The course includes 515 feet of elevation gain over four miles but most of the course is fast and runnable. Basically you run down a canyon to the river bottom and then run back out. The first mile ticked away at 8:18 and I was feeling good. But we hadn't gotten to the tricky parts of the trail yet.
Since I've been doing almost all training on trails, I felt right at home when the trail got more hairy and technical. This race was radically different from the 100 miler in May. In the ultras, you have to be very patient and not let yourself get into the danger zone. But for this race I felt comfortable pushing the whole time. The only problem was that I was sweating roughly the same amount as if I had a sleepover in a sauna.
Finally we got to the meat of the course where you climb a few hundred feet in 1/2 mile. That hill is nothing compared to the Zion 100, but enough of a climb to get your attention. I caught a few people at this point.
We had one last climb before the home stretch which seemed to be a good excuse for everyone (including myself) to take a little walk break to catch our breath.
And before I knew it, the finish line was in sight. One last kick and I was there. Not even any chunky burps.
My friend Tom Dansie is the race director and I appreciate the time he put into the race. Additionally, race directors earn serious bonus points when you see something like this at the finisher's table. I ate until my stomach threatened to make a deep-fried mess on my shoes.
My friend Cherie Santiago (a guru at UltraSpire, and one of the most giving people you could ever hope to know) designed the shirts. It is an unspoken rule that you never wear the race shirt on race day. Which is exactly why I wore it. At the end my shirt looked like it was sprayed with a fire hydrant.
I loved the Hurricane Trails River Run. I love the atmosphere of races. I love trails, and how when I pass somebody they say "Good job" and I love telling someone "Good job" when their legs have more kick and they pass me. I love pushing my body to see how much it is capable of. I love the feeling of crossing the finish line knowing that I worked hard. And I definitely love stuffing myself with doughnuts at the end. Yes. I definitely love the doughnuts.
racing, sweating, donut eating, what more could a runner ask for? good job out there and thanks for keeping it real.
ReplyDeleteJim would have loved this race. He's a huge fan of the doughnut! That climb looks like it would have killed me. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteWow very impressive...I would still be walking up those hils! I can't the post race meal! I doln't know if i wouldhave been able to keep it down!
ReplyDeleteTears to my eyes. And Marilyn talked nothing but good about you. Glad you raced this one. Racing feels good.
ReplyDeleteTears to my eyes. And Marilyn talked nothing but good about you. Glad you raced this one. Racing feels good.
ReplyDeleteYou've been fooling us all along! You really are super speedy.
ReplyDeleteI guess I missed the memo about race shirts on race days because I occasionally do it if it fits the occasion (4th of July, St. Patrick's Day etc)
Hey, we both had donuts in our races today. I'll admit though ours were much prettier. I actually had chunky burps though at the turn around spot. Good thing I only ate a small chunk of donut.
It's always so fun to read your race reports.
Nice to hear what you sound like, explaining races from guy's perspective! And we love Cher Bear too, she and Alex n girlies are our delights! As Trin would say to her, "you are amazing" @ 3 yrs old!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you made us feel showing good sportsmanship and pride when you pass each other, and when you drag behind! No wonder y'all do this!, I used to walk when Cher, and her bros were kids, never ran though. Did several Revlon 5k's with Cher in LA,
"Sleepover in a sauna?" That's just hilarious! My wife and I had a good giggle at that. Great race, Cory! There's some speed in those legs of yours! 14th overall is sweet! Great work!
ReplyDeleteNot too shabby for a lack of "racing." Great job, Cory! Oh and now I want some doughnuts. mmmm
ReplyDeleteMmmm...those doughnuts look good! I'm glad you went in for a different kind of fun with this one. Though to me hot races in summer...not fun....even with doughnuts....
ReplyDeletegreat job! love the sleepover in a sauna comment, i had a race like that today too!
ReplyDelete8:58!!! Cory!!! You are definitely NOT a Muppet of a man. I would love to run a trail like this. They used to have a race called the Toughest 10K that was on the trails at Soldier Hollow up here, but they decided to do a mud run this year instead. I'm so disappointed! I need to get out into the mountains. Actually, I just need to run- what's wrong with me?!
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