The American River 50-Mile Endurance Run: 9:03:40.
The race was a tremendous adventure. Race day could not have gone more smoothly. Miraculously Justin, Janice and I found the start without any trouble. Immediately after we arrived, the feeling of togetherness and intimacy was palpable. Firstly, with only around 700 participants, we were able to park several hundred feet from the start line -- something that is unthinkable at most big-city marathons. Secondly, people were gathered talking over coffee -- after all there's little need to warm up. Thirdly, it's a small community. Very few people are interested in ultrarunning, and those who are seem to have a fair amount in common.
Throughout the race, my body held up exceptionally well, which I suppose is a testament to the brutal training that I endured in the months leading up to the race -- many early, early mornings spent running long, lonely routes. I fully expected to falter in the 35-45 mile range, but to the contrary I felt pure tranquility (the so-called runners' high) for nearly that whole period. The first half of the course was road and the second half was trail. Since I train exclusively on the road, I expected to find the trail running quite bothersome. Thus, I was quite shocked to find that I greatly preferred the trail -- particularly when I could find pockets of solitude. It felt both daring and peaceful.
Two of my friends from UC Berkeley, Justin and Janice, were there to support me at roughly 7-mile intervals. Their presence was a terrific psychological boost. After hours alone in the woods, a familiar face is like a sunrise. In addition to these publicly accessible check points there were a myriad of other aid stations (roughly one every three miles in total). The workers were phenomenal. At the last aid station at Mile 47, one worker actually ran up to me grabbed my water bottles, ran back to fill them, and then ran several hundred feet after me, all so that I wouldn't have to break my stride!
In the last three miles, the course gains roughly 800 feet of elevation, which makes for a challenging finish. I was quite shocked to find myself flying by people -- I truly discovered hidden reserves of resilience!
My split after marathon distance was something around 4:23:00, so I kept a fairly steady pace (particularly considering how much more difficult the terrain was in the latter half).
At the finish line, Justin and Janice were waiting for me with a Red Bull, which I promptly shotgunned.
The remainder of the day was pure radiance, devoid of all things commonplace. Transcendent, fast, and mad.
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