Last June, I ran my PR at Light at the End of the Tunnel - a downhill race with a drop of about 2000' from start to finish. I figured that I probably could go faster here at Revel Rockies with a drop of about 5000' feet from start to finish. As it turns out, the slope was steep enough to put a bit more strain on my quads, and although I ran a 10K and Half (13.1) Marathon PR en route, I wasn't able to sustain such fast paces through the rolling hills in Evergreen and the final miles into Morrison.

I went into the race thinking that I'd just let gravity pull me down the first 11 miles, and then I'd sustain more reasonable paces through the hills in Evergreen and down the canyon to Morrison. As it turns out, the hills REALLY slowed me down, and I wasn't able to open back up afterwards. I also had fueling issues early on - I didn't have enough Hammer Gels for both Marla & I, so I let her have them and bought some GUs at the expo. While waiting for the race to start, I ate a banana and a Cliff Bar, then at mile 5 I took that first GU . . . and immediately felt nauseous. So I never tried to take another one. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get much sugar out of the PowerAde from the Aid Stations, either. So I'd say at combination of the slope (possibly going out too fast) and the lack of fueling shot my PR plans.

The course was very scenic, and everything was well-laid out (although they could have provided heaters or a tent of some sort near the start). The start was weird - practically just a walk up. Marla & I were looking for a friend (Merce Flores) around the 3:35 pace group, and the pacer was giving a spiel about how he was going to approach the course when Marla said "hey, they're starting" . . . no gun, no loud start, just off everyone went. So I started about 200 runners back and had to work my way through the crowd up towards the front. I ran in 5th for the first 10 miles or so, then fell back to 7th and then 9th through the hills in Evergreen. Going down the canyon to Morrison, I got passed by a few more runners, and ended up finishing 12th overall, 2nd in the 45-49 age group. I ran my second fastest marathon with an official finish time of 2:56:28.

Gear Check:

Shoes:  I ran in Altra Escalantes, size 10.5. Best shoe I've ever owned.

Shorts:  I ran in maroon 2.5" split shorts from Tracksmith, incredibly comfortable fabric. 

Shirt:  I wore a white with crimson sash Van Cortland singlet from Tracksmith.

Socks:  Injinji OTC 2 Compression socks.

Fuel:  I carried 5x GU Gels (variety of flavors) and planned on taking one at mile 5, 10, 13, 16, and 20.  I took water and PowerAde from alternating aid stations. However, the very first gel make me nauseous, so I didn't take any more. I did switch to trying to drink PowerAde at most of the Aid Stations thereafter.

Hat: I ran in the freebie Headsweats hat given out in the swag by Revel.  Very comfortable. 

Glasses:  My Oakely Flak Jackets with red Prism running lenses.

Watch: Garmin 920XT with tri HRM.

Watch Data