Monday, July 27
200+ mile attempt #16
Weather - Rain, hail, some sun
Preface
I do not usually do races again if I DNF. In fact, I've only attempted a few races a second time - Cocodona and Summit. Even though I had heartbreaking DNFs in both 2024 and 2025, I signed up for a third and final time. I figured that with a year of using my inhaler, plus quitting drinking (have I even talked about this? I haven't had any alcohol since before Christmas 2025), I was in the best shape of my life. With finishes in Thailand and Wales under less than pristine conditions - if ANY year was going to be my year, it would be this year.
In the week leading up to the race I really studied my splits and paces from last year. I noticed a LOT of... things that didn't make sense. Prolonged stops and breaks that really shouldn't have been happening - that added up to a LOT of time. While I really planned on running more of the paved sections, the biggest goal was to not screw around so much.
 |
| Sunday at packet pickup |
Race Morning
Once again, I had basically not slept. Even though lights were out by 8:30 I was tossing and turning most of the night, for sure awake until at least 11. I was not happy when my alarm went off at 3:15. Ironically, I actually WAS asleep until it went off, usually I wake up "close enough" to my alarm that I just get up early. Breakfast prep was a bit of a headache as there was just a communal microwave on the floor, not in our room, and I couldn't find a spoon. Got everything else ready to go and we were out the door just before 4:15 for the ten-minute drive to Copper. Nervous energy everywhere, and I had to cycle through the bathroom a few times before the start. The ground was very wet from overnight storms and I was honestly surprised it didn't feel colder at the start. TERRIFIED. While I had a plan in place, I'll readily admit to being scared and anxious. Has my training been enough? Will my inhaler be the magical cure to be able to breathe at 12,000+ for extended periods of time? I was about to find out.
Start to Peak One (Miles 0 to 21.7)
Suddenly, it was time to go. Initially I planned to start with Andrea, but she was up at the front of the line, which is not where I wanted to be (ever). Before the race I actually bought a Gym Boss interval timer. Part of the reason for this is my phone battery seems to be dying EXCESSIVELY fast, so especially near town I planned to keep my phone in airplane mode to save battery.
Ana was able to join me for intervals, which was GREAT! Of course it seemed like we had been running a long time and then I realized I had not hit start, only powered it on - apparently there is a learning curve on this.
I vaguely remember that I was with someone else in this section but I cannot remember at all who that might have been. Maybe it was a female? Based on how we finished could it have been Tia? Who knows.
Dropped down off the Gold Hill trails and then under the highway and back on the bike patch around the lake heading towards the first aid station. Now that I was off the trails (which I hadn't been running much of anything) I kept looking back to see if Ana was near me, but I didn't see her.
As I got closer to the perimeter trails I noticed that Mary Deane was ahead of me. I was still doing some intervals when the terrain dictated. Whoever I was running on/off with pulled off to use the bathroom (now that I am thinking about it, I think it was a guy) and I caught up to Mary Deane. We stayed in a bit of a conga line, and I was not in any rush to pass anyone at this point. Selfie at our favorite spot by the lake:
We ran into the campground to the first aid station - seemingly on par with the same pace(ish) as last year. That was part of the goal - to maybe take it a bit easier if possible the first section so that I would save my legs a bit for running more in the easier/early miles.
Peak One to N. Shuttle Lot/Keystone (Miles 21.7 to 38.9)
This was pre-planned to be the fastest stop of all the aid stations. Although we had already done nearly 22 miles, I knew we had another big section coming up. I told Mary Deane that I was setting an alarm for 12 minutes and I wanted to be in and out. First I filled up my bottles and then looked around for things to snack on - opting for watermelon and pineapple and taking a bag of chips to go. I had packed a TON of snacks for each section, so really only needed to supplement if something sounded good.
We were out as soon as my alarm went off. Once we were leaving the aid station and got back onto the bike path I told Mary Deane that I was going to set up my intervals since we were on pavement. She ended up not continuing on with me, so I put in my earbuds and got to work.
 |
| The pants sign has been vandalized!!! |
I am 100% sure that I didn't do any running on the road to the Tenderfoot trailhead last year since I had bought so many random drinks, so this year I figured even a little jog here and there would help to bank even more time. I looked back a few times to see if anyone was behind me and I definitely saw someone - not sure who it would have been at this point. Jake? When I was actually running I probably stayed ahead of him even with him being a fast walker.
