BIG BOTTOM MARATHON

42K

JAN. 20, 2007

SKYWAY

Sometimes you just have to push yourself a little extra, practice a little self-induced ignorance and ignore all of the excellent reasons for not going for it. So it seemed for many of us in the Big Bottom Marathon. I know I said it and I heard a number of others say something similar: "I don't know if I'm in shape to ski that far. I'll ski part of it and see how it feels."

I didn't get a chance to debrief people afterwards because I was still out on the course a long ways behind everyone but the sign-out sheet shows that everyone met and/or exceeded their expectations whether they were shooting for finishing half or the whole thing. For many, these distances were a real stretch. The mysterious Anky Von Schnoplau's 21K's were farther than she'd ever skied before. Sarah Dufford, who at the Skyway Skuffle decided to see if she could skate a full 10K no matter how long it took and did it, challenged herself again with a 21K classic goal and did that, too. Chuck Bodie put on his skate skis at the midway point and skied his second 21K faster than his first. Gutsy performances all.

I launched on my second loop fully intending to make a right turn when I emerged from Kannah Crossing and head down Scales Lake Road to the finish. But when I got there, without all of my brain power working, I said, "Aw heck, why not?", turned left instead and headed on around #3 for the full distance. Finally arriving at the finish, I was expecting to find my brother Dan who had said he was only going to ski a shortened second loop, but he wasn't there. After awhile he came chugging up the trail. He too, in a moment of giddiness, decided to ski the whole thing and so notched his first marathon ever. In blue jeans!

And then there were the fast folks. The Aschwandens, Greg Hanscom and Kevin Hines all sailed by skiing effortlessly when I saw them but I trust they too had to push and were a little pooped at the end. You'd just have to be to go that far that fast. In sum, it was a good day with agreeable weather and impressive accomplishments by all. Thanks to SOLO (www.solo-gi.com) for the sustained energy SOLO bars; they helped!

RESULTS

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