Quad Rock 50 mile

All in all an amazing race!  It was one of those weird Colorado days where the weather strangely resembled Seattle.  With a constant cloud hanging over Horsetooth reservoir and a high of 55 it made for some perfect running conditions.  As soon as I was finished though I felt a bit hypothermic as I drank a beer and listened to the band.... so unfortunately we didn't stick around long.  Nick Clark puts on one hell of a race, it was hands down the best marked course i've ever run.  The band and beer at the end were awesome it just wasn't good hanging out weather.

So a bit about the course... It was tough!  with 11,000 ft of vertical I knew it would be.  My feet and ankles took the brunt of the abuse but my legs felt great and i was able to run it in strong at the end.  I was happy with my results, I think i came in 27th with a time of ~9:56.  10 hrs was a rough goal so i can't complain there, I just wish i could have let loose on some of those steep downhills.

It was great seeing everyone and meeting new folks, but the highlight of the race for me was getting to see my girlfriend about 30 miles into the course, she was finishing up her 25 mile race and i was just getting into the interesting part of mine.  It was great to see her smiling face and get a quick smooch before getting into the "hard" miles.

Every time i go to Fort Collins i come back to Denver threatening to move up there.  They have such amazing trails and the running community seems so great. I was happy to be a guinea pig in the inaugural race and i'm looking forward to next year!