Sheep Mountain 50 Mile (Race Recap)

Fairplay, CO

Saturday, July 11

Ultra Marathon #14

Weather - Chilly at start, perfect

 

So the journey began immediately after I got off work on Friday. Since I have apparently lost the ability to read things when I signed up, I had missed that there was a mandatory meeting the night before, at 7:00 pm. So I had initially thought I would maybe just drive up in the morning for the race, but now I was scrambling to find somewhere to stay for the night since it's a two hour drive.

 

Elizabeth suggested I try Airbnb for an inexpensive place since I literally just needed a bed. I reserved a place that was only about 5 minutes from the start line, so it worked out nicely.

 

Anyway, traffic was wretched and it took over two hours to get there and I arrived late at the meeting. I picked up my packet, ate some pasta, and then headed to my Airbnb. I was in bed by 8:45, but I did not sleep well.

 

Race Day

 

Up VERY early. I was up before 5, long enough to get dressed and head to the start area. I had forgotten my wall charger for my phone so I wanted to sit in my car for a bit to get it as close to fully charged as possible. It was in the upper 30's, and I was wearing a long sleeve YMX top (like I did in Utah) under my Runner's Roost singlet and then had my long sleeve 1/4 zip on over that. I knew I would get warm quick, but considering that if everything went well I would be out in the dark I figured it was best if I had the long sleeve just in case.

 

Headed over to the start line at about 5:30. Checked in and then cycled through the bathroom line about 3 times. My stomach felt off. I talked to a few teammates and then at 6 we were off...

Race director is a sadist... check out the hill right at the start!

Since I was obviously undertrained not trained at all for this nonsense the plan was to just keep moving. I mean, it was "only" 50 miles.

 

Walked up the hill and then we were on dirt roads until the first aid station. It was a gradual uphill and I settled into where I would be the entire race - the very very back. I was tired, my stomach was angry and this felt exceptionally hard. There were a few downhill sections and for a while there were actually two people behind me. I had to stop around mile 6 off the side of the trail to "do my business" but then I felt a tad better.

 

 

At the first aid station I took a shot of whiskey. Which is crazy because the very thought of whiskey gives me instant gag reflex.

 

There was about another mile on the road, and then we crossed and finally were headed onto the trail. I was excited for this part!

 

 

 

 

This section was pretty runnable. I ran into Sherpa John (the race director) in this section and he asked me if I was having fun. I said yes!! He warned me the "rock garden" was ahead... what does that mean?

 



 

Oh. Rocks. Forever. So this part was NOT my favorite. This is also when the climbing started. There were sections that were REALLY pretty. That did not change the fact that I was quickly dying. The climb and the altitude were getting to me and I was taking frequent breaks. I got passed by the only two people behind me on the first climb.

 

Once I actually got to the barren top of Sheep Mountain I was really having a hard time. I would guess that I was by now about a quarter mile behind the people who had passed me only a half mile or so earlier. I took a quick selfie...

And then trudged on. Through more rocks. It seemed like it was NEVER going to end. Climb and false summit, and then climb again. I was checking my watch and it seemed like we had gained close to 3000 feet, most of that being after the first aid station.



 

Then FINALLY it seemed I had made it to the high point. There was some downhill but it was a bit technical and I certainly wasn't blazing down the hill. Got to the next aid station. Took another shot of whiskey. This time it was cinnamon flavored so it wasn't as terrible.



This section of the course was really pretty. And where the first of the water crossings were.



Thankfully, the course was very well marked as we were running through a field. The picture below shows a fairly well-defined trail, but not all sections were so clear. There were a TON of wildflowers, and I'm bummed that they don't really show up well in my photos.

 

 

 

Around mile 20 I ran into a guy who said he had gotten lost. I stupidly didn't look around and took his word for where NOT to go and ended up going about a half mile out of my way. The distance wasn't the worst part, it was the time trying to get enough phone service to get on the internet to look at the race manual. Womp. By this point I was already thinking it was going to be very tough to hit the time limit. We stuck together only for about 15 minutes. He hung back and I headed into where the next aid station should be and I never saw him again.