Moved onto the trails about Dillon heading to Keystone. I did a little running in this section.
I don't remember a ton of this section other than going in and out of the trees. There was a climb when I expected to see the people/person catch up to me that I had seen heading to Tenderfoot, but there was nothing. I get up closer to the top (near the dump?) and there were a zillion crows! Thankfully I am not afraid of birds. Got closer to the shooting range and didn't hear any gunshots this year. Once I got off the single track I saw signs that the range was closed. Ben thinks maybe because of the fire risk?
From here I knew I wasn't that far from the trailhead and I was looking forward to saying hi to Ben who planned on meeting me there and getting some real food, as the first aid station was just snack type stuff.
The skies were definitely getting darker, but I preferred this over the scorching heat that we can definitely get on these trails.
 |
| Photo: Anastasia Wilde |
On the single-track heading into Keystone it started to rain enough that I pulled out one of my disposable ponchos and put it on. I saw someone in front of me that was moving pretty slow and when I came up behind him asked if he was ok and if he needed anything. He said that he was having issues with a herniated disc and he said he was going to have to drop at the aid station.
By the time I got to the aid station it had pretty much stopped raining.
N. Shuttle Lot/Keystone to Tiger Road (Miles 38.9 to 62.4)
Ben had a great setup with everything under the canopy he just picked up. I was excited to sit for a minute. I told Ben to set a timer for 20 minutes - which would be exponentially faster than the hourish I spent at this aid station last year.
First surprise food of the race - Cheba Hut! Yum! I wasn't able to eat a ton of it, I think I got about a third of it down. The wind picked up and it started to rain again. I noticed that Lisamarie and Rene were just heading out of the aid station - surprising since I never even SAW them last year.
Ben was definitely trying to rush me out of the aid station - I just had to be sure I remembered to grab the Kogalla and my lights since I would definitely be in the dark in the next, LONG, section. I got everything packed up, used the bathroom and then headed out. I can't remember if actually started with my poncho, but here is a selfie with it on - either right after I left or shortly after.
Again, I think there was very little running in this section last year, so the goal was to at least do SOME running to bank more time. I took a picture by the golf course, which is apparently the same picture I took last year, which showed me that I was already hours ahead of where I was in this same section.
We were somewhere on the Colorado Trail (Hippo trail?) when it lightly started to rain. We were in the midst of a discussion about whether or not we wanted to pull out our rain gear or if things were going to blow over when we found a huge tree on the side of the trail and opted to just put the ponchos on. We continued on and within minutes the skies opened up and it started POURING. We were joking about how it was a good thing we had just stopped and done it so all our stuff didn't get wet. I happened to look over and saw a moose running down the field next to us - it was really cool!
And then the scary storms started. The thunder and subsequent lightning was SO CLOSE. Like less than a mile away. The first few strikes were so close that I actually screamed out loud. At this point we were probably ten miles into the section with another 10 to go. No real place that we could bail off the course to get out of the weather. Seemingly every time the lightning would be dangerously close was when we were exposed out in the open with nothing to shield us. I am not exaggerating when I say that this storm lasted well over an hour. It was NOT fun!! Finally the rain and super close lightning stopped and we were treated to a little bit of sun and a gorgeous double rainbow.
After he had boiled water we continued on while his food cooked and then we found a nice place on the side of the trail where we sat (on our ponchos since the ground was wet) by a small stream. We were able to filter some water and had a snack. I've actually never had a backpacking meal and he shared his lasagna (that he was REALLY excited about) - it was pretty good, but I will never carry a jet boil with me to cook one. Maybe on another 200 I'll place one in a drop bag - I know Ana does this and she is very happy with them.
On we trudged, this section just seemingly NEVER ENDING. We talked about how tired we were in this section last year and I mentioned that I had at least 2-3 miles that were in the 45 minute range, which led me to believe that I had tried (and failed) to take trail naps.
Steve said he was going to stop and rest and I said I was going to keep going since I knew it would be a waste of time for me. I did send Ben a text when I got high enough on the route to give him an ETA of when I would be at the aid station and to let him know that I wasn't going to NAP, but that I did want to lie down and get dry before heading out on the loop. He let me know that Christina was already at the aid station and that Tanessa would be enroute soon.
