Stace Clarke - 2nd in age category. 14th o/a. 2:33hr
Erica Abbie - 2nd in age category. 15th o/a. 2:34hr (4th female o/a)
Matt Thurston - 3rd in age category. 22nd o/a. 2:40hr
Karen Christy - 5th in age category. 37th o/a after following a runner off course and having to double back! 2:58hr
Dani Tallion - 3rd in age category. 40th o/a. 3:03hr. TAKING 15min off her time from last year.
Molly Thurston - our poor Mollster DNF due to a sore achilles
Hey Rene!
Here's my race report.....
Saturday morning was bright and sunny and a great day to run Crawford. Stace and I enjoyed our favorite breakfast at 5:30 in the morning before a trail run....poached eggs and toast :) We both had a great sleep and were ready to run that morning. Although we could have used a longer warm-up we were anxious to start the race. A typical group picture occured at the start line and they sent us off. I saw Stace and Erica race to the front as I paced myself through the uphill battle I knew I had coming. I ran all the flats and hiked through some times where I had to get my heart rate down. I'm not going to lie, the first hour was complete hell - it took me an hour to warm-up for sure. Although knowing the course helped with the hill as well - I couldn't wait to see the sign that says "to KVR" because I knew that was close to the end for the hill climb. I made it up to the KVR in 1h24min. I stopped at the aid station to fill my water bottle quickly and mentally prepared for the flat section which I knew would be the hardest part of my race. I kept a good pace and enjoyed the views from the KVR....10 minutes on the KVR and I started to see people coming back from the turn around point...this was really exciting and rewarding as everyone was congratulating and encouraging each other to keep running. This also took my mind of the fact that running on flat ground is so facking booooring. Keeping MY pace on the flat was key to getting me through it. In my mind I remembered walking on the KVR for awhile last year and I wasn't going to let that happen this year....I ran the entire thing. It took me 20 minutes to get to the turn around point where I did not stop at the aid station I just turned around because I didn't need anything. The second part of the flat was just as booring as the first, the only thing that got me through it was a little CCR, MJ and Rascal Flatts - thank god for you guys! It took me exactly 20 minutes to get back to Lost Lake where I was really excited to push the downhill! The downhill portion was great although the temperatures were soaring and I was starting to get really hot. A lady in a pink shirt was breathing down my neck the ENTIRE way down the hill. It was annoying in a way cause I could hear her every footstep and breath behind me getting closer and mimicking my steps.....I wanted to turn around and push her down so she would quit following me already, but instead I took that energy and pushed it down the hill - never ever letting her pass me!! The entire downhill was great - some muddy sections, some steep sections, and some nice flat for a little recovery. When I hit the last aid station there was 4.8km left which excited me a lot! I looked at my watch and thought I could possibly finish this just shy of 3 hours! So I grabbed some gatorade and continued to push down the hill with the lady in pink hot on my tail. I anticipated teddy bear junction because I know it was close to the end! As I got closer and closer to the end, the air got hotter and hotter, and my knees started to feel the effects of an hour downhill push! I couldn't wait to see the powerline cause that's when I knew I could turn on the jets and leave the lady in pink in the dust. As I got closer and closer to the powerline, I got progressively more tired - more mentally than physically I think....as my watch grew near 3h I knew I had to keep going to reach my goal. I finally saw the powerline and burst to the finish line! I was soo excited to see Stace at the end and celebrate my time of 3h and 3 min.....beating my last years time by 15 minutes!! I got my medal and stretched with a smile on my face :) Overall it was a great race, the first hour was torture, the lead to the KVR was exciting, the KVR was a good opportunity to practice keeping MY OWN pace and the downhill was the pure enjoyment of trail running!
I should get Stace to report his run....he had an awesome race and came in first for the pace group!
haha.. yah i had my sights on Erica. She was the one i wanted to beat. (She is fast and runs a great pace). I started out up the hill feeling really good, i think the electrolytes were kicking in.
the sun was beating down and it was only 10 minutes into the race, it was crazy, but i knew it would only get hotter so i wanted to finish faster. Erica was about 100m ahead of me, but i was not worried.... i just kept running my pace.
i passed the first aid station feeling good; fueling with my own shot bloks. I was entering into the bush part (the cooler part of the up hill climb), this is where i started to warm up; it was about the 45 minute mark where i felt warm and got a burst of energy. I was slowly creeping up on Erica and made the move to pass (a steep part of the hill); we both were walking and chatting to get our heart rates down. As the heart rate fell i got another burst of energy. I pulled ahead. I ran up the rest of the hill to the top, hit the aid station (1:07) and grabbed an orange and was ready for the flats. I am not a big fan of the flat sections, but i kept a good pace. the flat section of the race seemed so long; it felt longer than 3 km.
The flats, i think were a good time for me to recover some energy. I hit the final aid station and grabbed a cup of water and ate a few salty chips; while doing so Erica moved in front and really picked up the pace. Erica was doing great on the flats. I never really knew how much of an incline the flat section had coming back; it was a long gradual incline. My legs were burning and Erica now was out of my sites (at least 200m in front of me). Finishing the flats i grab an oreo at the next aid station and fill up my water, cuz i know i am gonna need it. Going down is where i am going to go all out. i ran down the hill. some spots were slippery so i took it easy other sections i just let loose, givin'ner. I thought for sure Erica was doing the same and was surprised when i seen her again. I got another burst of energy and decided to pass her. As i am nearing the next aid station i see Andrew walking up the hill. I said hey and kept running. I did not stop at the last aid station. (I had a shot blok and 1 chocolate mint gel left, and i knew i had just enough water) I took my last shot blok just after the aid station as i was feeling a need for another burst. Watching the watch i knew i had about 3 km left in the race, so i started to use the gel. (i like the gel, it is easy to ingest and you can take shots in moderation) I had taken about half the gel and some water and rationed the rest, i knew it was my last bit of energy and knew i would need it. It was about 2 km's left when i started feeling fatigued, so i had a bit more of the gel and drank some more water.... i did that every 400m (approx) for the next km and half. I was talking to myself at this time, checking my shoulder for Erica and telling myself that i am almost there... My gel was gone and i had only a few blasts of water left, i drank em up and continued talking myself into finishing this race. :) I finally seen the power lines and felt my last bit of adrenaline kick in... a few more steps and..... ahhh done !! i seen the time was 2:33 something. This lady hands me a medal, my legs just buckled up and i was done. I grabbed a can of coke an pounded it back... then grabbed another and pounded that back. I sat on the chair and felt relieved. :)
I got up and stretched, talked to Molly. Seen Erica come in, then Matt come in. it was a great day. Today my legs and knees were so sore.. i iced and stretched, and they do feel better now.
ERICA ABBIE RACE REPORT
Cold start to the day and as always could not decide what to wear. Does it ever end.
Strategy was to try and run consistently up, use the flats and down to giver.
Felt good and settled in with a few people I did not know. Passed one at the first aid station and kept moving. Hit a steep stretch and starting to feel like I needed a walk. Heard some heaving breathing behind me and turned around. It was Stace. Nice to see a familiar face. Announced I was going to walk - I think he was happy for the break too. Followed Stace to the top of the KVR and then told myself I had earned the flat so tried to enjoy it. Tried to keep a good steady pace without feeling uncomfortable. Hit the downhill and felt pretty good. Back and abs (?) started to hurt at about the junction of Race Classic and LL. Stace passed me again. Was not sure who else was creeping up but had to focus on myself and not worry. Got to the bottom of LL and knew the finish was coming soon. Yeah. Felt good and had run the best I could. I knew the uphill would be hard but forgot how challenging the downhill and flats can be as well.
