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Post by GUTS Admin on May 5, 2008 10:23:54 GMT -5
Congratulations Susan! I haven't seen the results yet, but I do know she took home the prize money for first female! I'll have the complete results up as soon as I get them: Strolling Jim Website
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jasonb
Stunned Runner
Posts: 117
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Post by jasonb on May 5, 2008 10:45:35 GMT -5
and that was only a week after turning in a good performance at sweetwater.
congrats susan
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Post by susanlance on May 5, 2008 12:42:30 GMT -5
Thanks! I won only because the talented young woman who beat me last year by 40-45 minutes had to drop out at mile 20 with breathing troubles....and because Lynn Mooney decided to do it as an easy run! I didn't know that I was in the lead until I crossed the finish line and I'm glad about that! I was 12 minutes slower than last year...primarily because of Sweet H2O!
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Post by GUTS Admin on May 5, 2008 12:52:29 GMT -5
Thanks! I won only because ... WhatEVER! You were the best in the field that day and you have the check to prove it ;D Congrats!
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Post by colonel on May 5, 2008 14:34:07 GMT -5
Thanks! I won only because .... Susan, save the excuses for us losers! LOL! Great job!! Lean Horse, Strolling Jim, H2T (just the ones that I know about, there are probably tons of others) ... you are building one heckuva resume' !! One of these days I'm gonna do Strolling Jim! Last year I was registered and my oldest daughter threw a wrench in the works but getting homesick that weekend and this year my wife scheduled my youngest daughter's graduation party for that weekend. Oh well, maybe next year!
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Post by surftrip on May 5, 2008 17:35:45 GMT -5
Congratulations Susan Would love to read a recap. Cheers!
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Post by susanlance on May 5, 2008 18:46:11 GMT -5
Here's my race report- not surftrip quality though!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Strolling Jim, it’s actually 41.2 miles of hilly asphalt in beautiful, rural Bedford County TN. It’s a very traditional race with many returning runners. This year’s race was the 30th anniversary, and there was $500 first place prize money for first man and first woman, with an additional $250 if the course record was surpassed.
Last year at Strolling Jim, I had a great run. Gary Griffin paced me the first 15 miles or so, and I was able to hold on for a 6:27:55 finish. This was second place among the women and first place among master’s women (which is 45 or older at SJ). The young woman who won beat me by more than 40 minutes- she was a very talented athlete! .
This year though I was worried about my run. I ran Sweet H2O 50K the weekend before, and although I’d decided to do it as a training “fun run” once I got started I decided to “race”. I ran Sweetwater about 3 minutes faster than last year (6:21:04) and was pretty beat up by the monster climbs and descents. And though that’s not so fast for many of you, it was pretty fast for me! I decided I would try to race at SJ, but I wasn’t optimistic I could repeat last year’s performance.
At the pre race dinner, the race director discussed the women’s race as a show down between last year’s winner and Chrissy Ferguson, an Arkansas runner who won the women’s race several times in the past. I looked at the SJ results from the past few times that Chrissy ran, and thought I could beat her. I knew the young woman who won last year, Sarah Almodavar, could easily beat both of us.
The race itself was pretty uneventful. There were thunderstorms all night before the start and the trekkers (SJ has a 5 am start for those who intend a somewhat leisurely run and a 7 am start for those who’d like to race) started in the rain. By 7 though the rain had stopped and we were off. I started toward the back and just gradually moved up through the pack. I passed Chrissy at about 20 miles and she asked, “are you Sarah?”. I told her I thought Sarah probably had an hour on us! I kept passing people throughout the rest of the race, both men and women. I passed a young woman just past “The Walls”, at about 33 miles and figured that I was probably in second place behind Sarah.