 

I was pretty tired and hungry when I got to this aid station, but there wasn't a great selection of food. I was pretty happy to hear that the next section was only about 4 miles and it was all downhill on paved road. I actually did pretty decent on this section and I thought I was doing well and making up some time. Thanks to 1). the course measuring long and 2). me getting off course a bit, my watch measured close to 27 miles by the time I got to the next aid station. Somehow I had it in my head that the course only had 7,000 feet of climbing, and by now I had done about 4500. So I was thinking... if this measures close to 52 miles (which is what the manual said the true distance was), I thought I *might* be able to get it done under the time limit if I had already done 2/3 of the climbing.



I grabbed an ice cream bar from the aid station, but my stomach did NOT like that so I ended up barely having any.

 

And by the way, I was completely WRONG about the climbing. The next section was called Breakneck Pass. PASS. So just by the name alone I should have realized that there was a lot of climbing. This section was even worst for me than the climb up Sheep Mountain. I had not seen anyone in hours on the course and I knew I was completely alone and that I was probably dead last. At the aid station they told me it was about 6 miles to the aid station, which the manual had at 32.75 miles.

 

I took about a thousand breaks (but no pictures) on this climbing section. At the pace I was moving and when I realized the course had 9,000 feet of climbing and that after I was done with THIS section that I would still have 3,000 (give or take) left to climb, I knew I was dropping. There was no way that I was going to be able to move fast enough.

 

I saw a volunteer on the side when my watch was about 33 miles and I almost lost my mind when he said it was still a mile to the aid station. AND THEN I found out that I "could" drop but the aid station was ATV access only so it would be a while, OR I could walk (downhill) to the next aid station 3+ miles away.

 

He said there would be beer (!!!) at the aid station and I could decide then. He told me I was, in fact, the last runner (others had already dropped), and he and another volunteer were walking with me and taking down the course markings.

 

Finally got to the aid station (34.3 on my watch) - and I did, indeed, get the promised beer. (And a damn good beer too!)

 

Minutes after arriving the wind picked up and it started pouring rain and hailing. So I clearly stopped at a good time. I was starting to get cold after I stopped moving and these amazing volunteers got me food and a poncho to stay warm. By the time the storm stopped, the ATV's had not yet left. I decided to walk down with another volunteer. Once I got to the next aid station, I was driven to the start/finish area and arrived sometime close to 7:30. HOURS after I had stopped.

I got a veggie burger and a beer and found out I had also won a $50 gift certificate to Runner's Roost! So, all was not lost.

I stayed around for a bit to eat and chat, and then started the drive back, not getting home until close to 10:00 pm.

Garmin Time - 10:57:13
Garmin Distance - 34.35 miles
Miles 1-5 - 13:24, 13:55, 12:47, 12:49, 14:54
Miles 6-10 - 17:00, 14:45, 16:57, 19:14, 26:02
Miles 11-15 - 34:45, 28:32, 18:06, 19:15, 15:38
Miles 16-20 - 17:07, 18:39, 15:00, 16:53, 18:13
Miles 21-25 - 21:54, 18:32, 17:32, 20:32, 15:02
Miles 26-30 - 13:26, 14:26, 19:51, 21:31, 34:42
Miles 31-34.35 - 24:07, 20:11, 22:45, 20:43, 23:22

Thoughts

• Holy moly, this was way harder than I expected. I was thinking, it's "only" 50 miles, and maybe that was part of my mistake. Clearly I need to work on hills as a 30+ minute mile is not great or competitive.
• The aid stations were pretty good, but at the later ones a bit more substantial "food" would have been nice. I normally don't have issues with sugar and candy, but I really wanted something... else I guess.
• The whiskey was a nice touch. But gross. I did appreciate the beer at the aid station I dropped at though!
• The race director advertises as a 50 mile, but then in the manual it says 52 miles. People that finished had it closer to 55 miles. That's a big difference. I don't think it would have affected how I approached the race, but still.
• An unbelievably beautiful course. And very well marked. Just too challenging for me in my current state.

