BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) - The hot weather was just another factor racers had to deal with in what has been called the toughest race in the Northwest.

Many of the participants who run the mostly uphill race have to train for months. Autumn Jorgenson of Boise says she led her group of friends in training this year which included uphill workouts.

"We started off flat because many people didn't run before, and then we started with hills, and we haven't done any flat probably since February," said Jorgenson. " Even the small, medium, little runs during the week are hills."

Other runners we talked with said they enjoy the Race to Robie Creek because it gives them something to train for during the Winter months and gets them off the couch.

Organizers know how hard the half marathon can be because many of them have taken the long trek themselves.

"As soon as you are done running 8 miles uphill, you ride away and start running 5 miles steeply downhill," said Lorian Gans who is an organizer of the race. "So just when your legs think they are done they're not."

With the hotter than average weather officials were telling people to not over exert themselves because that can be dangerous. 35-year-old Jamey Yanik of Boise won the race with a time of 1:23:34.

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