IMTR 16 mile version

50 Mile Results
Place	Bib	Name	Finish Time	Time of Day
1	51	Adam Cassiday	8:09:17	15:09:47
2	60	Micah Scott	9:01:07	16:01:37
3	65	Roxanne Zobava (F)	9:21:20	16:21:50
3	61	Mike Pflieger	9:45:39	16:46:09
5	64	Rick Gray	10:27:52	17:28:22
6	67	Steven Frank	10:41:10	17:41:40
6	52	Dale Fleckenstein	10:59:31	18:00:01
8	57	Jay Finkle	11:14:14	18:14:44
9	53	Denise Davis (F)	11:34:43	18:35:13
10	54	Ed Kirk	11:43:30	18:44:00
11	62	Peter Musgrove	11:52:50	18:53:20
12	59	Matthew Kidd	12:28:40	19:29:10
DNF	56	Gary Campbell
DNF	55	Gail Leedy (F)
DNF	58	John Balbuena
DNF	66	Scott Taylor

30 Mile Results
Place	Bib	Name	Finish Time	Time of Day
1	3	Charlie Wassum	5:07:13	12:07:43
2	36	Lani Anderson	5:19:46	12:20:16
3	32	Chris Lancaster	5:40:18	12:40:48
3	33	Jerry Anderson	6:30:50	13:31:20
5	38	Michael Phillips	7:06:15	14:06:45
6	31	Albert Ligator	7:15:13	14:15:43
6	39	Sandra Melton (F)	7:26:48	14:27:18
8	37	Michael Patterson	7:26:51	14:27:21

16 Mile Results
Place	Bib	Name	Finish Time	Time of Day
1	8	Jennifer Nichols (F)	3:02:00	10:02:30
2	7	Jared Bailey	3:06:37	10:07:07
3	10	Julie White (F)	3:07:01	10:07:31
3	15	Pegi O'Hagan (F)	3:07:01	10:07:31
5	16	Richard Tyner	3:09:38	10:10:08
6	4	David Blair	3:18:07	10:18:37
6	9	Mike Womack	3:18:07	10:18:37
8	14	Michael Helton	3:20:50	10:21:20
9	18	Travis Fuller	3:42:03	10:42:33
10	35	Ken Meyer	3:45:00	10:45:30
11	11	Kay Ziemer (F)	3:45:03	10:45:33
12	1	Anita Finkle (F)	3:59:36	11:00:06
13	2	Billy Mullins	4:15:44	11:16:14
14	5	Donna Bays (F)	4:44:50	11:45:20
15	12	Larry Fuller	4:44:53	11:45:23
15	6	Heather Bland (F)	4:44:53	11:45:23
17	19	Lance Godsey	4:59:32	12:00:02

So there are the pictures I have that beth minnick took of me @ FS90 aid station at mile 8 of the IMTR trail run, and above are the results.

This was such a fun event! I had a blast I will definitely be back next year and am toying with the idea of running the 30 mi option. :o)

I woke up at 430 saturday morning and I ate my prerace breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries and rasberries, a banana and a huge cup of coffee. I left the house at 5:15 am to get to Damascus at 6am. I wanted to get my packet and then just sit and chill for an hour and get in the zone. I was extremely nervous about this race. Even though I had gone over virtually all of the course a couple of times with beth and even though I knew this was a smaller trail race. I think I just really had something to prove to myself that I was capable of running a more technical trail race. I also really wanted my friends whom I train with (beth and aliese) to be running the race as well. I felt like I needed someone there for security.. not so much to run with, but just someone to give me a high five and a positive word as we passed each other at the turn around.

before the racers meeting, I saw rick and tammy gray got some big hugs and positive words of encouragement from them. That calmed my fears some and all of a sudden my inner attitude and confidence had changed from "don't hurt yourself-- just try to get through it." TO " WORK HARD AND GO FOR IT!"

