Hardrock 100 2009 Cunningham to Maggie Gulch

Mile 9.1 to mile 15.3
Arrived 11:23 am
2:28 from Cunningham, 2 minutes in the aid station (:07 total in aid stations)
Finally got walking out of Cunningham, and noticed that Blake Wood's crew was changing a flat on his VW camper van. It seems that they have the worst luck on race day, though I guess they are experts on repairs and flat tires now...


The road didn't seem so far, fresh, in this direction, and in the daylight. I almost missed the turn until one of the volunteers (or maybe just somebody crewing or spectating) pointed me in the right direction - I thanked them profusely.


I started up the insane switchbacks - the part of the course that worries me more than Bear Creek into Ouray does...you are on the side of a hanging valley with a fairly steep fall (which is higher and higher the more you climb)


After a few switchbacks, I looked back and saw...Jody!


I caught up to Wendell Doman just before we topped out and headed up the basin toward Green Mountain. I seem to recall catching him in this same location 2 years before, and mentioned that this year he would finish. He thanked me for the support as I passed him on the climb. The funny thing was that this year I was downhilling well but hadn't seemed to train too well on the climbs. Of course, this was early in the race, the slow climbing would come in abundance as the race wore on and I knew it, so was happy with whatever climb rate I could sustain.

I crossed a stream and looked back and saw that I was actually ahead of the Mikes (Bur and Dobies!) They caught up just before the climb over the upper part of Green Mountain

-As we started climbing Stony Pass, I heard Liz Hodges cheering for ‘Poppie’ (I guess she had one or more of their grandchildren with her) and I noticed that Rick was right behind me

-Andy Hewatt caught up climbing Stony Pass, we cheered each other on...and he promptly left me in his dust...

-Rob Hacker passed me and mentioned that this time last year he was following my progress online. I didn't recognize him in the daylight, because the first time I met him was at Angeles Crest in 2005 or 2006 between Chilao and Shortcut Saddle. We slogged along for a while but he made it clear that his day would be done at Shortcut, in spite of my encouragement (once the switch is flipped, it's hard to switch it back on...) It was great to see him doing so well here, though it was early. I had a feeling he would do well and finish, and he did.

-It started getting a little windy on the ridges, enough to pull my sleeves up and even put my jacket on at one point.

-We crested Buffalo Boy ridge and descended into Maggie Gulch, I could see runners strung out ahead of me. A few passed me on the descent.

-I spent just enough time to fill my bottles (I started explaining that it is better to fill the bottle half full, then shake it, then top it off, that way things are a ‘little less lumpy’ I hoped that I had done a service for those behind me coming through the aid stations who had to fill bottles with various sport drink powders in them.


Probably too much time in the aid station again, especially since the next section was the shortest on the course.