Full swing

That summer season has arrived when all the endurance junkies are off doing their thing, battling the terrain, their bodies, their better judgement, and mother nature's fickle fits. Caroline is currently leading the Desert RATS stage race on the Kokopelli Trail after 4 of 5 stages. Alex is off doing Ride the Rockies. Chris and Kari are up in Wyoming for the Bighorn 100. Alexis is headed to New Mexico for her first 24-hour mountain bike race. The Tour Divide racers are toughing it out through some of the worst weather and conditions imaginable. And the list goes on...

Well, I've got my own challenge. I came across this race 8 months ago when I started running. It's only a single-day event. Actually, I hope to finish it in under 13 hours (which'll be a tough goal to meet). Yet, I'm surprisingly apprehensive about this thing. Perhaps the course profile is to blame.


For those of you familiar with the Colorado Trail, the second tall hump on the profile is the Coney Summit section. It's high, rugged, and exposed. However, the weather forecast looks ideal, and rumor has it that the course is free of snow and in the best condition in years. Let's see how it goes...will there be more running races after this one, or focus shift back to wheeled conveyances?