So the race started and I jumped out ahead and just tried to run my normal pace for when I'm on the creeper. Beth and I had discussed this in length how I needed to use the 6 miles of the creeper to my advantage because I knew there would be sections of the 10 mi of single track that lay ahead that would level the playing field for all involved. SO surged on ahead.. almost embarrassed and self conscious about what I was doing.. everyone else was holding back and just jogging.. shouldn't I be doing that to?? In my mind I thought maybe everyone thinks I'm just green and don't know what I'm doing.. maybe they think I'm going to choke once I get back in the mtns?? haha maybe I should just focus on the race and not worry so much about what everyone behind me is thinking..... Then Rick and some 50 milers came along..and caught up with me, that made me feel more secure because "hey they are doing a 50!" and going my pace, and I got to chat with Rick some more which was nice.. Then from straight branch it was UP UP UP we climb for about a mile... I was still ahead of the rest of the 16 milers so I just tried to work as hard as I could going up beech grove.. I would speed hike on steep sections but revert back to running on ANYTHING I deemed runable. I had NEVER worked so hard going up that trail before.. but I felt good, strong and so I continued.. I opened a pack of honey stinger chews and ate a few here and there because I was at an hour and felt like I needed to refuel some..

Once I got to the top of the ridge the iron mtn trail I just caught a rhythm I had never had before trail running. I think it was the familiarity of the trail and just focusing on the task at hand.. I just became obsessed with making it to FS90 as fast as I can. I was passed by 2 men both 30 mile runners in this section. I was trying VERY hard to not let anyone else catch me!

I knew I was almost to FS90 when I saw the shelter and there were 2 hikers there finishing up breakfast. I waved and said "HI" and they both cheered and one yelled "pretty in pink!" haha so I yelled "WOO!" back to them-- very funny moment.. a mile and 1/3 more of running and I finally made it back to beth, gypsy and tammy at aid station FS90.. They acted quickly beth got a pack of gu chomps out for me.. I downed 2 motrin and a coke and took off again once they let me know I was in the lead.. not just for women but OVERALL for my race.. NO PRESSURE!! so I didn't linger at all. and I became very nervous at the realization that the race was mine to lose.. I had it .. I just had to hang on for 8 more miles!! so I started running back. I listened to my ipod and just really got lost in listening to bluegrass and running as hard as my feet would take me. I would eat gu chomps every few minutes and drink water every half mile or so... I tried to NOT walk at all.. I was just wanting to haul my little happy hind end to damascus. I passed an unmanned aidstation was water and gatorade and was going to stop.. then I saw a sign that said "4 miles to finish"...

I shook my nathan pack.. slosh, slosh.. still plenty in there. I remembered rick telling me I had enough to do the whole race without using aid.. when i was talking about being afraid of running out of water.. so I just said "GO FOR IT!" aloud to no one but the birds and trees and zoomed on down the trail to mock holler I go!!!

I ran on down the dreaded downhill section of mock holler trying my best to have nimble feet leaning slightly forward and just going fast and not really thinking too much about it all... I have no idea how I did because I usually have all these AMAZING runners to compare myself to when I do training runs.. I just tried to get through it as quick as I could and not let anyone catch up with me..

i saw the light from the end of the trail and beginning of the pavement at mock holler and yelled out "praise the Lord!" and there was a guy sitting on his porch.. I know he had heard me.. he chuckled softly as I ran past his house. OUCH! the quads were REALLY feeling it now.. I think this was the first moment the whole race I became aware of ANYTHING hurting.. I had felt fine the whole time until now.. but I just tried to regroup and focus GET TO THE FINISH FAST!! so I just rolled on out of the holler down RR ave.. and onto the creeper..

I was almost sad to finish once I was on the creeper. Everything had went by so quickly I was a little sad to see it end.. but before i knew it I was at the gazebo for once of the most anticlimactic finishes of my life.. haha. I know that it's very rare for me to win over all female, but to win an ENTIRE race has never happened to me before and probably never will! I finished with kevin checking his watch and I little girl sitting there eating an ice cream sandwich..she was so cute with vanillia ice cream on her cheeks squinting up at me through the glare of the sun. Really what better way to finish.. I wouldn't change not one thing about it. ( except maybe have brock and the kids there)

I headed straight for the lemonade and guzzled three cups! then I got my awards( which I LOVED that kevin just gave them to me) I got a nice gift certificate from sundogs and a jar of apple butter( that is SOO yummy) and I very nice tech-t IMTR finishers shirt.

I cleaned up and then my buddy aliese and I volunteered to take a cooler and table to rt 600/skulls gap for kevin! I was just happy to be given the opportunity to hang out with aliese and talk so off we went on our little adventure!

it really was a great race and an awesome day!! :o) can't wait until next year!!