Finally, I dropped down to the road to get to the aid station. I happened to see Andrea heading out for the loop - unfortunately even if I went to the aid station and turned right back around she would be too far ahead to run with.
Arrived at the aid station with Ben and Christina cheering me in.
Tiger Road Loop (Miles 62.4 to 80.9)
I can't remember if I ate anything when I first got to the aid station, but the initial plan was to get out of the wet clothes and lie down to see if I could raise my core temperature a bit. I think that I asked for 20 minutes, maybe 30. I agreed that if I didn't sleep or if I felt like I was wasting time that I would just get up.
I didn't stay in the truck long and started out wearing my pants (and maybe jacket too?) I remember getting coffee but can't recall what food I may have had in this section.
Christina and I headed out on the trails before 2 am - a huge boost for me since I hadn't even GOTTEN to the aid station until almost 4 am the year before. More time banked had me in a great mood!
We headed out to the trail and I think I got too warm in what I was wearing before we turned off onto the single track. Once we were on the trail things continued uneventfully. I had remembered to warn her about the husky sled dogs, but we really didn't hear much from them this year.
Christina had some issues with one of her headlamps dying - but not to worry - she had a second one - that actually stopped working also! She had extra batteries and neither one of us could figure out how to open the battery case. I knew Steve and his pacer were ahead of us and I leant her my clip on light until we caught up to them. Sure enough - it was a problem for a dude to fix! David (the pacer) got the case open, we were able to change the battery without any further problems.
No real recollection of what we talked about in here. We got closer to Geneva Pass and sadly there were no mountain goats at the top, although that didn't stop us from thinking every large rock was actually a goat in disguise.
Kept heading down the road and then moved onto the cool flat section. No running, but we had some pretty speedy miles in here - especially considering I was still on no sleep!
We got to the weird road intersection, and I warned Christina about the water crossing and that one of the photographers would likely be there. Anastasia was there and I asked how many people crossed on the log and she said everyone so far had. Uh oh, the pressure was on. As an aside, I have no idea how I did gymnastics for over a decade and yet struggle to walk across a log. Either way - neither of us fell in - success!! The last section to the aid station went on forever and ever and ever.
Tiger Road to Montezuma (Miles 80.9 to 93.7)
I usually seem to sleep better if it is warmer, but I had put on my face mask and Pink Floyd and got up before the alarm went off because it didn't seem like I was sleeping. I realized I was trapped in the back of the truck, but luckily Ben came to rescue me.
I changed clothes and then probably had more Cheba Hut and... something else from the aid station but I can't remember what I might have had. Burger? Who knows.
Tanessa was going to be pacing for the next few sections - I was really excited because not only have we never spent time together on the trails, but she jumped in VERY last minute to help out.
We had barely gotten out of the parking lot when I realized my phone was still on the charger so she ran back to get it for me. And then off we went for the next two tough sections to Duck Creek - which would be more than halfway for me! Tanessa had also leant me her ice bandana - I had decided to leave mine at home after I had looked at the forecast for the week, and I'll admit that I regretted it!
I warned Tanessa that it would feel totally manageable and then it would suddenly get really steep and awful. Although there were a few times in this section where I thought I was struggling a bit with my breathing, it NEVER got as bad as it has the last few years. Not sure if this is because the rain has kept some of the dust away or the magic of the inhaler, but I was just going to roll with it!
We had the water crossing at some point and I think we still managed to keep our feet dry - a success over last year because I remember just going right through it.
 |
| I think this was when she was taking pictures and saying "maybe THIS looks steep" |
We actually saw off road vehicles for the first time in this section and I remember telling Tanessa that I had to tell Ben because had NO idea how anyone would ever try to drive on these "roads."
I kept pointing out the ridgeline that we were heading towards. I also had noticed that the warm and stifling temperatures seem to have gone away and it was getting mildly chilly again. We came upon Lisamarie, Rene and their pacer, Scott, while they stopped to take a break on the side of the trail. We kept heading up, but now we were worried about getting caught in a storm. Shortly before the switchback to get to the ridgeline we saw a couple runners huddled in rain gear under the tree. Since we were hearing thunder and lightning, we opted to join them and try to wait out the weather and not risk getting caught above tree line in a storm. I put on some layers and my poncho and we sat there talking for probably at least 45 minutes. I got a little annoyed here after banking so much time only to have it "taken back" by having to wait out the weather.
