<span style="font-family:'Century Gothic';">jeez its been forever since anybody wrote a race report...So here we go . .. I just got back from two insanely dull days at a tradeshow in Toronto. A large, enclosed space, no windows, a stronger than faint waft of fried food in the air and all the usual suspect out in full force. The problem was that I knew just how beautiful the weather outside had been for the past few days .. . made worse by the lingering buzz from a wonderful weekend at a superb event.<br><br>
I resisted inviting anybody down with me, dropped the dog off at the kennel and headed for Pittsfield on friday afternoon, a 3,5 hour drive, loud tunes, window slightly down.... and sunglasses. I always love this part of the event, the anticipation.... etc etc. I get excited like a 9 year old, its great. The drive down was uneventful, border crossing was swift and before I knew it I was at the <a href="http://www.originalgeneralstore.com/restaurant/menu/" target="_blank">Pittsfield Village store</a> handing over my $60 registration, which got me a very nice coolmax shirt, an Ibex beanie(yet another <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> ) and the number 608... chatted with the volunteers and then decided to figure out where to sleep. As luck would have it there was a spare cot in the barn at Amee farm hwich was mine for a modest $20.... the barn was so cool, and there were about 10 other competitors sharing this space . . .. as some were Death Racers... they didn't get to see their beds until late the following afternoon<br>
![Image]()
<br>
so I dumped my snowshoes and gear and went down to where the maniac death racers were signing their wavers and generally looking pretty nervous. This was the first winter death race and the folks from the Discovery Channel were there to Discover just how deranged some people can be .... Got chatting with an Irish (hard core everest) climber and truly felt humble in front somebody who has climbed the highest peak on each of the 7 continents.. very humble in fact. Then I gate crashed the pre race pep talk for the death racers given by a British psychologist in a chicken coup with a rooster going berzerk in the background.... very drole. Their race started at 10 pm . . .. . and they were basically tortured throughout the night and the following day until there was 3 left standing, the 2 female entrants both weighing less than 120lbs and a geezer in his 40's . .. . . all of the hard core super studs dropped out!! beaten!!<br>
so .. . . . back to my race. I climbed under my blanket and listened to my neighbours (half-marathoners) giggle and drink wine until about midnight, I got to sleep around 1 am and slept well until the death race people were given a blast of "eye of the tiger" at about 4am ... and so I was awake, laid there a while and realised I was starving . .. . as the sun was coming up I found a couple of slices of bread, some honey and a teabag.... not much to start a long day but it hit the spot...... chatted with some other racers, drank some more tea.... and before long I was strapping on my little snowshoes and toeing the line.<br>
8 am sharp we all went bounding off towards the mountain under a perfect blue sky at a crisp sort of snowshoe pace . . .. <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"> the first mile of the course was more or less flat and had been churned up a bit by some tractor or something but even then the surface was good, we crossed a liitle bridge and started winding our way up the side of the mountain on the most gorgeous trails. The racers sort of spread out into a leader (maniacs) group and everybody else sort of picking their own pace. Me I sort of kept them in sight for about 15 minutes and didn't see them again until the first couple of runner lapped me on my last lap....<br>
The course itself consisted of what I figured out to 3 steep climbs and a series of never ending switchbacks which eventually brought you two the top of whatever mountain it was.... giving a view which i will not try to describe... breathtaking!! and here was the aid station. To get to the top on the first loop took me about 45 mins, I was feeling really good and the legs were in great shape. The only glitch was the straps on my snowshoes which kept riding up and then cutting into my ankle . .. I stopped about 6 times all told to fiddle with it and it was only at the end that I got it to stay in place. No real damage done, a little time lost and a little blister but nothing to spoil my day. So . . . . . the downhill. I love running downhill and I now love running on snowshoes downhill too . .. . I simply ley gravity take me and away i go <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> Can you imagine a beautiful sunny day careening down the mountainside like a 9 year old? smile from ear to ear . .. . sublime!! passed a few more cautious runners on the way down . . .. and then lost the trail for about 10 minutes . . oops, never mind.<br>
I finished the first loop in about 1:40 grabbed a PBJ sandwich or three and away I went for the second loop.... maybe a little slower, didn't get lost . .. . peeled off one layer as it was warming up a little as the sun climbed up the sky. At some point it occurred to me I swear I must've been grinning like an idiot the whole way.... finished loop 2 just a little slower although I did pick up the pace when I was passed by a nice young lady who seemed very fresh, she was just about to finish her half . . . I think I was slower anyway, but I wasn't really looking at my watch much. Loop 3 the climb was starting to feel a bit more like work, but no real discomfort, maybe a little sweatier but I didn't take off another layer as is was sort of cooler as I zigzagged my way through the woods on the way down.... must confess I could feel my quads at this point. so loop 3 was prolly about 2 hours.... and by then I was getting seriously hungry. More PBJ, fanta, chocolate chip cookies, chips and out i went for the last loop. On the way up, in the flat part between the first 2 climbs I was passed by two young military guys who were tere for the 100 mile race, 16 loops (FFS!!) they were at loop 10 and they passed me!!.... I passed them at the top and smiled a little whaen I saw the way they were gingerly tackling the down . . .. I could hear their quads screaming, but they didn't seem in bad shape at all. The 100 mile version had a 36 hour time limit I wonder if they made the cut off. Did I mention that I managed to lap some slower runners too which made me feel a little better about being lapped by the leaders... but it's that type of event, participants of all level....<br>
Anyway, as I was coming down for the last time I was still running, feeling pretty strong still.... but ready for a hot shower and some real food. My ipod had died an hour previously as had my garmin (do they make one which last a "long" distance race? mine's good for about 6 hours at best) ...... so I did a little sprint towards the finish... quite proud of myself, my time/number was noted .. . . but everybody was watching the last two Death racers doing a tie breaker for the winner. Stephanie the cute blond v's 220lb hard core dude . . . holding the plank position nose to nose, first one to drop looses, with heavy backpacks... and of course the cute blond wins. She held ithere for about 5 minutes, having been dragged through frozen rivers, walking barefoot in her underwear through the snow, carrying 5 gallon buckets of water, pushing wheelbarrows up the mountain full of the fire wood that she had spent the night cutting..... for the second time I felt very humble.<br>
So . .. my finish time was 7:30... not too shabby 16th overall I think. But I have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable events yet, nearly as "nice" as the <a href="http://vermont50.com/" target="_blank">vermont 50</a> for which Merc and I will be signing up soon <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif"><br>
I didn't stay for the presentation by the Ice climbers . . . . . I got me that hot shower and headed back to the store where I broke my new years resolution with a huge homemade burger with a slab of Vermont cheddar, fries, mountain dew . . . . about a gazzilion calories for sure <img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif"><br>
I then drove back to the rest of the Grommit crew in Ste Agathe/St faustin who had been skiing all day..... I fell into bed at about 11pm still wearing that grin <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br>
i won't try to convince anybody to do this race . . .. but if you're curious in any way you really should try something different, if nothing else it will keep yur running fresh...<br><br>
my apologies for the typos</span><br><br><span style="font-size:xx-small;">and of course the experiment continues <img alt="uhoh2.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/uhoh2.gif"></span>
![Image](http://<img alt="" src="http://i39.tinypic.com/15cbolh.jpg" style="border:0px solid;">)
