Well, my hopes for a 100 miles on the trail didn't come to fruition as a tough course, constant 30+ mph winds and just not having the mental motivation left me well short at 60 miles over 15 hours.
It was a long 10 hours to the spot but I had a day to rest - unfortunately the wind was howling (up to 50 mph) and my tent was struggling to stay upright.
The course was mostly single-track with a couple of hundred feet of climb but overall it was easy to run.
A couple of hundred people started off at 6am (there was a concurrent 12 hour option) and I maintained a decent 11 minute pace and felt pretty good. The wind was in our faces on the mile plus ascent to the lap timing spot which really was tough but I was able to run.
The clear morning sky gradually filled with blown dust and soon the hills were obscured by the dust.
I began to fade after about 50 km and began to run the nice long descent and power hike the return uphill which kept me at a good pace (would have hit 100 in 24 hours).
I hit 50 miles just a few minutes before 12 hours but I was starting to struggle a bit as the sun set.
At 15 hours my back was hitting me with frequent spasms and I became very chilled (even with tights and jacket) and I decided to lay down for a rest.
Unfortunately I didn't improve and called it quits well short of my goal. On a positive note I was able to run fairly constantly to 50 miles and my food intake was great.
So 60 miles and 52nd overall and 2nd place in the 60+ male age group.
Not sure what race is next - maybe just train up in South Dakota and do flat ultras this winter.
