Disclaimer: this pictures with this post are about as boring as watching a marathon. If a friend ever asks you to go watch their marathon (unless they are an elite runner, in which case it might be kind of interesting), you should make sure to negotiate several pints of free beer and a steak dinner in exchange for your four to six hours of boredom. I swear this event was more fun than the pictures look!After playing pit crew for they boy's ill fated biking adventures for two years, I thought to myself "Why wouldn't I dress like a ninja and stumble through the snow for 4 hours?" So it was.
Our starter was the Mayor of Dyersville, IA! A nice touch. Side note, my list of personal meetings with Iowa officials continues to grow: Governor Culver, 2007, Mayor Heavens of Dyersville, 2011.
Race start
Before the race I got to meet Toni, Lori and Wendy (who were all running together), Jessica (who ended up being the #1 woman) and Lisa (who is a veteran of the race & who I met last year while spectating). For the first four miles I took the opportunity to have some company on the trail and run with Toni, Lori, and Wendy. We spent a lot of energy chatting, but it helped the miles go by.
After mile 4, the lonely trail begins.
And goes on...
The ninja hat/mask was probably overkill, but I was worried about being cold since it was only 15 degrees (5 windchill). Actually the cold didn't end up being a factor, other than a frozen camelback tube. But I was able to keep that from freezing by covering it with my mitten.
Seriously I saw only about a dozen people total from mile 6 to mile 23. A couple bike racers, two runners I passed, several locals out walking, and of course my photographer/stalker Devon.
All of a sudden, there were only 8 miles to go, and the the fact that my left toes were about to fall off (and indeed still might) seemed not very important.
I really enjoyed the solice. It was fun. Maybe next year I can convince at least one person to give it a try with me, though.
The finish line is right after this rusty railroad bridge.
The results are not yet confirmed online, but I should be the 2nd woman to finish (of about 12.) What I learned this year was that the best way to "go podium" is to enter a race with less than 20 women, or if you can enter a race where you're the only girl (i.e. my dominating championship race at Blue Mounds).
