We volunteered at mile 78, Rucky Chucky/Far End. It was a good experience. I enjoyed being part of something so big and seeing so many amazing runners. So many people looked so good - I am inspired to train so I can run fast... and to be fast and efficient at my aid stations instead of treating them like a buffet!
There wasn't as much carnage as I was expecting - we were told this year was much better than normal due to cooler weather. They had a record completion rate of 82% and 120 finishers under 24. There certainly were some folks who were hurting and we did our best to help them, feed them soup and encourage them. Also our station had 2 podiatrists who were working double time popping blisters and bandaging beat up feet. My understanding is Wasatch won't be quite so cushy :).
We stayed there for over 12 hours and got to the finish line about 7 a.m. and watched a few folks finish. Maybe it was staying up all night, but I got really emotional and broke down crying seeing some of the folks finishing, particularly one runner holding hands with his or her crew as they rounded out the track.
Otherwise, training has been relatively easy the last few weeks, but now ramping up for the final push. We're going to Utah this weekend to cover as much of the course as we can (and snow allows!). Then plan on doing lots of back-to-backs, probably the headlands 50, going to Tahoe for altitude and to Utah one more time in August. I feel this lull in training did me really well. I feel a lot stronger.
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