Western States 100 - Here I Come!!!

The ultramarathoning gods must be smiling upon me. Despite just a 16.1% chance of getting in, I was picked in the lotto to compete in the Western States 100 today! I am excited beyond belief to have the opportunity to participate in the big show this June.

I was at Stephen's house, sitting at his computer and constantly hitting the refresh button waiting for the first listing of lotto winners to be picked. I started to lose the anticipation with each hit of the refresh button after over half an hour of doing so, when suddenly the first listing appeared. The waiting ended there, as my name was among the first picked.

From then on out, they posted lucky entrants in groups of ten, and we anxiously hoped Stephen and/or James' names would be added to the list. Unfortunately, that never came. The odds were against even one of us getting picked, and we knew that, but still. Both of them are better athletes than I am and great individuals to boot, so I would be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty for getting in when they didn't. They're planning on running the Massanutten 100 now instead, an even harder course and no doubt they'll both put out incredible performances as they did at the Vermont 100.

Big thanks to Stephen and his family for hosting all of us today. Stephen's parents, James's wife and daughter, Ian, Blaine and Chuck were also there making it a good time. A side event going on was an apple pie baking contest between Chuck and I. Verdict is still out on who won, but Chuck definitely gets bonus points for the lettering on his pie:



So, time to start looking ahead and planning. I'm extremely fortunate to have this opportunity and I plan on making the most of it. The Western States course is known as a quad-killer with it's long downhills, and I need to work on that. Goal is to go sub-24 hours for the silver buckle, which I think is very reasonable for me to do.

Happy running!