About there, I began to have a little problem with my right lower leg and the top of my right foot….it felt like someone had a tight rubber band around my lower leg, but I tried to ignore it and just keep running. The pain was intermittent, so I decided it couldn’t be too bad. Also about there, it got HOT and sunny, and the rest of the race is almost entirely unshaded. I began to get queasy. So I had a little bad patch but stopped at the 35 mile aid station to get some ice and sports drink for my bottle. The aid station volunteer told me I was the first woman through. Since Sarah has very short hair and is very petite, I thought the volunteer had mistaken her for a boy and thanked the volunteer and took off thinking I would probably win master’s again but was going to be about 15 minutes slower than last year, which was disappointing. With about 3 miles to go, a truck came by and the driver told me I was second woman, which confirmed what I thought.
I ran most of the rest of the race going back and forth with a nice man from TN. He was very kind! Anyone who’s done SJ can attest to the pain and difficulty of the last 5 miles or so- it’s pretty flat so there’s no walking uphill, it’s unshaded and the sun bakes you, and it seems endless. With about a half mile to go, my TN friend passed me for the last time and told me that there was a woman about ¼ mile behind me! Just then the train crossing a couple hundred yards before the finish started clanging and the lights started flashing! I was about ¼ mile from the tracks and KNEW I was going to be stopped by the train. I “sprinted” as best I could to get across the tracks before the train came…by the time I crossed the tracks I found myself in the middle of the road and almost delirious! I ran as hard as I could to the finish, which I’m sure wasn’t very fast! Ironically, I never did see a train.
When I crossed the finish line in 6:40:12 (12 minutes slower than last year), the race director shook my hand and told me I’d won. I was astonished! I asked him about Sarah and he said she’d been doing great but at 20 miles she started having trouble breathing and they had to give her oxygen at the 20 mile aid station and she’d dropped out. The woman who was behind me finished about 3 minutes later- she is from Texas and it was only her second ultra! Kevin Dorsey from Memphis won- the only finisher under 5 hours and the amazing David Jones won men’s master’s….again…I think this was his 12th time.
So there was a little awards ceremony and I was presented with a large orange check (and a small real one), a large acrylic horseshoe trophy (just like last year’s except it says overall instead of master’s), another red sub 7 hour tshirt (at SJ the tshirt color designates finishing time- red is less than 7 hours but more than 6), and a white 30th anniversary finisher tshirt. The race director awarded the women’s master’s trophy to Chrissy Ferguson, even though Lynn Mooney and Jill Floyd were both > 45 and beat her. I don’t know what they’ll do about that.
So even though I am somewhat disappointed with my time, things turned out ok for me in the end. I hope Sarah is ok and am sorry she had trouble. I know she could’ve won easily if she hadn’t, so it was a bad way to win. Maybe next year!
This is a great race and every ultra runner (at least every ultra runner who can tolerate roads) should do it at least once!
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Post by Cardmaster on May 5, 2008 19:07:55 GMT -5
Way to go, Susan! Very impressive! Congrats on yet another win! I don't care what you say, 6:40 is a very strong time on that course. In time you will realize a win is a win.
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Post by gitagoing on May 5, 2008 19:30:09 GMT -5
;D congrats Susan very good run ;D Robbie and I saw you at the Hotel the morning before the race as we were checking out. Wanna donate to the Pinhoti Piggy Bank aid station? ? Just kidding!!!!!! Are you running Pinhoti?? I don't see your Piggy Bank!!!!! gitagoing
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Post by colonel on May 5, 2008 22:08:58 GMT -5
Great report! A very impressive, GUTSy performance!
Kudos on a job well done.
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Post by GUTS Admin on May 6, 2008 7:22:34 GMT -5
So there was a little awards ceremony and I was presented with a large orange check See picture here... ;D
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Post by colonel on May 6, 2008 10:57:02 GMT -5
The check is bigger than Susan!
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Post by susanlance on May 7, 2008 20:57:57 GMT -5
Thanks everyone!
gitagoing- I am not doing Pinhoti....I am a volunteer at the Peachtree City 50K on the first day....but I would like to volunteer for Pinhoti too....I should be available by late afternoon/evening and could work into Sun. Right now I am signed up for Bighorn 100 next month (yikes), and plan to do Lean Horse 100 again in Aug (I once lived in SD and it's a good excuse to visit), and probably Heartland 100 in Oct. Sorry I didn't see you at the hotel, I am oblivious most of the time!
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