In the time that we sat there Darren and another runner just kept heading up to the ridge. Tanessa and I finally decided we would go, as the storm seemed to be dissipating a bit.
False summit after false summit, but there now seemed to be a big group of us all together, which is not something I have experienced at this race, usually after the first day I am completely alone!
Sadly, we got to the stop where there are normally mountain goats and they were not there. I assume they also hunkered down to avoid the storm. Still sad, I look forward to the reward of seeing them when I get to the top.
This section seemed just as long during the day and I definitely gaslit myself into thinking the later climbs weren't that bad. But at least it was short and then it was just the terrible road into Montezuma.
We did not have any problems finding the aid station this year, arriving before 6 pm.
 |
| Tia and me |
Montezuma to Duck Creek (Miles 93.7 to 110.9)
Arrived in the day!! I didn't even have a drop bag here, so the plan was to refuel and get going as soon as possible.
Terry was volunteering and he also commented on how much faster I was this year. Are things really falling into place??
There were a lot of us at the aid station, but I was able to get a pizza, had an apple and then some glazed donut holes. Then of course, it started to rain again. I was able to move my chair under the tarp while I continued fueling and debating what layers I wanted to start with before heading out. Everyone else seemed to be hanging out for a while so I was impressed that Tanessa and I got out of there pretty quickly.
Out onto the dirt road that seemed longer than I remembered and it was still raining, but not the scary storms we had already been through.
Made the turn to head up to Webster Pass and this also seemed longer than I remembered, but the grade was not bad and we were moving well. Once we turned onto the road we were treated to more rainbows!!
We came up on Kayla and Brian and they were frustrated about the lack of course markings. I had noticed that things were sparse, but since I have done this section multiple times I knew that there was nowhere to go other than the main road. We passed them and continued on. WAS IT POSSIBLE??? Was I actually going to get to the saddle of Webster Pass in the daylight??
YES, I WAS GOING TO GET TO THE SADDLE BEFORE DARK. I could see Jason on the first boop up the hill, but of course I had to have Tanessa look around before the sun set and get some pictures.
We had planned on eating something at this point but I think since it was still light we decided to push until we got over Red Cone. We did put on our night layers at this point though.
Nothing super memorable in this section - other than seeing the brothers and Walter and probably the first-place female since it is an out and back.
Of note - this section goes on forever and ever and ever and when you think you are "almost there" look at your watch - you are NOT almost there. This was probably the lowest section of the race for me - I hate this part and just wanted it to be over with. Then we finally get to the road and it's easily another three miles to the aid station. Just no. Got to the aid station at like 3 am?
Duck Creek to Hall Valley (Miles 110.9 to 123.1)
I had big plans to sleep here - knowing that I was going to have a big push that I didn't want to be tired for. Maybe I had a snack (?) but I got in the truck and I think I told Ben 75 minutes but reserved the right to snooze if I think I was actually sleeping.
I think I got a small amount of sleep, but it was nothing to write home about. When I got up I was getting everything ready and eating and checking pack, etc. I was asking Ben all about who was at the aid station and who was gone - the reality was going to be that I was heading out alone. And I think that is exactly what I needed!
I headed out when it was still dark, but getting closer to sunrise. I wasn't exactly chipper, but I was about as awake as I could be and I was going to get this shit done!!
I had no idea where I was in relation to all the other people on course, so now that I was in a long out and back section it was fun to see people! I saw Steve, Lisamarie (who looked SO SAD), Rene and Scott, Mary Deane, Tek, Charity and Ana, etc. The way back up to head towards Hall Valley somehow seemed even LONGER. I can't remember anything about how I felt, if it was warm or cold. But I got there. I even remembered to take a picture of the best tree ever - but I didn't stop to sit on it.
Turned left to head to Hall Valley, which would be a pivotal aid station for me. I had some phone service on the road so I quickly got my texting done while I had service, did my Wordle and Duolingo before dropping into the aid station.
Hall Valley to Lodgepole (Miles 123.1 to 145.45)
Arriving here late morning was a HUGE boost. Last year we had been here shortly before sunset. So I basically had a whole day to get things done and finally get that monkey off my back.
