It was HOTT already, and I wished I was in the water. I ran for a while with two women who paced each other, then went on ahead when I got my first wind. Intersting run - not as much trails as I would have liked, but the two very large bridges added a fun element.

I was "in the hole" with fludis, so I paused to guzzle some Gatorade. No shoe switch, so this wasn't overlong.

I am not a mountain biker. I ride a lot on trails, but more of the pea gravel and packed dirt with an occasional rock kind. So this trail, which turned a lot in the woods, was actually pretty tricky for me. I took teh wrong line into a turn early on, and fell. My foot got caught under the pedal for a moment, and I felt the "yank and a little more and something would have popped" that is so familiar from skiing. I finished without a problem, but it started to really hurt on the walk to the car. About halfway through the course, I ended up at a very steep shale rock wall. I was about to turn around and look for the trail marker I had alreasy missed when another biker came through and started pushing his bike up it. Oh, um, O.K. Not a mistake. All in all it was fun but hard.

I decided to pick up my biek to go across the finish line instead of pushing it. The handlebars got stuck on my helmet and a volunteer had to untangle me. Not recommended.

I can't mountain bike, so this was just a fun exercise for me.

No second segment.

Snarfed watermelon, watched the last two competitors come in (one was on a skinny-tired road bike. Hardcore).


Skills, heat, owwie.