Le Troisième Le Grizz - pourquoi pas?



garden gnomes on the Le Grizz course



For reasons I still don’t completely understand I decided to go ahead and run Le Grizz on Saturday.  This is a 50 mile run along the Hungry Horse Reservoir on rolling road that I completed as my first 50 miler in 2007 and then again ran in 2008.  Although I was already wrecked from the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim the prior weekend (which I did already wrecked from pacing Jill 48 miles at Bear the weekend before that), I figured I’d see “just how much this thing can blow up!" (to quote Jill who did something similar this weekend).  My initial plan was to crew for Utah visitors Meghan and Bryon -- Meghan is training for her annual MDS adventure and Bryon needed a Western States qualifier -- but since Iris was willing to devote her entire weekend to crewing and making things happen, I figured why not run.  Bryon particularly made it seem like a great idea since he was reportedly untrained, having done nothing but work around the clock like a madman all summer.  Stupidity loves company.  And, rather than get a good night’s sleep and all that, thus increasing the likelihood of a successful day, we enjoyed a pre-race sampling of various Montana beers and whiskey. 



Hungry Horse Reservoir

4:30 a.m. rolled around just as early as it sounds and we headed to the start, which is probably only 10 miles from my house as the crow flies but is a 2 hour drive.  I felt pretty calm about the run since it is incredibly easy to drop out (what with it being on a road and all) and I had no business being there in the first place.  It’s not like I *want* to be injured.  I did, however, want another day of doing nothing but being outside, listening to music and snacking.  It occurred to me that one of the appealing things about ultra running for people like me (who stay within their comfort zone during runs as much as possible rather than pushing to the limits) is that it’s a way to do nothing for many many hours under the guise of doing something.



more views during the race

 Anyhow, despite being pretty tight from my feet through my lower back, I ambled along for close to ten and a half hours and crossed the finish line feeling no worse for the wear. Well, maybe a little but not too bad. Bryon and Meghan both finished somewhere in the mid eight hour range -- Bryon with his flask of whiskey, which reportedly got him through when his legs began protesting. My friend Rebecca finished her first 50 miler as well and seemed pretty cheerful when she crossed the finish line. All in all a success.



Bryon and Meghan at Kintla Lake


The rest of the weekend was incredibly fun but went by too fast. Meghan, Bryon and I went to Polebridge for some pastries and visited Kintla Lake, which I had not yet visited in my nearly six years here. Such a fun weekend.



Meghan has the best smile/laugh

 The gloomy grey sky has settled in here in the Flathead. This time of year it’s entirely possible that the sun won’t make another appearance for a long while, so I’m glad summer ended with a bang and that it’s now time to rest.



Kintla - winter's a comin'