Pine to Palm 100

The race is over. Here are the results:

http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2010/09/2010-pine-to-palm-results.html

I'm recovering. The left ankle swelling has gone down dramatically. Things feel much better today than they did Monday morning. Maybe this weekend, I'll go for a short jog.

Overall, it was a pretty good event. There were some organizational things that need to be worked out for next year's race (more space at packet pick-up, more food at the pre-race dinner, and I don't know what went wrong with the live results), but I'm happy with the event and Hal and Ian and the rest of the team of organizers pulled off a really good race.

A couple things worth mentioning:

The race volunteers. I am always amazed at the volunteers at these 100 mile races. These events would not be possible without them and although every 100 mile race I have attended always seems to have great people working remote aid stations all day and night, this race's volunteers were exceptional. The level of attention and willingness to help was the best I've ever experienced. Thank you all, whoever you are, for helping out all the runners!

The aid stations: A seemingly unlimited supply of GU gels and Chomps as well as the customary bananas, potatoes, cookies, crackers...etc.

The course: More road running than almost everyone expected, but the sections that were on trail were absolutely some of the best. And that last climb up to Wagner Butte? It's not often that the most difficult climb of the course begins at mile 80 and tops out at mile 90 4,000 vertical feet later. Climbing that brute at 2am in a raging rainstorm is a memory I will always remember. Now if there were only a way to link up the trail sections with more trail...