The past 2 weeks have been a roller
coaster of emotions, a myriad of highs and lows. Nothing earth shattering or life threatening
has happened, but my 2013 race schedule has started to take shape after learning
the results of several lotteries. A
common question many people ask me is, “are there other people who run these
crazy races you do?” I chuckle and try
to explain that many races make you qualify just to get into a lottery, in
which you often have a minute chance of getting into the race. Yes, our sport is growing, and lots of people
run these crazy races I like. Over the
past 10+ days, the results of the lotteries were announced for Western States,
Hardrock, Miwok, and Massanutten. I
entered all 4, and my name was drawn in 2 of them. Not bad, I suppose, but one of the races I
didn’t get selected for is the one race I would give almost anything to do, the
Hardrock 100. This marks the 4th straight year I have failed to get into Hardrock. I wasn’t selected for
Western States either, but I was actually relieved about this. I was lucky enough to see my name on the
starting list for the Miwok 100K outside San Francisco and the Massanutten 100 in
northern Virginia. Both of these races
appear to be spectacular in both their beauty and difficulty. As if each isn’t daunting by itself, they are
separated by only 2 weeks, meaning that if I run both, I will have to run 100
miles on rocky mountain terrain after completing a hilly 100K not too long
before. I have friends doing both races,
and both have been on my radar for a few years.
With the way these races are growing in popularity, it’s no given that I
will be selected again in the near future, so I might as well run them when I
can. In May of this coming year I will
travel to both coasts and run 162 miles of mountainous joy. Hey, you only live once!
(View from Miwok course)
(Elevation profile for Massanutten 100)
(One day I will get to kiss the rock)
(Island Lake from Grant-Swamp Pass on the Hardrock course)
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