‘You can do hard’: Thousands of runners take on the 48th Race to Robie Creek
Following a week of cold weather, rain, thunderstorms and even a freeze, Saturday brought bright sunshine for more than 2,000 runners aiming to conquer what organizers say is the most grueling half-marathon around.
The Race to Robie Creek is 13.1 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Runners start at Fort Boise Park, head up Aldape Summit, and then go down a steep descent to the finish at Robie Creek Park.
Why would anyone strive to enter this race, on what the organization calls “a mother of a road”?
Runners at the start and finish gave many different reasons, from inspiring others to setting personal records to proving to yourself that it can be done.
Saturday’s participants found a reason and completed what many deem the “toughest half-marathon in the Northwest.”
Nathaniel Souther, of Boise, was the first to cross the inflatable finish line at Robie Creek Park, defending his title as the race champion. The local runner set a personal record of 1:15:54.
Souther said that running Robie is all about training with altitude, having consistency and being mentally tough. During the race he said he reminds himself, “Don’t panic, just put one foot in front of the other.”
“This race takes a lot of strength, physically and mentally. But, you know, people are more capable than they think they are at doing something like this,” Souther told the Idaho Statesman.
Coming in with a time of 1:30:10, the women’s winner was Franny Zander, who teaches at Meridian High School. She said she’s been training hard for the race, and said part of her desire was to inspire her students.
“This is just such a fun event,” Zander told the Statesman at the finish line. “It’s really a legendary Boise thing.”
This year was the 48th race, and the theme was an ode to Route 66, which is turning 100 this year. This year, there were about 900 first-time Robie racers.
A.K. Whittaker, however, was running for the fifth time. She’s a running coach who helps train new and experienced runners for the race with Fleet Feet, a running specialty store. The group had 46 people signed up for the race, 25 of whom were in it for the initial time, Whittaker said.
Before the start, Whittaker told the Statesman that the race is hard and takes dedication, but she tells everyone, “You can do hard.”
For Whittaker, the race means more than just challenging herself and others. She told the Statesman that in 2020, she lost a close friend with whom she ran her first Robie. Since then, she runs it with a bracelet with his name on it: “Cody.”
“I carry him up the hill with me every year,” she said.
Whittaker said her words of encouragement to people preparing for or wanting to do the race are simple — “carpe diem,” seize the day.
This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 5:26 PM.
