
Having a fondness for both road and mountain running, Dalton is mindful of her training routine and knows how to find the right balance. “在我人生的这个阶段, I know what a good tempo workout is and what a good speedwork looks like, and not every day can be a good day,她说。. “Mountain running provides freedom from those same metrics, and is a chance to explore beautiful places and appreciate the scenery and the adventure more than the time and the pace. 话虽如此, I still don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than absolutely nailing a hard track workout.”
图片: Anna Dalton '12 competing for Oxy in 2011.
