Here is the note I sent to the group about the adventure:
Hey folks,
Thanks a bunch for the congrats. Still in a bit of a fog.
Some races advertise as sort of a ‘Heaven and Hell’ thing … SD doesn’t but
lived up to that description this year. The Hell part was most of Saturday. The
race started at 7am. By 10am it was hotter than anything I had run in training.
It was something of a furnace by mid-afternoon. No cloud cover and little
shade. I stuck with a slow pace, lots of water, ice and Scaps … baby steps on
even gentle slopes. Things turned around for me at mile 51, the ‘Sunrise’ aid
station. That’s about where the sun set for me. I don’t think I have ever been
so grateful for a sunset in my life. Things cooled down quickly, and it was the
Heaven part of the run. Really sweet running. Big meadows. Some great views
before it got totally dark. Then the stars came out. I felt good from then on
in to the finish.
I can’t say enough about how well this race was organized.
RD Scott Mills and his crew did a stellar job. The aid station volunteers were
top-notch … many of them ultra runners themselves; they kept the ice, water,
food and encouragement flowing. At Sunrise they fixed up a hot spot on the
bottom of my foot before it blistered … that patch job held up the remaining 49
miles. Lots of kind offers for pacing. Everything seemed to run smoothly though
I’m sure they had their hands full given the conditions of the day. The course
marking was really thorough (though that didn’t stop me from missing one
well-marked left turn). Scott promised us a confidence ribbon every 2 to 3
minutes of run time, and that’s the way it was for the entire 100 miles.
A special thanks to Kath for first recommending SD many
months ago, and for taking such good care of us before, during and after the
race; to Josh for joining me in that last segment, helping to pick up my
spirits and pace; and to John for making the trip so much fun.
Lobo