I arrived as the only runner and the volunteers as always were awesome. I got a chair in the shade and they made me a big loaded mashed potato (with instant potatoes) and I think I had seconds. I had a lot of soda and one of the volunteers filled my extra liter bottle with a celsius packet - who knew what that was going to do to me, but I was excited.
I don't think I spent a ton of time here, but Jake did show up shortly before I left.
HERE.WE.GO. The last two years I have dropped IN THIS SECTION. I was probably 8 hours ahead of where I was last year, so as long as my stupid lungs cooperated and I just kept going, I should be fine, right?
The climbing starts right out of the aid station and mellows out right after the first few rocky switchbacks. It seemed warm and sunny, but at least I was in the shade. I felt like I was making great time and I remembered having severe breathing issues last year, but this year I was feeling fine! Up, up, up.
The top of the climb on this plateau is literally the section that has broken me the last few years. Jake passed me in this section while I was having a quick break. All of sudden the skies opened up. I tried to put on my disposable poncho but first problem was I put the poncho on backwards and the hood kept flapping in my face. With the high winds I was having a hard time putting it on the right way. It got caught on something and tore and then I basically had to have it half on and flapping in my face. It was raining and thundering and lighting and visibility was about ten feet. I knew this was a long section, but again, I've thankfully done it a few times. There were not a lot of markings here and regardless it was hard to see where I was going even IF they were plentiful. I kept hoping I wouldn't get struck by lightning and that the wind would die down. Jake was pretty far ahead of me, but at least I could see him every once in a while, which made me feel better.
Seemingly, as soon as the trail started to trend downhill, the visibility improved and then the storm was gone just as quick has it had arrived.
By the time things finally calmed down, I just looked like this:
Now, time for one of the worst descents of the race. But looking at this picture I can't even be mad about it. I think this picture is exactly where we sat with Christine in year one trying to figure out how to evacuate off the course.
Almost immediately, I was like, well I haven't missed anything. First up was this very long muddy water pit that I didn't see an immediate way around so I just walked through it.
Survive that and then it was a bunch of shitty rocks and a steep climb. Oh, I guess this is the rest of the vert that was missing from earlier...
With all the rain that we had been getting the trail was basically now a river. The sun was out but thankfully it hadn't warmed up things too terribly, and I was still in the trees anyway.
The trail become more of a wider dirt road, but as I continued to climb I was noticing that the sky was looking scary. AGAIN.
I was heading towards what I hoped was the end of the climbing and looked behind me to see someone - again.
And the sky was definitely getting scary.
I pulled out my Gain in this section because the directions were sort of confusing. I stepped over a gate into the field and the electricity from a lighting strike went through me. I hightailed it back to the trail/road I had just been on and ducked next to a bush and called Ben. He looked to see where the storm was going but I was so freaked out. I did not want to be caught alone on another ridge line - he thought we would be along the ridge for a bit but then we would definitely be heading down and he warned me to pay attention to the trail because it paralleled the loop we had down earlier and it was seemingly easy to get off course.
Jake came up while I was on the phone and flashed "thumbs up" to me, to which I immediately responded with a very aggressive thumbs down. He indicated that he was going to keep going, and I told him where the turn was, which he thanked me for as he assumed we kept going on the road.
Well, we did continue along the ridge line and got a good 4-5 minutes from the gate when the storm picked up and started pelting Sonic ice-sized hail at us. It did not feel good and was coming down pretty hard. Did a little bit of jogging/fast walking here just to try and get lower - which we finally did, thankfully.
I had made the decision to just use my headlamp until the next aid station and not bother with the waist light. Problem with that is that the rain continued on for hours. Visibility sucked, and this section of trail was very slick, lots of steeper descent and roots and rocks. I guess that helped to keep me awake, but by the time I got close to the aid station (which I missed the turn on the road bc there was not a sign telling me to turn) I was mentally OVER it. I wanted to sleep.
Arrived just before 11 (?) - fuck what a hard section, but at this point I am finishing this damn thing.
Lodgepole to French Pass (Miles 145.45 to 159.55)
Come into Lodgepole feeling like a ghost. It is a "sleep station" but there is nothing heated and everything is wet from days of on again and off again rain.
The very kind volunteer puts me in the "sitting" tent to hopefully warm up. I have a delicious BBQ taco and they make me potatoes with broth and had some cider. I get my drop bag but I am drenched and even the things in my waterproof drop bag are damp from being out in the rain for days.
