Great pics..congrats.

Damn man, you basically spent a work shift running, they should consider that an ultra!

 

Nice finish!  I am interested to know what you think you could run it in next year having run the ascent twice, and how are them toes feeling a week removed lol

In terms of improvement, I think the biggest factor is strategy.  If I lined up in the middle of the pack (instead of the back) and went out a little harder I could easily have been about 100 spots ahead by the start of the trail.  So if I were able to just "ride the train" with those folks I'd make the summit half an hour sooner.  I definitely felt I was traffic-limited on the top half of the climb, wishing I could get around people.

On the downhill I won't count on too much improvement.  A few minutes lost to falls/recovery and a little ass-dragging in the early second half.  But the terrain is pretty tough and when I was moving, I was moving pretty fast.

So short answer : B goal is 30 minutes faster, A goal is 45. But with another year of training, who knows ?

Oh and the toes are starting to feel/look normal.  Still feel kind of bruisey and I can't wear my minimalist shoes yet, but I've quit worrying about gangrene and amputations.

Thanks for sharing, and congrats! Now I want to do this.

Awesome! You killed it on the mountain!