Don't know about being the toughest, but it certainly is one of the funnest. I did the race twice in the early 2000's. Based on the snowpack, the back side of the run could have snow patches in place, will probably will have mud in places. I just pointed myself downhill and ran like hell, and hoped I didn't wipe out. Lots of beer at the finish- logistically it was nice to team up with a local to help with the car shuttling. When I did the race , they didn't start at noon and it was cool and chilly in the AM but perfect running temps in my opinion. This is the only race I ever did that had a tequilla aid station.

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you know my name, look up my number
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You were one of the lucky ones - I heard the race filled up in 9 minutes this year.

Robie Creek is a classic. Hard to say if it's the toughest, but they have a lot of fun with with it, and they add a bit of humorous swaggering. You probably won't have to worry about heat, given the time of year. In my experience, the downhill is harder than the uphill. It's fast and pretty steep in parts coming down, and the quads want to cramp up. Have fun!

Awesome event and tons of fun. Work on your downhill running. Definitely takes a greater toll on you than does the uphill portion.

Usually heat isn't an issue. There have been a couple of warm years, but mostly it's nice running weather. There have been some snow years too, and many times there is some snow on the road at the top.

Thanks for the advice, everybody. So work on my downhill running, make sure I have a ride to and from the race (rather than parking), and don't dress for heat. I was debating doing a tri-top, but maybe I'll just stick with a running t-shirt, eh?

Robie is a classic, and a lot of fun, but it is not the hardest in the NW. Hell, it is not even the hardest in Boise. Previous posters are correct in that if you want to really give this a go, you need to practice running fast down steep hills. Miles 8-10 (the first two over the summit) are what make or break most people. As for weather, it has been 35 on race day and it has been 85 on race day. Be prepared for anything. It is frequently cooler on the back side, but not always. I would not go picking your apparel until the day of.

I did not bother with the registration melee this year (although I heard it was better than in prior years, maybe they finally allocated enough bandwidth to keep the system from crashing) but I may pick up a number last minute from someone and jump in. Getting a transfer has not usually been a problem in the past if you know enough runners in town.

Are you in Boise or are you traveling here for the race?

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The plural of anecdote is not data. :-)
- Andrew Coggan

I'll be coming over from Eastern Idaho. The friend who talked me into doing this is also coming from out of town, but he grew up in Boise and his family still lives there. I think we're staying at his family members' place. I should probably double-check.

That's good to know about the transfers. My friend's wife didn't get registered in time, and she really wants to do it. I'll let her know.

You will have a blast! It's a great event. I'm curious what 1/2 in Boise is tougher?

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I have deceptive speed.........I'm slower than I look!

Dry Creek or Zeitgeist are harder.

Done Robie maybe 8 or 9 times. As others have said, the weather has been all over the board, 40 to 80. I've only had snow or ice on the backside once or twice, and it wasn't much but enough to make it slick as snot in the first downhill mile.

The last uphill mile is the worst (mile 7.5 to 8.5). Very steep (sections of at least 10-12%) and 90% of the field walks it some, part or all of it.

The other 7 are relatively not too bad. I think the uphill gain is close to 2400 feet.

On the downhill you will be flying from the top to mile 11.5. RIght about mile 12, the course flattens out a lot and there is usually headwind, which can make the last mile seem than much harder.

If you are a real triathlete, you'll go ride 40-50 miles in the morning, show up at noon and run the hill :)

BTW, soak your legs in the creek after. Ice bath! It works wonders for recovery post race, or plan to be sore as shit til Wed.

It's by far and away the funnest race I've ever run. Best piece of advice I got is to find a comfortable pace on the climb and stick with it, and if you value your shins and quads, you'll at least jog the first half mile after the summit. I've seen SO many people take off on a dead run after the summit, only to pass them a half mile later as they're trying to either regain pace or they're off on the side of the road, desperately trying to stretch cramping shins. Also, if you sweat a lot like me, you might want to take a hydration bottle with you, because there's only one hydration station after the summit.

All that said, if anyone reading knows anyone that wants to sell their number, send me an e mail at ritingfunny@yahoo.com. I got myself in but it closed before I could get my wife registered.

Thanks for the advice. Good to know about the first downhill mile.

Hey, I don't know how much you're wanting to spend on a Robie bib, but I found two sites that are giving away/auctioning Robie bibs:

https://forms.idahostatesman.com/robiebid/

https://www.facebook.com/...7&id=85304808546