the deets!

Okay, so here are the details of the race... Overall it was a ton of fun but I will first divulge the negatives: horribly marked trail, getting lost multiple times, and a real a-hole race helper who was a huge jerk.

So the race started out and I felt like $100. I was going nice and slow and felt great, the trail terrain was very good and it wasnt too steep or crazy. I met some really fun people the first 10K of the race, at the 10K peel off we were supposed to go left and go to the aid station and then go down a different trail to keep on the 50k path. Well, I asked a race guy right after I got off the 10k path which way to go for the 50K and he told me the wrong way, so I ended up skipping the first aid station...

I discovered that the group of runners thinned considerably and I was quickly alone. I did spot one runner and asked her if we were going the right way and we ended up hanging in there together for a while, until we realized we were going the wrong way and we were back near the first aid station - So I ran back to the first aid station and she ran a different direction since she had already been there.

So I went to the aid station refilled a water bottle (how have I not been running with the hand held water bottles - they are amazing!) and ran back from whence I had came.

I ran into a pack of 10 to 15 lost 50k'ers and we were all deciding which way to go. The trail was very poorly marked and we saw orange flags (what we were supposed to be following) one way, and nothing the next. So, I started running down the path I thought was right. It was not right.

A few people went the way I went too and we all eventually found ourselves back at the first aid station again. This is where we met a huge A-hole. I didnt get his name, but when we were asking for help getting on the right path he was being incredibly rude to us - seriously trying to make us feel stupid, one quote he said was "Ive done multiple ultras and I ALWAYS study the map first" I told him "well, this is my first one so give me some grace"

We ended up getting on the right path because the trail markings had been corrected and made our way to the second aid station. According to my watch we had run 19.4 miles and at the second aid station we still had a 12.4 mile loop to run, and then back to the start, another 12 to 13 miles. The girl I was running with, Mara, and I decided to just turn back at the second aid station and go to the finish line, easily putting us close to, or over the 31 mile distance.

Here is a fun little detail: I was having some GI stuff going on and was really hoping for a porta-pottie at the second aid station - for obvious reasons... Alas, there was no honey bucket for me to use. So I held it (turned out to be gas - took care of it on the way back :) ) So we made our way back - mostly downhill. I was hurting some, my feet were really sore and I was getting worn out. I did some walking on the uphills during this last stretch. Mara walked with me too for most of it, but closer to the end she took off and I would try to catch up to her when I ran.

Mara and I got to the first aid station for the final time and the A-hole was still there and reminded us several times to stay on the pink flagged trail. This we already knew. Thanks for the help... Jerk. Anyway, we tried to follow the pink trail, but it too was marked poorly - or at least it had become poorly marked due to random people messing with the flags. We stayed on the Wildwood path and finally made it to the right way back to the start.

When we hit the final straight away, I tried to turn it on and gave a good effort to the finish line. I was spent. My watch told me I ran 32.78 miles, almost 2 miles further than we were supposed to run. I got a t-shirt at the end (not a tech shirt and it is a lame design) and a coaster that says "first ultra-marathon" on it. I was more excited about the coaster than I was the shirt! I ate some chili and other snackies and then headed back to Salem.

Some of the highlights for me were Jess being at the finish line; finding someone to run with during the race (thanks Mara!) and running a challenging distance and doing my best and not quitting (which I wanted to do after getting lost for the 3rd time!).

Overall it was a great experience and I would totally do it again - but I would wait until Ari is older and is sleeping better and that way Jess wouldnt have to deal with the early morning runs as much.

Stay classy everyone!