Desert RATS Stage Race, Day 1 (Race Recap)

Sunday

 

I had to be in Moab by 6:00 pm to pick up my packet. My dad was planning on volunteering at the race for the first three days, so we were taking separate cars. I had a few hours with A before dropping her off with my mom around 10:45 am. I met up with my dad in Dillon for lunch at the Smiling Moose. Drive was mostly uneventful with very little traffic and some rain near Vail.

 

I arrived at the Gonzo Inn for packet pick up around 5. Showed the staff all my required emergency equipment, spoke briefly with the doctors and picked up my bib and "journal." My dad showed up right as I was finishing up and we went to the Moab Brewery for burgers and a beer. My dad was attending the volunteer meeting at 6:30 and my pre-race meeting was at 7:30.We had a LOT of information to absorb - mostly from the medical staff. Bed around 9:30.

 

Monday, Day 1

 

We were staying at the Super 8 down the street and had a quick breakfast before meeting up at the Gonzo Inn at 7:30 am to load up the trucks. Shuttles to the start line near Loma, Colorado left the hotel around 8:00. It was a nervous ride out that took close to 2 hours. I sat next to a woman, Becky, who WON the Trans Rockies stage race, and she brushed it off like it was no big deal. Um, yes it is!!!

 

We arrived at the start line just before 10:00 am. It was already pretty warm. We took a few pictures and then after a few words from the race director, we were off. I spent the first six or so miles running with Cindy. The first miles were roughly on the course that we ran in April at the Trail Running Festival (only in reverse). We were told to use our daily course maps and journals to avoid making any wrong turns. We nearly made a wrong turn fairly early on, but luckily I double checked my map and crisis was averted.



Me and Cindy



After the first aid station around mile 6 Cindy started to hang back a bit and I figured I should run as long as I was feeling ok so I pulled ahead a bit. We almost missed another turn and were saved by Gene who was using the GPS Gaia app. (Looking back, this may have been worth the $20 investment).

 

I was doing mostly ok - running the flats and downhills and hiking the climbs. The heat was actually not bothering me too much. If I had to guess, we maybe hit high temperatures in the upper 80's or low 90's.

 

The views were amazing. There were some switchbacks around mile 11 that took us all the way down to a bridge... and then we had to climb back up. By this time it was FREAKING HOT and I was struggling to get air on the climb. I felt like I was working crazy hard, it was hot and I was tired. After many false summits, I arrived at the top with Sheri in front of me and Cindy and Trish somewhere behind me. I was super happy to see the second aid station around mile 13. We moved off trails and onto a gravel road. There was a lot of downhill and flats and I didn't find this section too awful.

 

And then I made a STUPID rookie mistake. I was assuming that we were running about 20 miles. Somewhere around mile 18 I could see the flag for camp. I turned to the left as it looked like that was where the trail marking was pointing. After about a half mile I was starting to wonder if I had gone the right way. I could see the flag to my right and the road I was on was kind of winding away from it. when I realized the road was NOT going to connect on that end I realized that I should not have turned off the main road. D'oh! I called the race director to confirm that I was NOT on the correct path and then headed back. I still made it into camp with almost an hour to spare before the cut off but I was pretty annoyed that I had made the wrong turn about a quarter of a mile from the finish and logged over 2 extra miles.

Garmin Time - 6:02:21

Garmin Distance - 21.20 miles

Elevation Gain - 2,175 feet

Mile 1 - 14:46

Mile 2 - 15:28

Mile 3 - 12:48

Mile 4 - 16:38

Mile 5 - 14:46

Mile 6 - 20:59

Mile 7 - 16:00

Mile 8 - 19:21

Mile 9 - 17:15

Mile 10 - 15:43

Mile 11 - 17:26

Mile 12 - 19:03

Mile 13 - 25:30 (the hill that almost killed me)

Mile 14 - 19:47

Mile 15 - 16:46

Mile 16 - 17:33

Mile 17 - 15:42

Mile 18 - 15:37

Mile 19 - 15:13

Mile 20 - 17:30

Mile 21 - 14:57

Mile 22 - 17:28

 

Turns out, I wasn't the only one who got lost. I think close to half the people were "lost" at some point during the day. Lucky for me, it didn't cause me to miss a cutoff. For our two international racers though, it did. Leira (from Spain) and Jim from Canada made a wrong turn very early on and ended up doing MILES AND MILES extra. They both missed the cutoff for the day and would not be official finishers for the event even if they were to complete the entire distance.

