Notes
I was undecided about the pace the first couple miles before enjoying the trails and the maneuvering through the 5k walkers. With the chaos and adrenaline gone, I decided to back off the lead group as my legs got heavier and less controlled on 5th Ave. Thought about dropping out as my right foot was feeling beaten, but disregarded that. I found my stride again on the uphills of ice cave and palisades and started rolling again on the gravel when I saw a glimpse of neon up the road (Egen's singlet). The route finished on the dike so I spontaneously took my shoes off and tossed them to the side (Oddly, the guy behind me, Lars Finanger, decided to pick them up and carry them the rest of the route before tossing them to me near the end). Finished strong but only at 55 minutes. Slower than 2 years ago by 80sec and behind the leaders by more. Similar pace to what I have been racing at. Unfortunately didn't catch any splits so not sure how well I ran on the flats. Mostly happy with the race and trying to be optimistic but still a lot of work to be done.
*Elveløpet