Notes
The course is a out and back + loop course, with 5 out and backs and 4 loops (different than last year). It had 6 inches of fresh powder on it from the night before, with a starting temp of 9 degrees. I got to the race with ten minutes to spare, got my number and waited for the start. They delayed the start by 10 minutes, so I ended up standing around in the cold, not dressed to be stationary in that kind of weather. I was freezing after 5 minutes. Finally the RD came out and gave instructions (you must check in with your number at every loop and the last leg finishes without the loop. Off we went and 4 people took off ahead of me. The two leaders were the eventual winner (yellow jacket) and Hank (red jacket). They both looked strong and I wasn't sure if I would see them again. One was the RD (Robert W.) who I ran with off and on for the first 3 loops. He had to stop several times to provide aid to some folks who started the course early so I kept passing him and then he would catch up.
My hand held froze up by about 4 miles in and at the end of the first leg I dumped it and just grabbed a mountain dew. First two legs were uneventful, just steady running, although the first loop was definitely the toughest, because we were mostly trail blazing and packing down the snow. I was pretty cold the first few miles but warmed up to a comfortable temperature after about 4 miles. By the second loop it wasn't as bad, footing wasn't perfect, but could be a lot worse. By the 3rd loop I was in 3rd place until some guy came up behind me looking really confident and relaxed. We chatted for a while and he told me he was dropping out after 3 legs. After the 3rd leg I caught sight of 2nd place about 1/4 mile ahead. I sped up a little to keep him in sight but he must have sped up as well because after a few minutes I couldn't see him anymore. With about a mile to go in the 4th leg I passed him briefly before he passed me again. I decided not to push the pace yet but just keep him in sight because I didn't know if I would be able to hang on if he gave a kick of his own.
We ran into the check-in on the 4th loop and he stopped to get some gear. At that point I figured I had my chance and I ran through the check-in without grabbing any water or food. Since we didn't have to run the loop and only the out and back which was 5 miles, I kicked it in and ran my fasted mile yet (other than the downhill stretch). Through that point I saw the winner running back to the finish (I still had 2+ miles to go) I hit the downhill and let gravity push me down the hill while trying to maintain my footing. Finally, I got to the turn around and didn't see him behind me. 1/4th mile from the turn-around I saw him and I knew my lead on him was about 4 minutes at the most. It might be hard to make up that in 2 1/2 miles but not impossible. I continued to push my pace but when I hit the long uphill stretch I was practically hyperventilating. I speed walked up the hill for maybe a minute and then started running again. At last I hit the top of the hill and ran for broke.
Once I hit the road, I knew I had less that 1/2 a mile left. I looked behind and didn't see him but continued to run like hell. Finally saw the finished and pumped as hard as I could. I knew I had second place but I finished almost sprinting anyway.
What a blast. I got to see a lot of runners I knew out there and they had some good food afterwards. Not the easiest way to get a long run in, but sure beats running that alone.