 

The confusing nature of the trail markings and people getting lost and making wrong turns sort of set the race off on a sour note. We were told during our nightly meeting that we were all responsible for paying attention and following the markings and that no exceptions would be made for missing cut off times. Ok then.

 

The volunteers set up the tents for us and we got all our things ready for the next day. I did not have a sleeping pad as I didn't have room in my bag and did NOT have a good nights sleep. I had ended up in the middle of the tent and being a light sleeper I woke up every time someone got up to use the bathroom. Every rock in the desert was jabbing into my back. And THEN there was a freak storm. Around 4 in the morning there was a thunder/lightning storm and RAIN (which caused the tent to leak as we had not put up the rain flaps). Going into day 2 I was NOT going to be well rested.

Skirt Sports 5k (Race Recap)

Sunday, June 14

Louisville, CO

Weather - sunny

 

A and I registered for the Skirt Sports 5k when we got an awesome deal. It was only $50 for both of us AND I got a gift certificate to use on Skirt Sports apparel (I was able to get TWO skirts so I'm not sure how this race is even profitable for them...)

 

The 5k started about 30 minutes after the half marathon, but we still had to be up early to drive to Louisville and pick up our bibs. Pick up was fast and easy and the bathroom lines were short. Spent some time before the race chatting with Maureen, a fellow Runners Roost teammate.

 

The race started a few minutes late to allow for people in the bathroom line to start on time. I had every intention of running "easy" since this was just a shake out run before heading to Utah. A and I lined up towards the back and we ran the first mile together. I was not feeling it. My legs were tired and I was trying to take it easy. After the first water station (at mile one), A took off up the hill (and it is a decent size hill, a few hundred feet of gain). She made it look SO.EASY.

 

Happy and fast!

GORGEOUS view of the foothills

I could not even pretend to catch up to her. I was even sort of struggling on the downhills. A friend of mine was running up the hill on my way down and she yelled "she's killing you!" It's true. She was. I took another long walk break when I got back to the aid station. I had her in my sights and she kept stopping and turning around to look for me, wondering why I was so far behind her. (Because I'm old and slow, that's why!)

 

She ran it in to the finish, passing a few people on the way. I came in about 30 seconds behind her.

 



My stats

Garmin time - 33:57 (A ran a PR of 33:29)

Garmin distance - 3.10 miles

Garmin pace - 10:58

Mile 1 - 11:07

Mile 2 - 11:18

Mile 3 - 10:39

Mile 3.1 - 9:10

 

They had CAKE at the finish line. A said her stomach was kind of hurting so she didn't have any, but I had a delicious slice of red velvet cake. We stuck around for awards just in case she placed... and she did! She ended up with first place in her age group (and there were at least two other kids in the under 10 division). So proud of her and she was SO happy with this certificate.

 



Thoughts

• I didn't especially like the half marathon course when I ran it a few years ago. The 5k was pretty fun, and since it was so inexpensive I would possibly run it again. (They also have a 10k).
• The post-race food was pretty great. They had Evol burritos, cake and the best chocolate milk ever (well, according to A, I am not much of a milk drinker).
• The gift certificate incentive was pretty great - made the deal even sweeter.

Desert RATS Trailrunning Festival Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, April 19

Fruita, CO

Half Marathon #129

Colorado Half #62

Weather - Chilly at start, then perfect. Sunny.

The Trailrunning Festival is put on by Gemini Adventures, the same group that puts on the race that I do in Moab, as well as the Boulder 100 that I ran in 2013. I was pretty excited for this race since TRAIL RUNNING IS MY FAVORITE!!

Fruita, in good weather, is 3.5 hours from Denver, so we planned on spending the night there - especially with the race starting at 7 am. We had plans of leaving Denver around lunch due to the sketchy snow/rain that we had been having the last few days. We didn't end up actually leaving until 3:30 on Saturday. It did snow most of the way, but with warmer temperatures the roads were actually pretty decent.

