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Relativity
I did a pretty darn difficult bike ride yesterday with my friend Jess. We did the Alpine Dam loop, which is known for both brutal climbing and stunning scenery. As we reached the ridge that marks the end of the super-steep part of the climb, we heard the sound of cheering crowds -- not a sound you expect to hear in a pristine national recreation area. At the top we learned that we were at the halfway point of the Miwok 100k ultramarathon. The runners had started at 5:50am. It was 11am when we arrived. They had been running for over five hours and they were halfway done.
I took a few photos of the runners and the trails. The views of the ocean from the road that follows the ridge were spectacular. Hills that are normally golden brown and licked with tendrils of fog were lush green and lit with brilliant sunshine. What a day.
It occured to me at some point that our 58-mile ride was shorter than what those runners were covering on foot. Wow.
May 7, 2006 7:35 PM
i happened to do my last long training ride for 24 hours of adrenaline in the headlands/tam on the same day as the miwok 100k last year. i never thought i'd feel like such a slacker for only getting in 7-hours off-road.
i saw one guy bent over puking. it was thin and brown. all gu. i hope he made it to the finish line. he was at the top of old springs, and i think he only had to get down to the finish in ft. cronkite. the female leader was not far behind him, looking way better. i wonder if she caught him.
On Sunday, Scott & I were at the Mt. Diablo 50 mile & marathon trail run(Scott was running the marathon, I was volunteering at the one of the aid stations for a few hours). There were more than a few runners there who did Miwok the day before - and showed up on Sunday to do the 50 miler. In 80+ degree heat. Some consider them training runs for their *long* races. OUCH!