The start was crazy and kinda fun. We had to run a mile as a group to get to the start. This “no-start” was all uphill and we were all having fun with the disbelief of the fact that we were running a mile uphill to just get to the start. Everyone started their Garmins, but the RD said he wouldn’t start the clock until some specific spot. The official route started by going through waist high grass that had a cliff on one side. We were cautioned to go single file, because the cliff was real. That was pretty adventurous and exciting. The only part of the race that was little bit death defying.
The trails started out extremely technical with boulder hopping and water crossings. There was a climb from the onset and plenty of shade for about three miles. My friend took off on the first real downhill. I am terrified of falling and my knees hurt on the downhills, so I always go super slow. I yielded to plenty of people. We came off the trails for an aid station basically on the road. There was supposed to be a porta pottie, but there was none, so I had to find a spot in the woods.
After the stop, I went back to the trail for the best part of the race. I love that part of a trail race when everyone scatters out and you are totally alone. It was great, but all climb and full sun. The trail emptied out at another road and the aid station was fully stocked. The only bad thing was that the volunteers knew nothing about the route. I, along with just about everyone else missed the turn off. Racers began meeting up on the road looking for the trail. We finally found it, but now at least 8 women that I had passed on the uphill were equal with me. We were had a downhill stretch on a trail which meant that I would be moving like a snail. Of course the group took off like gazelles, and I paired up with an older gentlemen to inch our way down the mountain. Unfortunately, I saw him sprain his ankle. He kept trying to walk it off, but I could tell he was in pain. As we headed up on the trail, we came to a completely unmarked fork. About five or six people eventually congregated as we debated which route to take. We sent reconnaissance parties, but there seemed to be no flags anywhere. We took the wrong fork, but the route dead ended pretty quickly. When we finally found the right fork, the group spread out as we climbed uphill again. I came to another unmarked fork, but luckily I saw some hikers who said they saw runners on one of the trails. Yea, I picked the right one! The trail emptied out onto the road for a steep downhill road descent. At this point, my knees were killing me. I walk-jogged until the aid station. Just about everyone that had passed me the very first time I got lost were there. My knees hurt so bad that I didn’t think that I could make a go of it, so seeing them just annoyed me. However, when I finally got on flat road, I started feeling like myself. You know what the road does to me. That desire to race just sprang up, so I went for it. My knees that were burning moments before didn’t even hurt. At some points I was running a 7 minute mile. I can’t even run a 7 minute mile at a 5K sometimes. I passed all the gals and several guys feeling amazing, but guess what? About a mile before the end, I missed my turn off. I was so angry when I figured out I had missed it that I just started walking. Again, I met up with other lost racers, but I was done running. Every single person that I passed on that last stretch were eating hamburgers by the time I crossed the finish.
In the end, I loved the experience, but the course is just too difficult on my knees. There was a almost 3000 foot elevation gain, and over 3000 foot loss. The uphill was difficult, but the downhill was excruciating. Also, I was disappointed in the trail marking. My running buddy came in 6th or 7th female. She was thrilled and she really is a beast, so I was happy for her. There were a lot of issues related to results. I made a complete pain of myself to the RD, because I wasn’t listed in the results at all. It took a couple of weeks to straighten out, but it all worked out.
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