Here's some of the story:
I came to Hardrock with the modest goal of finishing within the 48-hour cutoff, which I would guess is the minimal goal for anyone entered. (I actually hoped to finish in the 40 - 42 hour range because I was running without a pacer, and was very uncertain about how I would be able to handle staying awake the second night.) I felt confident that my training and preparation could support this goal. The first part of the run went pretty much as I expected that it would - I was real slow on the steep uphills, but was able to make up the time on the downhills. I had to deal with some problems that I had hoped that I could avoid (e.g., having extreme difficulty eating or keeping anything down from Ouray to the finish), but these problems were no different than what many other runners were dealing with.
I was on track for finishing under the cutoff until I went through the Maggie-Cunningham section on Sunday night. I got caught up in some personal mind games that went something like this:
"Gee, it seems like there hasn't been a course marker for a while. Did I follow the course correctly at the last junction, or am I off course? If I'm off course and keep going, I have no chance of finishing. On the other hand, if I backtrack to the last marker and make sure that I'm on course, I still have a shot at making it." At this point, I would backtrack to a previous junction and course marker only to find out that I had been going correctly. (I want to emphasize that the course was adequately marked - I made the decision to backtrack because of my uncertainty about my alertness.) The first time that I did this, Rollin and Jim came by and invited me to join them, which I gladly did. I managed to stay with them for most of the ascent, but could not keep up (I'm a slow climber) as we approached the top. I went through my little mind game twice on the descent. I finally got to the Cunningham aid station after more than 4 hours (significantly longer than nearly every other runner) from leaving the Maggie aid station. I went through the Cunningham aid station at about 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning and started the long (slow) climb. When I got to the descent toward Silverton, I picked up the pace to a jog which got faster and faster as it became more apparent that time was running out. When I crossed the bridge into Silverton, I knew that my odds of finishing under 48 hours were slim. I took off my waist pack and ditched it behind a bush so that I wouldn't be carrying the weight. There were a few spectators doing everything they could for me - giving encouragement, trying to keep me posted on time remaining, making sure that I had a clear and open course to the finish. When I hit Greene Street, I went into a full sprint. As I neared the school, I saw that the time had already passed 48 hours. The official time for my unofficial finish was 48:01:11.
I would be lying if I said that there wasn't some disappointment in missing the cutoff - after all, that was the target that I had been focused on for the entire run. But the disappointment was completely dwarfed by the experience that I had just gone through. I had spent two full days and nights in some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. I had spent time running, hiking and talking with many wonderful people. I had been encouraged and assisted by numerous wonderful people at every aid station. I had spent many hours in solitude. I was fortunate to avoid problems severe enough to force me to drop out. And I had completed the course on my own terms. I had taken every step, I didn't give up on my goal even when it became apparent that it was slipping away, and every decision during the run was made in real-time to the best of my ability to get me safely to the finish. I owned all of those decisions, I completed the course, and it was personally the most satisfying and rewarding run that I have ever participated in. All of the good things about my run completely overshadowed the 71 seconds and the few missteps that I made in executing the run. I didn't get my diploma, but I got a great education.
Congratulations to all Hardrock runners.
p.s. If anyone is interested in putting a face with my name, go to Ulli
Kamm's picture on Virginius Pass.
Randy Dunn
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dunnrd@msn.com