The volunteer (was it Dustin?) gave me a very nice North Face sleeping bag to get in and try to warm up. Because I am stupid, I didn't get out of my wet clothes first. I think I tried to sleep for a half hour. I set an alarm twice doing this, but kept waking up because I was so cold and chilled. I was talking with a guy from Salida (or was it Buena Vista) who got up and left at some point when I was bitching and moaning about the horrible conditions of this aid station.
Finally I decided there was nothing to do other than get the heck out of there. I changed clothes and then was getting ready to use the bathroom when I heard Jillian outside the tent! I was telling her about my poncho disaster and she said she had a spare I could take for the next section.
Ironically once I was out of the wet clothes it didn't feel nearly as bad and I was ready to get the heck out of there. I apologized profusely to the volunteers for being mad/sad and they were super nice and understanding. Just over 50 miles to go!!
So supposedly this was only a 14ish mile section, which was sad mainly because I had in my head the whole time that it was only 12 miles. Anyway, it was supposed to be a very "easy" non-technical section.
I think the first few miles were in the trees on single track, but nothing crazy and I was just sort of wandering in the dark. Then we moved onto the road - which we would stay on for the rest of the section.
I got SO INCREDIBLY TIRED in this section. At some point it started to drizzle again, and of course Jake appeared out of nowhere again and passed me. We would later find out that we were both just taking random trail naps in the middle of the road.
I had my headphones in and tried to stay awake by singing to myself and trying to figure out why there were so many vehicles just driving around in the pre-dawn hours.
I hated dropping down for the 6-8 minute rests, but more than once I found myself sleepwalking and falling in the ditch, so it was necessary. Picture of the full moon from my position in the middle of the road.
Arrived at French Pass aid station just after 7 am - roughly the time I was evacuated halfway through the Hall Valley section the year previously - so ZERO worries about time at this point.
French Pass to CMC Breck (Miles 159.55 to 182.2)
Arrived to see Ben and Larry with quite the setup. I think I had a snack of some kind - who knows what, then I am pretty sure I asked for 45 minutes. I think Ben let me have a bit more than that, and I may have snoozed.
Hilariously, I had come into the aid station saying that hot dogs sounded really good and then after my nap I got up and there were two hot dogs waiting for me to eat before heading out. Miracles do happen!!!
 |
| Larry and me |
Larry was a last minute helper after Terri realized she would not be back from her trip in time to pace this section.
It was actually a really nice and gradual climb out of the aid station. Nothing to take my breath away, which was great! I told Larry that the biggest goal was to keep moving and that I was not allowed to stop and sit unless I was having a snack. I was pretty good about stopping every 45 minutes or so and having something to eat. I was finally starting to get really hungry during the race - both good and bad because it means I am not going to get behind on calories, but maybe bad because that means I'm already a bit deficient.
We could see the saddle from pretty far away, but unlike some other sections on the course, we weren't having to work crazy hard to get there. Not to say there wasn't work to do, but it was totally manageable. And boy was I glad to do it during the day!
I could see someone on the saddle from seemingly a zillion miles away and I told Larry it was probably the photographer. And it was! Anastasia was up there just being amazing and taking epic shots. There were also quite a few hikers out that were so impressed with what we were doing.
We took some pictures on the saddle before we started the trek down the hill.
We were on single track for some time, with lots of water crossings. It was not very technical and we moved quickly through here. We were coming up on random cabins in the woods and we were trying to figure out which (if any) of these were the cabin that had been an aid station the first year. I never made it that far so I'll never know! We were on a dirt road and found a spot in the shade - I told Larry I wanted to lie down for a few minutes to take a quick nap. I set my alarm for 8 minutes but awoke when someone walked by. I was rested enough that I was fine to keep going.
Suddenly - I knew where I was! A year or two ago Ben and I had come here with Olive - we liked this route because in normal years when we went up the road there was a stream that ran along the road/trail pretty much the whole time. I did filter water when we crossed the stream and then was bamboozled when we didn't continue on the road and took a hard right into what appeared to be an old quarry. It was REALLY warm in this area and stuff feeling. There were some chipmunks running around and we had an in depth conversation about the chipmunk housing situation.
We finally moved out of the rocks and onto more traditional dirt trails. We also were finally beginning to encounter some mountain bikes - which we hadn't seen much of at all the entire race.
