I finally got in touch with Kelly yesterday after he finished his ultra marathon. Amazingly, he finished in 14th place with a time of 26 hours and 11 minutes. To provide a little perspective, the next closest finisher to Kelly under the age of thirty was eight hours behind him in 68th place. The reality is that athletes in their 30’s and 40’s typically dominate the field at these types of endurance events. The fact that Kelly is doing so well at twenty-four is a great sign of a promising ultra running future!
Besides very bloody feet and the obvious pain and stiffness, it sounds like Kelly is doing well and will somehow make it to the airport on his own this afternoon. He had some interesting stories to share. Apparently the bears turned out in high numbers to cheer the runners through the mountains. Kelly said he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he repeatedly heard the sound of growling. Yikes! Which I guess makes his next story even better… At 4 a.m., with absolutely no one anywhere nearby and in the middle of mountains and darkness, Kelly’s headlight went out. He reached into his pack to grab his spare batteries, and realized with horror that they weren’t there. Kelly said he started shaking and hyperventilating. Incredibly, and out of no where, a mountain biker came barreling up the trail, illuminated by several different lights and reflectors. The biker generously gave Kelly a little light, which wasn’t of much help in seeing the trail, but at least provided some comfort in being able to spot any encroaching bears. Kelly then sat by the trail and waited 45 minutes for the next runner so that he could follow behind and see the trail. I can’t imagine what Kelly would have done if he hadn’t been saved by the mountain biker!
I think my mom deserves an award too–like the “Best Mom Watching the Race from Afar on a Laptop” award. My mom was so worried about Kelly, especially after seeing the race firsthand last year, that she stayed up all night monitoring Kelly’s progress on her laptop. There’s nothing like a poor mother worried about her son lost in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. At 1:30 a.m., when my dad finally shooed her to bed, she brought the laptop right next to her and continued to click and refresh all night. Good work, mom.
As for the Syttende Mai race, it went well enough, I guess. I have no idea what we finished in–maybe somewhere around three hours. Hilly was certainly an understatement. When we got to the ten-mile mark, I couldn’t believe that I was only half-way finished. It was very painful. And I was definitely cursing myself at that point for not having eaten breakfast. I never do that–what was I thinking! But the race certainly served its purpose as a great training run before Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth on June 16th. And I would absolutely run the Syttende Mai again. It was a fun, well-organized race that still has that grass-roots, local vibe that I love. And you can’t beat the $30 late-registration fee–you just don’t see that anymore. So I think the Syttende Mai now joins the ranks of the Point Bock Run as one of my all-time favorite races.
If you're intersted in checking out the finish report, results, and pictures from Kelly’s ultra marathon, go to www.vhtrc.org/mmt/mmt07.htm.
Besides very bloody feet and the obvious pain and stiffness, it sounds like Kelly is doing well and will somehow make it to the airport on his own this afternoon. He had some interesting stories to share. Apparently the bears turned out in high numbers to cheer the runners through the mountains. Kelly said he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he repeatedly heard the sound of growling. Yikes! Which I guess makes his next story even better… At 4 a.m., with absolutely no one anywhere nearby and in the middle of mountains and darkness, Kelly’s headlight went out. He reached into his pack to grab his spare batteries, and realized with horror that they weren’t there. Kelly said he started shaking and hyperventilating. Incredibly, and out of no where, a mountain biker came barreling up the trail, illuminated by several different lights and reflectors. The biker generously gave Kelly a little light, which wasn’t of much help in seeing the trail, but at least provided some comfort in being able to spot any encroaching bears. Kelly then sat by the trail and waited 45 minutes for the next runner so that he could follow behind and see the trail. I can’t imagine what Kelly would have done if he hadn’t been saved by the mountain biker!
I think my mom deserves an award too–like the “Best Mom Watching the Race from Afar on a Laptop” award. My mom was so worried about Kelly, especially after seeing the race firsthand last year, that she stayed up all night monitoring Kelly’s progress on her laptop. There’s nothing like a poor mother worried about her son lost in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. At 1:30 a.m., when my dad finally shooed her to bed, she brought the laptop right next to her and continued to click and refresh all night. Good work, mom.
As for the Syttende Mai race, it went well enough, I guess. I have no idea what we finished in–maybe somewhere around three hours. Hilly was certainly an understatement. When we got to the ten-mile mark, I couldn’t believe that I was only half-way finished. It was very painful. And I was definitely cursing myself at that point for not having eaten breakfast. I never do that–what was I thinking! But the race certainly served its purpose as a great training run before Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth on June 16th. And I would absolutely run the Syttende Mai again. It was a fun, well-organized race that still has that grass-roots, local vibe that I love. And you can’t beat the $30 late-registration fee–you just don’t see that anymore. So I think the Syttende Mai now joins the ranks of the Point Bock Run as one of my all-time favorite races.
If you're intersted in checking out the finish report, results, and pictures from Kelly’s ultra marathon, go to www.vhtrc.org/mmt/mmt07.htm.
1 comment:
you forgot to mention getting a hit in softball this weekend.
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