Monday, August 20, 2012

The Elusive Buckle

The alarm went off at 2:30 am
and we were up and ready to leave the motel
by 3:30 am to join the other 
795 ultramarathoners at the start of
" The Race Across the Sky"

I wished Running Man good luck and 
reminded him I would see him in 23 miles.
The gun went off at 4:00 am
 and what seemed like an endless
stream of headlights were
 quickly swallowed up in the early morning darkness.

The first runners completed the first quarter of the race
in 3 hours and 5 minutes.
Hey, I'd like some of that energy.

Running Man was close to his target when he
came onto this check point.
As a crew,
which stands for 
Cranky Runner,
Endless Waiting,
we had a list of items to prep and
things to do and items to exchange in and out, but 
basically, we were there trying to meet his needs
and to keep him healthy and safe.

All seemed good, 
but later when we looked closely at the headlight he had given us
 we noticed it was cracked
and commented that he had blood on his elbow.  
He hadn't mention the fact that he
had, we assumed, fallen somewhere along the trail.

But on he went. 

There's such excitement, enthusiasm and a  party atmosphere 
in an event like this.

Some runner have no crew and only use drop bags to 
get their supplies, while others
have such huge groups complete with signs, horns, matching 
Tee shirts and even costumes.
We loved how this van had the race drawn on the
windows and was marking their
runner's progress.

Notice how the runner looks at the end.

Running Man just had Elizabeth and me waiting at 
the check points.  
But we were there and always ready.

Twin Lakes was the next big check in point.
Unfortunately, we did more waiting than we had planned.

Here's Running Man
  making his entrance down the steep rocky hill
into the station.
 The 40 mile marker.

He had seemed tired to me.
He didn't have the
"eye of the tiger."
 Why?

He had twisted his knee when he had
fallen early in the morning.
He had caught the toe of his shoe on a large root
that crossed the trail,
twisted his knee and fallen on the other one,
and landed on his head protected only by the headlamp..

At this point, he sat for a while,
trying to decide what he needed to do
and wrestling with what he wanted to do.
 
His 40 miles completion was
no easy thing.
He was disappointed.
And I know he would have pushed himself to
complete more of the race, but
he chose the safest path
and turned in his timing chip.


 Here is the first racer across the finish line.
Note the time:
100 miles in 16 1/2 hours.
 Wow!

The mantra of the race is
" You can do more than
you think you can."
 "Running Man"  We're proud of you! 

Until Next Time-

8 comments:

  1. I think I would have been grumpy getting up that early. LOL! I can't imagine ever in my wildest dreams thinking of a 100 mile run. Can't imagine the stamina it would take.

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  2. Wow, wow, and WOW! I'm so impressed with what Running Man accomplished! Makes my 2-miles-a-day walk seem pitiful by comparison LOL! Congrats to him!

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  3. congrats to the running man - 40 miles is incredible. Actually just attempting this is incredible. Okay, all running is incredible.
    I loved the van mural - fabulous!
    Hooray for the CREW

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  4. I am breathless just reading your post! Congratulations to Running Man. A huge undertaking.

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  5. He's a winner in my book! Now he should just sit back and watch the USA Procycling Challenge!

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  6. Be sure to tell him from me "Congrats!!" 40 miles is amazing!! There will be another race. I'm glad he didn't hurt himself.
    Do you mind if I ask how old he is?

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  7. All I can say is WOW!!! And congratulations to Running Man!!!

    Carolyn :)

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