I drove over after work and made it to
Steamboat Springs just after 6:00 pm. I got my bib, ate dinner, and found a
great place to camp out. It was dark and quite; I slept like a baby. Race
morning: I woke up at 4:50… just over an hour later I was on the starting line.
The air was brisk and people talked in
hushed tones not willing to break the tranquil morning. The race started up the
ski slope running on trails or roads. I maintained a quick pace and as expected
no one was willing to stay with me. It was dark and beautiful, I even saw 2
sets of eerie ghastly green eyes staring at me. They turned out to be of a mama
moose and her baby. As I gained ground it was as if I was coming out of the depths
of the earth. 2,000 feet below I could see motionless fog stuck to the ground
like patches of milk splattered by the farmer when milking. The air got colder
as I ascended from 6,700 feet up to over 10,000 feet. I finally crested Mt.
Warner and the ski slopes and ran into the first aid station at 1:07 into the
race. I figured I had a respectable 3-4 minute lead on 2nd place.
At last the course changed from the continuously
uphill steep dirt road to lightly angulating smooth single track. I ran along
hoping to hit the half way in about 3:30. If felt comfortable and ran
consistently with no sign of any other runners. I hoped I was increasing my
lead. I ran into the last aid station. I was excited and ready to turn and
retrace my steps, however I was informed I had to run 3 more miles uphill to
Rabbit Ears before I could turn around. This was deflating. I was feeling ok
but ready to turn. This was a disadvantage to not knowing the course. I ran up
to the turnaround arriving at 3:58, and timed myself back to my competitors. I
had a 4, 6, and 10 minute lead back to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
places. Not very much, especially when I was 4 hours into the race and only
halfway. I was feeling energy deprived and unsure what to do. I had been eating
and drinking consistently… what was I lacking. At the next aid station I got
some coke and this did the trick. I just needed some extra sugar.
With the elixir of life running through
my veins, I was ready to race again. I kept my pace up and made it back to the
top of Mt. Warner and raced down in 42 minutes winning in a total time of 7:43.
Notes: This marked my 1st 50
mile win (I’ve been 2nd 4 times).
8th win for the year. A new record for me. A week
off and then the Flagstaff Sky running Championships. It will be fun!!!
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