Philippians 4:13

Day 2 of the Grand Teton Ultra relay.  By now we are getting behind the first place 12 person team but we are in race with the other top Ultra team and we keep leapfrogging back and forth with them, nice to have the friendly competition.

Leg 19: 5.1 miles in 35:23

At this transition area we meet up with the other Tough As Nails team (12 person, started at 8am).   I take off from the city of Tetonia for a longer dark leg starting on pavement but then mostly on gravel roads.  Another rolling leg with a net increase in elevation that I knew I was going to run easy to keep the legs there for the next couple of runs.  I catch the other teams runner about 3.5 miles in and say hi and keep moving.  Lots of encouragement from the other support vans out on the leg.  We have passed through the legs were all the teams and getting congested (start around leg 11 and through this transition and then into the next few).  Fun run but now very tired and jump in the back to get some sleep.  I have some good rest through this whole set of legs up to my next run at leg 25.   We stay in the waiting area at the base of the Grand Targhee leg and make it to the top where I will run down just after Dean finishes, he ran awesom up this big hill!

Leg 25: 3.8 miles in 23:20

Faster leg down the hill from the ski resort in the dark.  Barely woke up from a bit of a nap before heading up the hill to the transition.  I didn't have time to take a pit stop so about the 1 mile mark I have to hit the bushes.  I ran this well but fairly easy as that is about all I had in my legs and just cruising...should have run faster but that was about it.  Feeling good but tired and wanting some really food!

Leg 31: 5.75 miles 40:44

Take off from Victor city park for the run to the base of Teton Pass.  Nice morning to run but this is a good uphill run and into a head wind for the first half or more of the leg.  We are still ahead of the other Ultra team and start off at 7:20ish (so we did not have to wait in Victor to start at 7am, the first 12 person team was held up for a while).  Ran the best I could and felt like I did ok but wish I could have had a bit more.  I misread the map and thought this was a 5.1 mile leg not 5.7 so I was getting a bit frustrated coming into the transition but pushed hard to pass a few runners after 5 miles.  Hope to give Matt and Dave a bit of a cushion on the other Ultra team as there strongest runner was running next.

Hats off to Matt and Dave for running up the pass legs...they did great!

Craig killed it on the 5.5 mile (2500 foot drop) leg down the pass and for catching and dropping the other Ultra team...you are an animal!  Sorry about the fiasco at the end but you ran great.

I ended up running a mile in my sandals trying to catch up to Craig and another runner when they missed the marker for a turn...never caught them but they came back around a different route to the transtion area.

Rex and Dean opened up the lead over the ultra team in the last 2 legs into Teton Village and helped us crush our finishing goal as we finished in 23:06 (about a 7:45 average pace for the 6 of us) and a new CR for 6 person teams!  A great time with great guys!  Stayed around a while to catch up with Delynn, say hi to our competition (good folks, the other ultra team was a bit pissed that we beat them though).  We were going to wait for our other team but we were starving and ready to start home.  Stopped and ate at McPhail's in Jackson before the 2.5 hour trip home.

I would do this again...as an Ultra team.  Fun time and glad I ran it.