First things first, I finished! Not everybody did - there were many DNFs (all DNFs have been removed from the race results which I think is odd).
Secondly, it was a fantastic and rewarding experience. My training prepared me fairly well and I felt as good as can be expected during the race; no stomach problems, no blisters, no sunburn, no chafing - just super sore and tired muscles. I embraced the pain and enjoyed every minute of it, thankful for having a body that can do something like this.
I had the best cheering squad. I cannot thank my sweetie Jesper and friends Patrick and Suze enough for their efforts in supporting me and contributing mightily to make the day a great experience. They were out there all day cheering me on at four of the six aid stations and at a couple of locations out on the course. This was quite a feat, since they traveled by bike on trails not being used by the racers so as not to be a disruption. Many fellow racers commented to me, "Gee - you have a lot of fans out here!" After every aid station they were at, I had at least a 30 minute adrenaline pump.
Now for the stats:
- 31.3 miles
- 4,500 feet of climbing and 4,500 feet of descending
- 95 degrees - the hottest day of the year so far up there and a dearth of shade through the burn areas
- Altitude ranging from 6,700 feet to 8,000 feet above sea level
- All dirt (a lot of it loose) ; mostly single track with some double track
- My time was 6:32:45
- I was the 24th runner to finish the 50K out of 77 finishers (top third)
- I was the 9th woman to finish the 50K out of 37 who finished the race (top quarter)
I will post more later. For now, check out the link to Jesper's webpage, which has some pictures.
