Thursday, July 10, 2008

Hardrock 100 Mile Run

Well, here we are, doing some marking of the course a couple days ago. This shot is at the top of 14,000 foot Handies Peak.
The race starts tomorrow morning, and we have 48 hours to traverse all those mountains you see in the background, crossing rivers, streams, snowfields, cross-country treks, and in the process we'll summit 13 passes of 12,00o feet or higher, including this one on Handies peak. We'll walk along cliff edges, go through a tunnel, over a crazy metal grate bridge 300 feet over a canyon, and even walk a couple blocks of city streets. Radio operators will keep track of runners in and out of aid stations, hundreds of volunteers will give up their weekend to support us in remote mountain areas, supplying food and cheer in the middle of the night, through thunderstorms and hail, and even packing in food and water on foot several miles at high elevations so we can keep going. It's a massive undertaking. I was able to help cook food for the aid stations, and my small part had me and a friend cooking 100 pounds of potatoes and 50 p0unds of onions and celery into nice tasty soup for the runners. There will be all kinds of good food out there, even pumpkin pie (good for the stomach, and just tasty and easy to eat) So, tomorrow morning at 6am we begin our 48 hour trek. Pray for us, it's the hardest race in this country and I'll need all the help I can get!!