Vermont 100K Part 1

Oh man...what a race. It was definitely the toughest one I've ever run, both mentally and physically. I think I'm gonna divide the race report into two parts, 'cause there's so much to tell! Sooo here goes:

I left on Thursday, 'cause I had 8hrs of mandatory work at the race site. For most top-notch ultras, each runner is required to work for 8 hours at any ultra, as a way of giving back to their sport. Since I had been so busy with school and stuff, I opted to do my work at the Vermont 100K, doing retail and setting up for dinner, etc. I met the coolest people through this! But anyway, I flew into Manchester, NH on Thursday night, rented the cutest little car (of course I have no idea what make and model...it was white..) and drove an hour and a half to White Lake Junction in Vermont. Settled into my motel, met some other runners, and promptly fell asleep. Friday morning, I headed out to West Windsor, VT, to work at the race site. The drive was supposed to be 15 minutes but of course I got lost and ended up driving twice that. The scenery was incredible so of course I didn't mind. Throughout the day I kept meeting awesome people from all over, including a guy from Argentina who ended up pacing me through the latter part of the race, a couple guys from South Africa, a sweet old couple from Germany, and so many more! Everyone is so friendly and relaxed at these races...

That night we had the best pre-race dinner I'd ever had - among a billion other things there was chicken, quinoa, rice, the best couscous salad I've ever had, tons of veggies, fruits, breads, etc. As I wanted to be careful of my stomach I avoided the giant cheese wheel and the dessert table *tear*. I ate with a guy whose son was pacing him through the last 20 miles of the race, what a cool duo! Haha the son was more worried about the run than his dad.

Also at our table were some of the distance riders! The Vermont 100 is one of the few ultras that still allows horses to do the ride. How awesome is that?! Riders have the option of either 100, 75, or 50 mile races. I chatted with several of the riders, and a few vets, who told me all about how this sport got started, how the horses pace (they trot most of the way! just have to build strength in their ankles) and fuel with electrolytes just like humans, only via a tube that squirts the stuff into their mouths. I actually got to inject some of the horses during the race when the riders were having trouble controlling the beasts. Haha it was so much fun! I just can't get over how awesome it was that I got to do this race alongside horses! During the race they were really relaxed and looked like they were having a blast. Mostly they were Arabians, such beautiful horses! I want one :P

That about sums up the pre-race summary. There is so much more that happened but I can't write a book here...