Wednesday, February 2, 2011

It H.U.R.T.... a lot!

H.U.R.T. 100, January 15/16, 2011
Course Map and Elevation Profile


All I can say is... it was beautiful, amazing and brutal! It kicked my butt. Kristen did a great job crewing and pacing but I was woefully unprepared for the tree roots, mud, rocks, tree roots, mud, rocks, tree roots.... you get the picture. My quads were shot from constantly stepping over roots and trying not to fall flat on my bum. During the night, I hallucinated bears (tree stumps) and a beautiful African-American girl with braids in her hair about to jump off a cliff. Imagine the surprise of the runner in front of me when I ran down the trail screaming "Don't do it. Don't jump". Ah, the joys of ultras.

I managed 100K in 31:14. Admittedly, once I realized no way I was going to finish 100 mile, I relaxed and slowed down to enjoy the scenery, not realizing there was still a cut off for the 100K. Kristen cam tearing up the trail in Crocs to get me into the aid station before 32 hours.

Will I go back? Absolutely. This race will not defeat me again. I will train harder, smarter, be better equipped and win the rematch.

Deep in the forest