We stopped for dinner in Glenwood Springs just after 6 and arrive at our hotel in Grand Junction just before 9 pm. I bet I was asleep by 9:30. Doing nothing but sitting in the car sure is exhausting.

Wake up was at 5:30 since we still had a 20 mile drive to the start and parking at the start would be limited. We ended up with one of the last "close" parking spaces. Plenty of time to pick up our bibs and packets and use the bathroom twice. About 3 minutes before the start I realized I hadn't put on sunscreen so I ran back to the car to do that. I had planned to use my Orange Mud vest, but it's kind of a pain to take long sleeves off and take the vest off so I just planned on carrying a water bottle. I was too wimpy to start the race without long sleeves.

I started in the back - and the first mile I was COLD. We started the course on a fairly wide dirt road. It was a bit rutted from tire tracks, but not too bad. The first gradual hill was maybe 3/4 of a mile in.

We turned off the road onto some lovely single track. I was already starting to get warm, only 15-20 minutes into the race, so I already took off my long sleeve shirt. The views out here are AMAZING - I love western Colorado SO MUCH. I was happy to have some downhill so I could cruise by some of the slower and more cautious runners, although I kept stopping to take pictures. We had the first aid station about 1.5 miles in, but I didn't stop since it was flat/downhill and I was feeling ok.

You can see runners behind me on the course along the ridge

And then the climbing began.... We had a decent hike around mile 3 or so up to the next aid station. I briefly stopped but still did not grab anything. It was decently flat until we hit maybe mile 6. A slight climb and then some AWESOME downhill again - I was able to pass a few more people. I could see the next aid station - around mile 7. I stopped and grabbed a cup of coke and filled up my water bottle about 2/3 of the way. (In retrospect, had I known this was the last aid station I would have filled it up all the way). It was starting to get warm and I knew from what L had told me that this would be the most challenging part of the course. Shortly after starting the major climbs of the course (which I believe were mostly between miles 7 and 10), I ate my Honey Stinger waffle (if you have not tried these yet, you should). I got passed by a few gals on the climbs. Whatever goes up, must come down...

The climbing was pretty steep and I had a rough few miles although it was not as bad as I think I anticipated.

The view at the top though?? SO WORTH IT. I could pretty much see forever.

Then - some more downhill, which I was cruising down. I passed the two gals that I had been back and forth with, and then two more on the steeper downhill. According to the course details, the course was actually 13.8 miles long, so when I got to the bottom around mile 10.8, I was thinking that there would be another aid station - and there wasn't. I was getting hot and my water was pretty much gone. We were back on the dirt road, and I was looking at my watch thinking we were going to have to veer off somewhere if we were going to be running as far as I thought. Around mile 11.5 I could actually see the finish/start area, so I pushed it in. The course actually measures 12.7 miles for me - although I'm sure it was the correct length - don't always get the best GPS reading out here in the desert.

Official Time - 2:55:42 (no chip timing)

Overall Place - 145/167

Gender Place - 85/100

Division Place - 31/31

Garmin Time - 2:55:18

Mile 1 - 11:47

Mile 2 - 12:25

Mile 3 - 12:34

Mile 4 - 15:24

Mile 5 - 11:57

Mile 6 - 13:55

Mile 7 - 11:27

Mile 8 - 18:23

Mile 9 - 17:09

Mile 10 - 16:30

Mile 11 - 13:44

Mile 12 - 12:26

Mile 12.7ish - 10:24

Thoughts:

• I love trail running so so so so much. I really liked this race.
• The course was very well marked, I was alone quite a bit and never felt like I might get lost. However, there were a few areas, especially on the climbs, where I had to stop for a minute and look around to be sure I was going the right way.
• The aid stations were well stocked with food and snacks, water and Heed. And soda at the last one. One suggestion would be a clearer description of where the aid stations were located on the half marathon course - again, I almost ran out of water because there were three aid stations in the first 7 miles and then nothing until the finish - a bit rough since the toughest part of the course was miles 7-10.
• I didn't expect a medal at the finish, so it was nice to get the dog tag finisher award.
• BEST FOOD AT THE FINISH EVER. I always love the grilled cheese in Moab and I was ecstatic to see them being made at the finish line. YUM.
• Love the race shirt!

