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Greenland 25K Trail Race - Run25k


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Larkspur, Colorado
United States
30F / -1C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 50m 51s
Overall Rank = 3/131
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 1/24
Pre-race routine:

Drove the hour to get there, and eating 3 granola bars during my drive.
Event warmup:

A little jogging for about 10 minutes with a little light stretching.
Run
  • 1h 50m 51s
  • 15.54 miles
  • 07m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

Very good run. This was the second year I've competed in this race. Last year I finished 8th and 3rd in my age group. Last year's weather conditions were worse but trail conditions outstanding whereas this year it was in reverse. Great weather although cold then chilly.

The first lap went alright. I maintained my position well which was 6th the until the turn around where I only saw two runners - both in my race. That meant I was in third overall. 4th place was about a minute behind and running strongly. There was about an inch or two of snow on the way out that made it a bit slower but not too uncomfortable. It wasn't until we started out climb that we came across 3-6" of snow that made things much slower. That continued much of the way back to the end of the first lap.

The second lap started out with some snow but once we intersected with the main trail the weather had warmed enough for there to be mud. The mud was a bit of a factor but not as much as it would have been had I worn trail shoes. Fortunately I had racing flats which helped a bit in the mud but didn't have much grip in the snow. Once the climbing began, the snow was very compact for most of the way which helped.

Interesting note, for the second lap, I ran with Krupicka who won last years Leadville 100 Trail race. He kept me running strong and we kept switching places for most of the latter half of the second lap. He still had 2 more laps after that since he was running the 50K so that was impressive to see how fluid he kept running.

There was one guy that seemed to keep gaining on us during the first major climb. At this point I was still in 3rd place overall and I didn't want him to catch me. So once it flattened out the little bit I opened up the pace where I caught Tony. I ran behind Tony until about a mile to go and then passed him and ran hard the rest of the way to the finish. I never saw the guy come even close after I opened it up.

Turns out he was in second place for the 50K. Tony first, then him. And here I thought I might end up in 4th. Not so and I finished almost 3 minutes in front of the next person who turns out to be a woman trying to qualify for the olympics that has run 2:47 this year.

The last part of this story is my time. I'm pleased with the time since it was somewhat tough with the snow and mud. While I only ran 9 seconds faster this year, with the conditions I think I could have run around 1:47-1:48. Oh well, I'm happy with this performance.
What would you do differently?:

I did feel a bit overheated during the second lap so I may want to dress in layers so I can remove some if need be.
Post race
Warm down:

Jogged for about 20 minutes, then stretched continuously and lightly for another 30 minutes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Trail conditions.

Event comments:

Overall good race although for $45 only the top man and woman win anything. A pair of LaSportiva shoes. The second and third place overall got a glass with the race name on it - the same as the age group winners. I'm not one that goes to races for the prizes or awards but its funny that there was very little in the way of food, drink, or activities after the race while still pulling in $45 per person for my race and even more for the 50K. Oh well, can't have it all.

I'd still recommend this race to those who enjoy trail races. The course is not too difficult while the altitude limits performance somewhat.




Last updated: 2007-04-15 12:00 AM
Running
01:50:51 | 15.54 miles | 07m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 1/24
Overall: 3/131
Performance: Good
Course: A loop course that starts at 6900' in elevation and rolls slightly uphill for the first 3.5 miles until it makes a 90 degree turn to the left. Here it climbs gradually at first but then much steeper point up to just over 7400' for a net 500' climb, then rolls a bit until another shorter climb. From there it rolls and meanders back and forth back to almost the finish line where the 50K runners turn around to go back. The 25K runners run about 50 meters beyond that to where they turn around and run back to the main trail that we started out on. Good gradual climbs with some fast decents. Then the gradual climb back to the 3.5 mark and continuing...
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2007-04-15 2:53 AM


64
2525
Subject: Greenland 25K Trail Race


2007-04-15 8:38 AM
in reply to: #761531

User image

Expert
622
500100
Conifer, Colorado
Subject: RE: Greenland 25K Trail Race
Mr. Michael... you keep getting faster... that's what happens once you reach 40... everything gets faster! Days, years, races... Great job.

I've got some work to do if I ever want to put the hurt on you. Keep it up!

Oh, and stop being a . Run a marathon.
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