Team USA members were Joe Gray Ryan Woods, Tommy Manning, Jared Scott, Brandy Erholtz, Amber Moran (me), Michele Suszek & Maria Dazlot.
The Canadian Team was stacked since this race doubled as the NACAC championship & selection race for the Canadian Team for Worlds. The course was primarily uphill for a total of 11.13k with 1375.9 meters Elevation Gain and 510.8 meters Elevation Loss. The course consisted of technical singletrack, boulder fields, meadows, mudpits, rock scramble & screaming descent for the finish.
On race morning, Team USA arrived to the race start for a warmup & strides. The air was humid but luckily cool...in the low 60s. The race started promptly at 9am & the race was on! The first section of the race was a 20% grade which quickly got the engine going. I started out the race in 4th place as I saw Brandy, Michelle & a Canadian woman run out ahead. I caught up to Michele & the Canadian before the first mile & was in second place. The course was super technical making the footing tricky. Luckily, I was wearing my Inov8 Xtalon 190s which took the worry of slipping away. Not only did this shoe match my USA outfit but it also gave me the grip that I needed for the wet roots, rocks & mud.
Maria & I ran together & took turns leading through the tricky sections since it was hard to look up for the course markings to make sure we were on the right path without falling. Did I mention that there were no aid stations in the race? I carried a gel & thank goodness it started drizzling rain & cooled the temperature to the 50s as we climbed the mountain. The boulder field & rock scramble was the toughest part of the race. Not only were the rocks slippery, each section had a drop-off cliff which could be treacherous if I made one slip of the hand or foot. The scramble/climb was a 40% + grade that went on for over a kilometer. Once I made it to the top, I felt like I had ran through the clouds to heaven. The temperature was cool & there were spots of snow on the mountaintop. I was smiling from the inside out! This was a rave run!
On the mountain top, the mud pit section was interesting. I chose to skirt around the edge since I wasn't for sure how deep the mud was. That was a good decision! I found out that a team member & a Canadian runner went through the center of the pit & got stick in the mud!
The technical sections were fun & so was the screaming downhill finish! I kind of knew what I was in for on this part since I was able to hike it a couple of days before the race. I was elated to finish 2nd for the silver & be a scorer for Team USA!
At the finish, I joined Brandy Erholz (NACAC champion) & watched as teammate Maria Dazlot finished 3rd & Michele Suszek finished 5th. We rounded out the competition for the Team Gold!! Woohoo!! It was a blessing to have such a wonderful experience & fantastic teammates. I'll cherish this experience forever.
What a super bunch of distance Mavens!
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