Today, Dom and I finished our first Gore-Tex TransRockies Run - it wasn't pretty, but we did it.
With a 'cankle' the size of a grapefruit, a battered calf and hamstrings, Dom lined up at the Basalt, CO High School, determined finish the event. With 30km of flat terrain to look forward to, we started very easy - There wasn't much sprinting off the line by anyone today!
After a few kms, our bodies started feeling better and we picked up the pace ever so slightly. We maintained a position around 10th to 12th position, making sure to keep some energy in the tank for the last 10km.
At CS 2, we were still within contact with quite a few teams. I was impressed with Dom's tenacity despite his injuries - He was running with pure grit. As I downed a can of Coke, he knew what was coming in the last 10km - my determination to finish as high as possible would never let up and he knew it - we clipped in the tow system and he hunkered in for the ride.
With 7km to go, Chris met us on the trails, having run backwards from the finish. With his encouragement, I slowly increased the pace and we started gaining on the teams in front of us. One by one we chipped away, passing 3 teams in the final 4km as I pulled as hard as I could to get us to the line. Dom hung on for dear life and we crossed to the line in around 7th place. A good effort considering...
So that's it, we're done! We ended up 4th Open Men and 6th Overall. The experience was amazing and despite the hard times, I've learned lots about long-distance stage racing...and developed a great friendship with Dom along the way.
As I'm sure you know, I'll be back next year to challenge for the win!
4 comments:
Dude, now that is what I call impressive! Loved reading these reports. Now get back to that spa for some much needed R & R before we head over to Nipika next week.
Fantastic effort guys! You should be really proud of your finsih & I'm sure just the experience of being there was well worth the struggle.
Thanks for your reports - they were a great read!
Way to go Guys! great updates Phil! followed you the whole way! incredible mental journey for sure!
Awesome work! Thanks for all the posts, this was by far the best place to follow the race.
Good luck next year!
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