Popped out at a summit/junction and I swear it was the old mining area I had been to before. I'll admit none of the trails looked that familiar so I might be making up this memory.
Apparently, Larry had studied the route better than I had and I was informed that we were currently on the trails above Breckenridge and it wouldn't be long before we would actually be dropping down INTO TOWN. It was still feeling pretty hot so we found a log in the shade and had a snack. At this point I was starting to notice that Larry was a little... off. He was moving a little slower than earlier and I asked him if he was doing ok and he said that it was just something he was going to have walk out. Not really sure what that meant, but we continued on. We came across all sorts of weird trees and displays on these trails - I especially liked this one:
I had to have my map out at this point because there were zero course markings when we got off the trail and into town. Not one!! I expected to be moving quickly here and I wasn't really sure where we were, but I hoped we would get close enough to a restaurant to get ice cream or something. At this point Larry had really slowed down and he was probably a block behind me on the street. I crossed the main street in town and while I was waiting for Larry I hear my name! Heather and Lora happened to be in town and saw where I was on the tracker and said hi! Such a fun surprise! They headed off and Larry and I continued trying to navigate through town. Larry decided that his pack had too much water and he wanted to try dumping some of it out, so we found a bench off the bike path. He still was moving pretty slow and at this point I sent Ben a text and mentioned that Larry was slowing me down. I asked what my options were - I knew I couldn't leave him on the trail, but wondered if in TOWN I could leave him and he could get picked up. In the meantime we are still trying to figure out where to go.
There was a little market/convenience store before we started to head up the road to the Ten Mile lot. While I was waiting to hear back from Ben we went in and got some drinks and pizza to snack on. Ben said he would come pick Larry up and that we just couldn't talk or have any contact with each other.
I had to then tell Larry that I was going to separate from him. I felt really bad for hurting his feelings and if this wouldn't have been a race I am sure everything would have been fine, but I was trying to get this done and I was really getting concerned about how much we had slowed down - especially since I really couldn't figure out what was wrong. I saw Ben's truck from across the lot and headed up the road.
CMC Breck to Finish! (Miles 182.2 to 200ish)
Got into the aid station right before dark and Kristin was there with Ben! She was in town for work and saw where I was on the tracker and came by the aid station to say hi.
I knew I needed a nap before I would be able to head out. Ben had everything set up outside the truck and the volunteers made me a delicious quesadilla with ground beef before I got in the truck. I think I asked for 45 minutes, maybe an hour. When Ben came back to wake me up I think I asked for a few minutes of snooze, but got up anyway. Since Ben was pacing from here we had a few things that needed to get done before we could head out - like get him ready and the truck loaded up since we would be leaving it there.
Kristin was still there when I woke up - partially because she had accidentally locked her keys in the car and also because she was planning with Ben on driving to the finish line with Tic Tac and then offered to drive us back to the truck after I finished.
I had a really delicious burger before Ben and I headed out. I could starve the rest of the race and that would be enough calories to keep going.
As we were heading out of the aid station we saw Kyle and Tia. Tia screams across the street "is that Rebecca? Ben gave me one of your walking tacos. It was delicious but I've been shitting all day." And Ben and I laughed, but he felt pretty bad about that.
Ben and I both overdressed on the walk out of town and by the time we started climbing we were both getting pretty warm. I am sure that I stopped pretty early on and took off my R2. Up, up, up. Supposedly this last section was just over 14 miles, and more than half of it was what we had just done a few weeks earlier with Christina. I had never gone up to the Miner's Creek connection a). in the dark or b). from the Breck side.
There were ZERO flags. NONE. We literally went miles and hours without seeing a single marker. Luckily we were both sort of familiar with where we were going, but this was annoying.
We were both getting really annoyed at the climbing and all the rocks. I was sure that we had hit the "parking lot" at the junction and seen the little water crossing where we had been a month earlier with Olive and yet seemingly the climb up was absolutely never-ending. When were we going to get out of the trees? Were we lost? Were we just not moving? What on earth was happening?
Then suddenly we were above tree line and we both stopped and said something like "well we are further than I thought." We had made it to the boulder field and we were getting much closer. There were no headlamps anywhere near me, but I knew anyone in front of me was probably hours away.
