Parkite Elizabeth Hockett conquered the Cirque Series mountain-running race at Brighton this month, topping the women’s sport division.
Hockett and other expert and professional runners climbed nearly 7 miles across the resort’s mountain face, braving over 3,000 feet in elevation, on July 15. The race was the second of seven in the series this year, with six taking place in the western U.S. and one in Switzerland.
The Cirque Series, which began in 2015, has dubbed itself “the premiere mountain running series.”
Hockett, a physical therapist in Park City, plans on completing all five of the remaining U.S.-based races this year. She was first introduced to the series during grad school at the University of Utah, where she had classmates that still complete races alongside her.
Hockett immediately became enthralled by the collaborative environments at the races, which she first began in 2021. They’re “such a fun human experience with a lot of people who are looking to accomplish something together,” she said.
As for personal goals, Hockett said she’s looking to improve upon her speed, downhill running and ends of races this year. While she cannot change into it this year, as she registered for all her races in the sport division, she is looking forward to joining the expert division next year.
As someone who works a full-time schedule, Hockett credits her ability to be a “weekend warrior” with her improvement. She takes Mondays off of work and spends the long weekends fitting in as much training as she can.
Hockett also credited her profession itself as well as the support of her family, friends and herself. “It’s very helpful, especially during the Cirque Series season and the off-season of running,” she said of her work. “You have to keep your muscles and joints in working condition.” Hockett also discussed the importance of her mindset while running, where she says she remains able to enjoy the sport.
Hockett touched upon the series founder and races organizer Julian Carr, crediting him for putting on the events. She emphatically encouraged people to come out and try the races, but warned them to really be in tune with their body and its signals, as that will tell them how hard they can or cannot push themselves.
The next, non-sold-out Cirque Series race is Aug. 26 at Grand Targhee in Wyoming. Interested? Be quick to use its website to register, as entries are capped at 500 runners.