Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I get the buckle...


I got my first Leadville 100 buckle for finishing under 12 hours. My final time was 9:30. 30 min shy of the sub 9 goal. That is by far the hardest mtb race i've done to date. It's good to have the first one down. Now I know what to expect next year (assuming I get in). The climbs were brutal. Long, steep and at elevation. We topped out at 12,600ft and I could feel myself getting light headed.

Rachelle did a great job keeping me going at the feed zones. I couldn't stomach much real food but a little bit of soup and some fresh water kept me going. It will be a while before I eat another shot blok. It was fun to have her there and be a part of the race.

It was cool to see Floyd Landis and Chris Carmichael there. Landis is the real deal. I wondered how a pro road cyclist would match up with some of the pro mtb racers and local hard core riders but he pulled off an impressive 2nd place win and beat the previous course record.

I remember during the race telling my wife "please don't let me sign up for this again next year". It's amazing what a good night sleep and some real food will do. As I checked out of my hotel the next morning, I ended up reserving a room for next year....

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