sweat and beer don't ease the ache. the heart hurts.
i left the car loaded. i'm not ready to deal with that yet.
a night run put things into perspective for me. it would be selfish to consider running a race when there are folks who are being evacuated from their homes due to the wildfires. silly to ask over tasked firefighters to battle a blaze so a recreational sporting event can take place. i support the boards decision. it was the right thing to do.
what is lost? money spent on material supports and entry fee. what was gained? i trained with vision and hope this past 6 months and truly took a journey. i sit here writing this in the best shape i have ever been in. mentally. spiritually. physically.
emotionally? well. i already told you my heart was a little broken. this too, shall pass.
keep in mind that nobody loves this race more than the western states board, volunteers and race committee. they exhausted every feasible means to safely put this event on. in the end, they looked out for the runners they way they would look out for us on race day. they made a decision in our best interest. 34 times this race started as scheduled. races like hardrock, angeles crest and wasatch have been around for much shorter periods of time and have already had to cancel at least once. 34 years is a pretty good track record.
there will be other races. there will be another western states. i will always consider this one my first.
so it goes...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Great post MonkeyBoy! Have a good run today!
AJW
scott and andy,
i commend you both for your positive attitudes in the face of this tough news. difficult blow for sure. it's been a blast watching you both get so fit and so fast for this year's event, peaking at the perfect time for an epic day. i know you will both bounce back quickly and use that hard-earned fitness to rip it up somewhere else.
you have both handled this with dignity and class and set a great example for the many others who might not be coping so well. this sport is about embracing our natural world and we know that mother nature always wins. in this case, she pulled off a crushing upset.
jA
Truly sorry guys. Total bummer. I was up late last night reading blogs and WS's official statement. I feel for you guys. Go for a long run somewhere nice. Get a big dinner and drink a beer. I know if won't make up, but treat yourself. You've worked hard to get ready. Good post, wolfman.
Good read Scott - you hit the nail on the head!
Enjoy your level of fitness and tear it up on another adventure.
Yea, I am pretty upset. On sat am I ran Michigan Bluff. I slept in my car at Mumsford Bar only to be woke by a forest employee warning me of fires on the other side of the river. The next morn. the smoke was bad a Foresthill. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that the race would not go on.
What really sucks is my two little girls and wife came out the first time to watch the race.
I just ran up to immigrant pass as hard as I could to blow off some steam. Today is the first day of training for next years event.
The good news is that Hal holds the crown for another year!!!
Godale
I'm glad I kept the crown in Oregon, I don't want it to end up tarnished with smoke.
After waiting out the year wondering if Hardrock was a go, we lose Westrern in 4 days, unbelievable.
til 09
hk
As part of the WS team this past year and especially this past week, it has been a roller coaster. The WSER Board made the correct decision 100%. Safety first.
Today, Sunday, the Peavine Fire (which is less than 2 miles from Last Chance) is 50% contained. Crews on land and air tankers continue to be deployed to contain this to its full capacity.
Yesterday, I was at the WS warehouse all day helping as the 25aid station captains returned their supplies and we unloaded the trucks from the start and finish lines. Typically, we are at the wareshouse Monday morning cleaning out the remnants of GU20 from the coolers and jugs and assessing the aftermath and hearing all the war stories.
At 4 P.M., everything was put back in its place and the door was closed. Although, this was not how we intended the event to be, we are all REALLY looking forward to WS 2009!
To each of you who poured your heart and soul in to this event, I feel for you. In the end, you live to run another day and see you on the start line again in 09!
Post a Comment