• Definitely recommend this race - already thinking about coming back for the marathon next year!

Autumn Color Run (Race Recap)

Saturday, September 20
Buena Vista, CO
Half Marathon #117
Colorado Half #53
Weather - ALL OF THE SUN

I was really looking forward to a fast, pretty and "cooler" fall-ish race. 1 out of 3?

I left work at 2:45 so that we could make the drive to Buena Vista without driving in the dark. Most of the drive is on a two-lane road and we still ended up hitting substantial amounts of traffic. It took much longer to get there than we would have liked. There was no way we were going to have enough time to pick up our packets, as that was only open until 5:00 pm.We didn't arrive until close to 7. L had suggested that we eat at the Eddyline Brewery - and I certainly wasn't going to object. As is our luck, the line was OUT THE DOOR, but there was nowhere else to really go. They were serving drinks if you were waiting in the lobby, so I got the Pumpkin Patch beer that was on tap - pretty good, and it saved me from getting really hangry. The wait for the food was long, but not unreasonable considering how busy they were. We got side salads and split a small pizza. I had a second beer. All in all, food is good, but they are severely understaffed.

We still had about a 25 minute drive to our hotel in Salida (a LOT cheaper than staying in Buena Vista). We got to the hotel around 9:00, and went right to bed.

Race Day

Already irritated with a 9 am start. WHY SO LATE??? The shuttle buses to the start were to leave at 8:15, so we figured with only about 250 runners, allowing 30 minutes to park and pick up our stuff would be PLENTY of time. Turns out, no.

First issue. This race doesn't sell "registrations" - they sell "tickets" - like a concert ticket. They want you to print out said ticket, print out and fill out a waiver and have all that ready when you pick up your bib. It's 2014. Why on earth are we duplicating everything? Why isn't all the information I entered online still there? So they DID require you to have all this, yet most people didn't. So all the people waiting in line are filling this out when they get to the front. They have the half marathon pick up divided into two lines. A-J and everyone else. Everyone but L seemed to be in the second half. And the volunteer for the A-J people couldn't seem to assist. With only about a half dozen people in front of me, it took almost 20 minutes to get my bib.

Went through the bathroom line and then we had to run back to the car to get our stuff and get back to the buses. We had 7 minutes to do that. We were parked over a quarter mile away, so we had to book it...

Get to the bus with 2 minutes to spare. And then we sit. And sit. And sit. And sit. And sit. The buses didn't leave until after 8:30. We had to drive out of town, up into the hills on a dirt road. Did you know that school buses don't go especially fast? We arrive at 9:01. Remember that the race was supposed to start at 9?

So there are only 2 bathrooms at the start, but I really have to pee, and bouncing up and down for 30 minutes only made it worse. There is no signage where the start is. There is no one telling us when the race is going to start, because obviously it is going to start late.

Pretty view in line for the bathroom

There are a lot of people in front of us and behind us as well. The buses have started to turn around but most have not left yet. We know we are going to be running down the road we just came in on, but don't know how far down. We start walking to the start, about 9:10.

A woman yells - they are getting ready to start. Uh. That's nice. WHERE? WHEN? We see a guy with a camera. "IS THIS THE START??" Apparently. No start line. Great. The race is not chip timed, we have no idea how long people have been running. I am trying to take it easy, I am feeling rushed, and it is already so hot and sunny. The views were amazing though, so I took quite a few pictures.

I got through the first mile feeling mostly ok. But it was ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE (literally?) I was thinking that I might have a decent race. Mostly downhill. However, I did NOT count on the extra late start and the fact that it was the sunniest ever ever ever. My legs started cramping very early on, so I had a very rough second mile. Happy I got this shot of Cottonwood Lake:

The road was not closed to traffic, and it was pretty wide so there wasn't really a safety issue with cars. However, a lot of dirt got kicked up, which wasn't fun. The road was also extremely grooved and rutted. It felt a lot like downhill skiing over moguls. Not fun.

