I love racing, even though this was a tough one for me. I had signed up for the 50k, but ended up doing the 25k. On Friday afternoon I met my friend Davy Crockett on Antlope Island. He planned to run 100 miles, doing the 50 mile Buffalo Run course twice. At 6:00pm he started his run. I crewed for him throughout the night, providing a mobile aid station every 3-5 miles. It was a clear, beautiful, but cold and windy night. He finished the first 50 miles a couple of minutes short of 10 hours (4:00am), after a couple of minutes he started runnng the second 50. I got in my car and slept until just before the start of the 50 mile race at 6:00am then prepared for my race. We started at 8:00am. I was tired, but the first 10 miles felt good. My quads then started cramping. At the Elephant Head aid station I took some s caps, ate and hydrated. A couple miles later my quads and calves severly cramped. I had to stop and rub them out. After that, I couldn't maintain any speed. Even through this I was loving the race. Special thanks to Jon Allen for encouraging me during and after the race. I made it to the finish line and was treated to Jim Skagg's (race director) buffalo stew. I enjoyed talking to new and old friends. Davy finished his 100 mile adventure a bit over 22 hours. Though nobody else attempted the 100 mile distance, Davy said it was great to come in first and set the course record. Great start to the weekend. |