In the dark it was false summit after false summit after false summit. We were both OVER IT. Finally, we got to the saddle. Only to continue being mad at zero flags and all the scree at the top. Oh well, at this point I was almost done, but also NONE of this seemed familiar. I knew the top part was rocky but in my head it was a very short trek across the top and almost an immediate right turn down. We seemingly just kept going forever - did we miss this turn? Are we going to end up doing the Ten Mile Range? Where are we?
Then we finally start the turn but wow, it is sooo much steeper and more slick than I remember. Is this really the same trail we just did without poles and just walked down? I think our entire last two hours of the race was talking about how zero fo this was familiar and even though there was nowhere else to go that we were lost.
We could see the lights of Copper Mountain and what we thought was the finish line, although especially in the dark - where were we? Looking at my watch over the last section I definitely had a goal to see if I could get under 96 hours. And then suddenly there was the bike path and bridge!
I told Ben we didn't even need to run across the finish line. It was the middle of the night and no one but the photographer and Chase and Casey would be there anyway.
But we did it. We crossed the finish line. Years in the making, I finally fucking did it.
Official Time - 95:54:48
Overall Place - 17/27
Division Place - 4/10
Garmin Time - 95:54:50
Garmin Distance -
Garmin Pace - 28:34
Elevation Gain - 33,798'
Thoughts:
- I think I would rank this as one of the hardest 200s I have done - and I have now completed nearly a dozen different courses. The weather and high elevation is just something you really complicated to problem-solve.
- I don't think I would have been successful without Ben's help. I think one of the biggest challenges of this race is the lack of indoor spaces where you can dry off and get warm. Every year at this race there has been serious weather and I am one of those people that struggle when I get cold/wet, etc. Having a vehicle at the crew stations was SO helpful.
- I really think the combination of not drinking and having the inhaler has made all the difference in my running over the last year. The inhaler, whether or not I notice in day-to-day life, definitely saved me. While there were times I was struggling to breathe, I never got wheezy like I have every other year.
- The lack of markings this year was really challenging. I had the benefit of having done about 3/4 of the course so I knew where to go, but for people who didn't it was going to be a lot of looking at your map.
Gear:
- UltrAspire Traverse. I love/hate this pack. I like that it is big enough to hold all my things, but when it is full I don't think it sits comfortably on me. Becomes a bigger issue the first day when we have all the mountain/cold weather gear yet we are all running and don't "need" it because we are lower elevation and in town. Used two 800 ml flasks and also carried a 1L that I barely used with a water filter.
- Garmin Enduro 2, only charged at Duck when I was sleeping, Leki poles - didn't use until maybe 45 miles in and then on/off the rest of the race, Goodr sunglasses.
- Two pairs of shoes. Brand new pair of Topo Ultraventure 4 that I used for the first 80, then my Mount to Coast T1 that I wore until French Pass (160ish) and then then the last 14 miles back to my Ultraventures. So 100 or so miles on each pair. The T1 was quite the experiment since I think the longest I had previously worn was about 18 miles - but I thought the soles would be the best for the more technical/rocky sections.
- Clothing - Three rabbit sun hoodies and one Patagonia sun hoodie, 1 pair rabbit stash-hers, 3 pairs of CVG 5" shorts, REI rain pants, Patagonia Storm Racer jacket, Socks (mostly rabbit, but I think I had a pair of Balega and one pair of Stance), Topo gaiters and dirty girl gaiters, Three different hats, Bula fleece lined hat, stretchy cheap gloves since my good Smartwool stuff got too wet to use, Patagonia R1 (I used two different ones), Patagonia R2 and I think I used my Mountain Hardwear puffy for one partial segment (Lodgepole to French?) as well as the random rabbit hoodie and Patagonia R2 pants that I put in my Lodgepole drop bag to sleep in and then ended up having to wear since it was the only dry stuff I had.
- Kogalla and Skullcandy batteries with my UltrAspire waistbelt, Petzel headlmap
- Nutrition - LMNT Raspberry, pistachios, trail mix, lots of Hi Chew, nerd clusters, apple sauce, Snickers and whatever else I could get my hands on. I had a 1-quart plastic bag of food that I carried in every segment.
- Salty Britches for lube, one reapplication about 2/3 of the way through. Initially foot lube was Squirrels Nut Butter and then just cleaned my feet when changing socks. Zero blisters, again!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I adore comments and I read every single one. Thanks for reading :)