Then I started the drive. It was supposed to be HOT down in Denver, but since the race advertised "the most fun at 9,000 feet" - I wasn't too worried about the heat. I found my way with no trouble at all, and it was a beautiful drive up. Bee Rad handles fabulously on the mountain curves. Thanks to all the rain we've had it was green and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Found my turn off and then kept on the lookout for the infamous mile marker 21 where the race was to start.
Parked the car, and headed to get my bib. Got halfway there and realized I left my sunglasses and iPod (!!!) in the car. Went back to get them. By the time I got my bib and shoe tag it was almost 8:30 already. Got my shirt (which, by the way, is probably the best race shirt I've ever received) and realized I would have to go back to the car anyway. Good thing I did... my tires were about a foot over the white line and I was in the process of getting a ticket for having an "abandoned vehicle in the roadway" - Sigh. Had to move my car, which put me even further from the start line. Grabbed my gel and headed toward the start line, I had 9 minutes until gun time and I had to pee. Luckily they started a few minutes late and I literally stepped out of the port-o-potty and started running. The first mile was tough. For a few reasons. I was so rushed the last 30 minutes before the race that I didn't clip my pouch on properly. It fell off three times in the first mile. Also, the entire first half of the race was uphill. But, the course was beautiful:
See that chick in the back running with a double stroller? Yeah. I just *barely* got done before her. It helped that her kids kept throwing stuff out of the stroller and she had to keep stopping. Anyway, all I could think about was "Thank goodness for Newton and the laws of gravity - What goes up, must come down." The whole first half was uphill, but as a result, the whole second half was downhill and so much easier. Having never run at this elevation I didn't know what to aim for, so my goal was 55 minutes for the 5 mile course. I ended up crossing the line at 54:07, so I was pleased.
Random guy who finished just behind took a picture for me:
And this is the creek that ran by the trail most of the race:
Official race results:
The course/race information is here - and this is the elevation profile:
According to my watch it wasn't at 9,000 feet though. There was a 10 mile and 15 mile race too, maybe those just kept going up and up...
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