Well that was a weird day. I’ve been thinking about giving this a go since Kyle set it back at the end of 2020 (in the snow). Things lined up so I gave it a shot. Finishing time 9:13:10; 8:16 pace. The weather was beautiful for the majority of the day. It got a bit windy from time to time and it got to the high-50s which sounds perfect...except that it's been a long cold winter. This was the first time really dealing with warmth this year, and my stomach let me know. Kyle's time is far more impressive than mine given the conditions.
I was fortunate to have a lot of help throughout the day. I had friends on bikes, pacers and crew at various stations throughout the route. I only did roughly 15 miles solo, so I'm feeling pretty lucky.
I was told this route was a little silly. Maybe even just dumb. It was. I literally ran beside a ditch all day. But it was cool. I’d never been in probably 75% of where the route traveled in the 5+ years of living in CO. That alone was cool even though I didn’t know where I was for the majority of the day. The first half was great. The second half - not so much. The nutrition started going a bit sideways and then the vomiting while waiting at a light at a busy intersection. The number of major street crossing during the second half of the day was frustrating. I lost 10+ minutes just waiting at stop lights. The route also gets a little confusing towards the end, so I lost a good amount of time going off course and then finding my way back to the route. It was nice to bank some time during the morning when the route was clear and the weather was perfect.
I’m happy it’s over. I never need to do it again. Someone come out and smash the time. Seriously.