We didn't run we hiked. There were different divisions, light (no pack) and heavy (40 lb pack), team and individual, civilian and military. We were registered as civilian light.

The sun was just coming up over the Tularosa basin as we started out and the desert really was in it's full glory. Clouds sat on the top of the Sacramentos on the other side of the basin (about 60 miles) and it was blue everywhere else. The marchers were in good form and chatting with each other. A Blackhawk flew over us full speed several times, which completley psyced us up! My dad headed us up and got us started on a nice pace. We would walk in pairs (my dad, my husband and my friend and her sister). Switching partners along the way. My big bottle of Propel kicked in right away and I wanted to stop at the first set of bathrooms, but the line was long so I waited until mile 4.

I felt strong and was having a great time. It was incredibly inspiring to see our military men out there in full battle dress with heavy packs on and veterans of the war in Iraq who were walking with one or two prosthetic legs.

Mile 8 was when my friends sister split from us, becasue she was doing the 15 mile hike. At mile 9 or so the dirt road turned onto a pved road and we started up a very, very long hill. There was a light breeze and I felt great. We were surrounded by some of the most amazing geography I ever hiked through. By this time we were starting to see people on the side of the road treating blisters. Thankfully mine still felt great. The hill was tough, but my training at Noland Trail was definetly paying off. At this point we started seeing the runners on their way back. It was fun cheering them on, although I must admit I cheered harder for the girls, since there wern't nearly as many:) At mile 14 the aid station was selling hotdogs for a dollar! That cracked me up, it seemed like such a weird thing to be offering. I just grabbed a couple orange slices and kept on truckin. By mile 16 I started to notice that my firend wasn't walking as strong and she had gotten really quiet. She said she'd been having stomach problems all week. At mile 18 I checked my feet, becasue I felt a couple hot spots. I didn't see anything but put some duct tape on anyway. My friend had a few blisters that need to be treated and her stomach was definetly worse. We were at that station for 30 minutes. By mile 20, she was really not doing well, our pace had slowed down alot and she needed to rest at rest stations at 20 and 21. At 22 we encouraged her to see the medic and she offered no resistance. After being there 30 or so minutes with her, we had to decide whether to go on without her or not. It was tough, but with her blessing we headed out again. We knew our goal of under 7 was definetly shot, but we kept up an a really good pace. At aid station 23, there were cookies!! Just what I needed for those last 3.2 miles. I must say the last 3 were definetly the hardest. My hips were a bit sore, but more than that, it just seemed like it went on forever. We crossed the finish line holding hands feeling proud, but also worried about my friend, we didn't know what had happened with her. (It turned out they ended up putting her on and IV (2 liters) and bringing her in.) We were disappointed we didn't finish faster, but under the circumstances, that's just the way it was. I know we would have fined alot sooner, but part of friendship is sticking with people....
It just makes me want to go back and prove myself. I'm thinking 2009!!!

Nothing

Stopped for a burger at the tent but really wasn't hungry. Enjoyed the coke much more.


Sticking with my friend. NO regrets though!!


This race takes 11 months of planning and had over 400 volunteers. It was incredibly well organized. The volunteers were fabulous!