Jeff caught me going up Holy Jim. I heard "is that Leigh who said she would see me going down Horestheif? yep, that was me alright making good time with my new buddies Laura and Greg. and if anyone was not having a good time, they should have been with us. we were having an all day party. that is until the wheels fell off when we hit the Main Divide for the final time....
I had a 4am start with George. the day was going to be a cold one but i think it was worse that most of us had planned.
Laura and I stop for a quick picture in the fog. Little did we know that within a short hour we would be in freezing conditions. On our way up to Santiago Peak it was rain, sleet and we could swear that we even saw a bit of the white flakey stuff. The wind was so bad that I thought we were out in the ocean. Forget the views, we could not even see the towers at the top of the peak until we were right at them. Trying to stay warm was a trick. Laura scammed a pair of Greg's fleece gloves and I gave her one of my hand warmers to put in her sports bra.
At mile 28, back down where it was warm again with Dina and Manny. Time to re-fuel and load up on some extra layers for the trip back up. Greg, Laura and I along with Laura's pacer headed out just behind Dave, Camella and Dina. Going up Horestheif was a grind and once we made it to the top we were back in the bad weather, wind and near freezing conditions. Many runners were opting to take Indian Truck Trail back down and call it a day. iIwas not ready to make that decision yet. So off we went, Dina and Camella. Laura and her pacer and finally Greg and myself. It was cold beyond and oh so miserable. I told Greg that I would go to the top with him if I could have his wind pants. He also had an extra jacket for me. But when that time came I made the decision to head down to lower ground and take the 44 mile DNF. Safety was the issue as well as not keeping the aid station volunteers out there any longer then necessary. They were suffering as well.
Here I am with Laura and Greg at mile 28. We are still having fun. that would change by mile 31. It was too cold for pictures and this is all that I have. I would like to tell my fellow ultra runners that they are simply amazing. Catra, Andy, Robert (what an animal), Kirk (amazing job) Greg H. (impressive!), Dave (way t get it done) and my running buddy for the day Greg (i can not believe you made it in alive. you are crazy!!!! did you use the wind pants?) and for my friends who opted on the side of safety and holiday party's that they needed to get to, you are amazing too. Dina, Carmella, Jeff and my other trail buddy for the day Laura. Relish in that DNF for we worked hard for it and kept at it till the end. The mountain won, plain and simple. It was such a pleasure to share a part of my day with each one of you. And for my 50k finishing friends, Michelle and Keira, you were smart. Congrats on finishing first together! And of course George. What a treat it was to come down from the mountain and finish with my friend like we have done so many times in the past. I miss running with you, friend! get better soon!
this was my last race of the year and what a crazy way to end it. Wow! what a trip! LC
6 comments:
Wow sounded fun and then brutal then Fun and brutal again -lol
...Congrats on an amazing year Leigh, you are an inspiration and a great friend. Have an Awesome Holiday with your family and eat a lot of Chocolate You Deserve it!!!
great job out there. I almost need to give a special award to you 44 mile finishers. Finishing any distance that day was TOUGH!!!
Leigh,
Thanks you for your sweet comments. You made my first ultra so special and one I will remember forever (just like you said). You are what kept me going for those 44 miles! My sides hurt from laughing so hard throughout the run. Greg was a joy too and I bet he never forgets the two crazy ladies he ran with for all those hours. You are amazing and I hope to be just like you when I grow up! Have wonderul Holidays and happy running...stay safe girl and stay upright!, and most important...stay in touch:)
this is a race that i will not soon forget. wonderful wonderful stories and laughter. this is what makes it all worth it. it's the wonderful people that we meet on the trails, the wonderful people who we spend hours training with. it's sharing out adventures and having someone actually understand us. Yes, some of my very best friends i have met on the trails. my husband gets a kick out of the stories that i bring home. Laura, yours will forever be the best! thank you for sharing such a great one! you rock. I LOVE MY ULTRA FRIENDS! let's train sometime. George will crew for us.
Hey Leigh,
I couldn't have done it without yours, Laura's, and Jesse's good company. And of course the great support people who suffered standing in the storm of the century.
No pants were needed. So sorry you couldn't make that 2nd trip to Santiago, but you did what you felt was best and I won't fault you for that. (I'll somehow manage to get over the abandonment issues I've been suffering since..Haaaa)
It actually wasn't as bad the second time around. That may have been due to the numbness though. Jesse was good company. I slowed him down, but he hung back for me. It was so cool running after dark again. A couple of the support vehicles tried to get us to call it quits along the way, but we obviously convinced them we were able to finish without getting lost or going hypothermic.
I owe the support staff that stuck around the biggest props. I kept them there until just after 8 and they had nothing but smiles and congrats for myself and the couple other insane batch that finished just ahead of me.
God bless all of ya.
Leigh, I look forward to your company, sense of humor, and b*%^ching in a future run.
Take care of yo self til then,
Greg
What a great way to end the year. Glad you had fun.
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