Ultramarathon number 2!! This race was honestly harder than I thought it would be, but I loved it just the same. The course was set up where it had kind of this central aide station, and then loops that would go out from it. I started out pretty conservative, and just kept a good pace throughout. The hardest parts of the race was the last loop, the red loop, which was the longest, at just over 10 miles. There was a long stretch of uphill, which was very tiring, but I did catch quite a few people on it. The very hardest part though was the last 6-7 miles from the aide station, along the outskirts of town and to the finish line. When I got to the aide station, my parents were there, and told me that there were two people ahead of me that I could probably catch. I was feeling pretty good mentally, knowing there was just a few miles left, and sped through the aid station and out after those people. I caught them both within about 1.5 miles, but from there, it was an absolute mental battle to the finish. The last few miles were along this ridge, and just a slow uphill in the heat. It seemed like the end would never come, but it did, and it felt so good to finish, and eat some bean and cheese quesadillas! I was truly surprised to find out I came in third place overall, so that was kinda fun to know. I think I have the potential to do better in the future! I was most proud though of Sam. He powered through that with sheer mental tenacity, and it was just epic to watch. What a freaking animal.
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