Overall Rating: Excellent. Course Difficulty: This is a mountain course that is mostly above 7000' with massive climbs and descents. The terrain is pretty technical, which can be interpreted as … MORE
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Course Difficulty: This is a mountain course that is mostly above 7000′ with massive climbs and descents. The terrain is pretty technical, which can be interpreted as – your feet and ankles are going to hurt…bad! I ran for about 20 miles and power hiked most of the rest, I think it may have been the altitude, but my legs were just plain tired. It rained, sleeted, and hailed which added to the challenge, and temps ranged from 75 to 35, so wearing correct clothing must be a priority.
Course scenery: I feel this is overall the most beautiful course I have run, simply amazing. The 100 mile runs over the shoulder of a mountain, through plains, and across surreal landscapes.
Race Production: Great, mostly.
Everything was on time and where it was supposed to be. I had a little issue with packet pick up, mostly because I am in old introverted country boy who doesn’t know how to park in town. I prefer packet pickup to be in a wide open field so I can navigate easily, but I get that there is an entirely new generation (that is the future of ultra running) that loves being right in the middle of the action…so I get it. Location aside (for me), race production was excellent, course was well marked (I only got lost once in 100 miles), aid stations were fantastic, and the RD was on the course in the middle of the action. It was produced very well.
The one real issue I ran into was course length. The course had a couple of extra miles in it, and varied from the cue cards that we were encouraged to carry. While a couple of extra miles on a course are no big deal, not knowing they are coming and being right at the end hurt, a lot.
Race Swag: Nice shirt, sticker and awesome buckle!
My Performance: I’m ok with this one. I struggled more than I thought, but my thoughts were based on things I had no real experience with…mountains. It hurt, but 100 milers hurt, so all in all, I’ll mark this down as a success. It was a PR, so I’ll take it.
Final notes: This is not a beginner race; of the 108 starters in the 100 miler, only 61 finished. It is hard! It is also beautiful and rewarding if you can get it done. If you are going to try this one do your homework, allow about 12 hours to drive the course the day before, take a high clearance vehicle, and be prepared for any weather. If you will keep moving forward, you can get it done…even at a walk.
Amazing Scenery, Hard Course
Overall Rating: Excellent. Course Difficulty: This is a mountain course that is mostly above 7000' with massive climbs and descents. The terrain is pretty technical, which can be interpreted as … MORE
Overall Rating: Excellent.
Course Difficulty: This is a mountain course that is mostly above 7000′ with massive climbs and descents. The terrain is pretty technical, which can be interpreted as – your feet and ankles are going to hurt…bad! I ran for about 20 miles and power hiked most of the rest, I think it may have been the altitude, but my legs were just plain tired. It rained, sleeted, and hailed which added to the challenge, and temps ranged from 75 to 35, so wearing correct clothing must be a priority.
Course scenery: I feel this is overall the most beautiful course I have run, simply amazing. The 100 mile runs over the shoulder of a mountain, through plains, and across surreal landscapes.
Race Production: Great, mostly.
Everything was on time and where it was supposed to be. I had a little issue with packet pick up, mostly because I am in old introverted country boy who doesn’t know how to park in town. I prefer packet pickup to be in a wide open field so I can navigate easily, but I get that there is an entirely new generation (that is the future of ultra running) that loves being right in the middle of the action…so I get it. Location aside (for me), race production was excellent, course was well marked (I only got lost once in 100 miles), aid stations were fantastic, and the RD was on the course in the middle of the action. It was produced very well.
The one real issue I ran into was course length. The course had a couple of extra miles in it, and varied from the cue cards that we were encouraged to carry. While a couple of extra miles on a course are no big deal, not knowing they are coming and being right at the end hurt, a lot.
Race Swag: Nice shirt, sticker and awesome buckle!
My Performance: I’m ok with this one. I struggled more than I thought, but my thoughts were based on things I had no real experience with…mountains. It hurt, but 100 milers hurt, so all in all, I’ll mark this down as a success. It was a PR, so I’ll take it.
Final notes: This is not a beginner race; of the 108 starters in the 100 miler, only 61 finished. It is hard! It is also beautiful and rewarding if you can get it done. If you are going to try this one do your homework, allow about 12 hours to drive the course the day before, take a high clearance vehicle, and be prepared for any weather. If you will keep moving forward, you can get it done…even at a walk.