Monday, May 31, 2010

A windy Rocky Mountain Double Marathon





Number 61. Ironically, that was both my bib number and my 61st race of 50 miles. (actually this race is 52.6). I was hoping for a PR, but with a bad stomach after accidentally drinking gatorade at mile 22, lasting for almost the entire remainder of the race, and with no crew except for the last 13 miles, and a strong headwind on many of the sections, it just didn't come together. I did manage to take 2nd place female though. Not bad for having run another 50 miler in Bishop CA just two weeks ago.

This was my fifth time running this course, and it never gets any easier. The scenery is beautiful though, and I even got to see a young moose run across the race course. But with wind and long climbs, this can be a challenging race, not to mention the loneliness. I saw a total of three people, only so briefly, for about 20 miles. Rude ATV drivers made parts of this race aggravating too. It is sad to see what ATV's are doing to so many wildlife areas across the country. From the looks of many of the riders, I think perhaps they should have been out running too.

Still, despite the difficulties I encountered during the race, I am still grateful for every footstep, no matter how lonely it is.

1 comment:

JeffO said...

God only made one thing on this earth more ridiculous-looking than a moose. God was so embarrassed at the outcome, he hid it between man's legs.