Thursday, June 26, 2008

More on the Western States Cancellation

Greetings from Lake Tahoe. First off, thanks for all the kind words I've gotten. It really is appreciated. Now that I've seen it in the daylight, the smoke in the area is pretty damn thick and the race committee definitely made the right move. Had the chance to talk to several other would-be runners today and they all shared the same sentiment. Still, it was a bit hard to visit Squaw Valley today (where the race expo and race start is), look up at these gorgeous mountains and imagine the adventure we would have had.

However, the smoke was also so thick it was hard to see a lot of the mountains! Stephen, his buddy Danny and I ran/power walked up to the first and highest peak on the course and the smoke was significantly worse off to the west where the race course ran. While we felt fine for the most part on our little jaunt today, I don't think running a 100 miles in it and in areas with even thicker smoke would be too smart. Some of the fires are also apparently endangering access to the aid stations. It's just a mess.

I really feel bad for the race directors and other folks who put on the race. Can you imagine having to tell 400 something runners that have made many sacrifices that the race is canceled? Being the bearer of bad news is never fun, even if it's in no way your fault and due to circumstances you have no control over of.

But it is what it is. It's looking like this year's runners will be guaranteed a slot next year, though that's not official yet. It only seems fair though. I'm anticipating that being the case and look forward to coming back next year and kicking some butt.

I also have the Vermont 100 in three weeks. Just some brushing up on training between now and then I should have a good run there with some fresh legs that are raring to go. Time now to look ahead and not back. There are trails to be run and many good times to be had.

Onward and upward!

Today's stats:
Ran 8.9 miles @ ??? pace
Insanely hilly.
Dirt roads, trails.
Lower 80s, sunny, thick smoke.
Shorts, short sleeved shirt.

3 comments:

Grellan said...

Very sorry to hear about the cancellation of Western States. I was looking forward to a epic tale. Still with the Vermont 100 in 3 weeks and all that stored energy you'll blast through it.

mindy said...

You have a great attitude, Jamie - that's what it's all about. You're going to kick it at VT. Sounds like the race directors did the right thing....still sucks big donkey balls tho.

Donald said...

Oh, man ... sorry you had to travel all the way out here before they made the announcement. I agree with Mindy, you've got a great attitude about the whole situation. Here's hoping we're both on the start line at Squaw in 2009.