(View From Our Cabin)
I can’t seem to find the time to
write a detailed report about my experience at the 3 Days of Syllamo stage race
in Arkansas, so I’ll sum it up in a few sentences and let picture tell the rest
of the story. Day 1 (50K) was a
disaster, as most runners got lost (Amanda missed the last aid station
completely, Stefan mistakenly crossed a river and got entangled in a fence, and
I added 7 “bonus” miles). Add to this
Lalo’s injury and the Train’s illness, and our group was not excited about
running 50 miles the next day. After
much grumbling and soreness, a few of us toed the line early Saturday for the
50 mile (closer to 45) stage, which ended up being my favorite section of trail
in the Northern Ozarks. Stefan and I
ended up having good races, temporarily erasing the misery of the day
before. Jay provided comic relief (wasn’t
funny at the time, and I’m glad he’s ok, but there were some funny moments
looking back on it). After eating some
local pizza, we crawled into bed for a few hours of sleep. Day 3 was cold (low 40’s) and rainy, a far
cry from the mid 80 degree heat we had experienced the previous 2 days. Since this stage was short (13 miles), I
decided to take it out hard and see if I could hold it. Stefan crushed the course, and I had a decent
race (so did Amanda and Jay). Within
minutes of finishing, Stefan, the Train, and myself hopped in the car for a
brutal 10+ hour drive back to San Antonio.
Despite getting lost on day 1, I had a blast at
this event and would highly recommend doing it.
I think it helps to have friends along for the journey, and I’m not sure
I could have done it without the group we had. I’ll definitely be bac.
(Typical Section of Course)
(Amanda Splashing Through One Of Many Creek Crossings)
(The Fact That They Had To Put A Sign Up Is A Bit Unnerving)
(Post Race Music)
(Only In Arkansas)
(Post Race Sunday)
(Stefan's Legs After Fighting A Barbed-Wire Fence)