The couple miles until the first aid station went mostly ok. I passed a few people on the downhill. Aid station around mile 4. TINIEST CUPS EVER. 2 oz cups? Maybe??? There were no gels, but I think there were cut up bananas and oranges. I took a miniature cup of water and kept going. Shortly after the aid station we had a few decent uphills. Walked a bit, but still managed a decent pace with the accompanying downhill. Around mile 6 is when we came out of the semi-shaded hills. AND IT WAS THE HOTTEST AND SUNNIEST EVER. We moved briefly onto the main road. NOT closed to traffic and a super tiny bike lane. I ran ok until the next aid station around mile 7 or 7.5. And then I pretty much died. We ran a loop on a country dirt road for about 3 miles. It was hot. It was exposed. It was supposedly downhill-ish, but my legs were TRASHED. Everyone near me was complaining about the heat and the altitude (apparently the city of Buena Vista is about 8,000' and we started closer to 9,500').

I just wanted to be done. I walked SO SO SO much. It helped for a bit, then I would try to run and I would only be able to manage a few minutes before my legs wanted to quit. The views were still nice, even once we were out of the hills.

Last aid station was about mile 10.5. The last 3 miles was ALL on the main road. Which I really hated. Again, a super narrow bike path and open to traffic. It was hard to pass (I somehow actually DID pass a few people).

The race counted down miles left, which I found annoying. I knew I was close to town and thought I could run it in strong. Nope. I was walking with less than a quarter mile to go. There were TONS of people hanging out in the park by the finish and it was crowded and all of a sudden I had a volunteer grab my arm and yell about needing the tag of the bottom of my bib. There was no actual finish line, and I hadn't even STOPPED MOVING. I snapped back that he needed to wait a second. It was for real the most angry I have ever been at a finish line. If you don't want an actual finish line, THAT IS FINE. But wait until someone has stopped MOVING before you assault them. A kid tossed my medal at me and I moved off to find L.

Found L and a friend we met at Runapalooza (David? I am so bad with names). Grabbed a quick treat from the finish area and agreed that we would eat at the brewery in town again before heading back home.

Bib Number - 262
Official Time - 2:17:11 (Not sure how this is faster than my Garmin time since we missed the start it should be at least a few minutes slower?)
Overall Place - 184/263
Gender Place - 124/190
Division Place - 46/66
Garmin Time - 2:18:01
Mile 1- 9:58
Mile 2 - 11:57
Mile 3 - 9:03
Mile 4 - 9:24
Mile 5 - 10:09
Mile 6 - 9:53
Mile 7 - 9:42
Mile 8 - 12:00
Mile 9 - 10:34
Mile 10 - 11:10
Mile 11 - 11:28
Mile 12 - 11:22
Mile 13 - 11:13
Mile 13xx - 9:20

Thoughts:

• WTF. So complicated and disorganized. How on earth this race has been put on for 30 years is beyond me. The tickets. The waivers. The shuttle bus fiasco. Bathroom shortages (NONE on course either).
• Aid stations - Volunteers seemed friendly enough. Small cups = stupid, especially when there are only THREE aid stations. Bring your own nutrition, no  gels on course either.
• So glad I had my Orange Mud vest. I would have perished without my liquids. Only 3 aid stations with it starting that late and being so not. NO!
• Holy crap with the late start. So hot and sunny. Should have started NO LATER than 7:30 (I would prefer just after sunrise, but that's just me). Running on hot asphalt with NO shade after 11 in the morning is lunacy.
• The finish line was so crowded and a complete cluster. I did NOT like being grabbed, I did NOT like being rushed. I don't understand why that was so disorganized as well.
• The course itself was nice, but at least part of the road should have been blocked off, with at least safety cones or SOMETHING. Some of those vehicles got pretty darn close.
• The shirt looks like it might be nice (soft cottony-y, not like a tech tee), although I have not worn it.
• IMO - not worth it. While I LOVED the scenery, I was so irritated with the other aspects of the race that I just did not have a good time. I will not run this event again.
• L, however, ran a faux PR!!