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Here's Gary starting the momentous trek. |
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And here I come, trying to look cool while running
in the California desert. |
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Almost every turn was a panoramic opening on a beautiful
scene. |
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Desert, mountains, and snow. The big three for California
ultra racing. |
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Gary is negotiating "Ankle Break Alley." |
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...just...climbed...up....can't.......breath........ |
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Here is the highest point of the race, about halfway.
This is the closest I got to any snow and I was missing
one lung and most of the other by this point. I could hardly
hold up my arms. |
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About 7 miles down the road, I had to get a pic of
these mountains I was climbing up. I had been running most
of the day and making it to the second checkpoint was still
in question at this point. |
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This was nature's toilet. Go HERE to read what dangers
lurked beneath!!! |
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I finished! Beating a 55-year-old lady for second-to-last
place, I amble over the finish line at 13:33:09. |
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This crazy lady wanted to dance an 80's-style dance
with me at the finish line. Her hair was really like that
all the time. (Just kidding, they ripped off my tag for
the "official" timing.) |
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The next morning I am standing between my car and the
Garymobile. Somehow this picture captures my sore state
just in the way I'm standing. |
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Looking toward the torture area, this is the hotel
we stayed at ("Why, no, I'm not an ultra-runner, but I stayed
in a Holiday Inn Express last night...") |
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Last shot of me holding my cup of coffee just prior
to making the 8-hour drive back to Monterey. We had just
come out of a bread shop that makes the most fantastic donuts
(that I earned many times over!). Notice once again how
this pic captures my all-encompassing pain. |
