That journey extends for the race itself—starting at 5:00 AM when the gun went off, all the way through to the time I hit the finish line and the weeks, months, and year that went into preparing to qualify for the race.
There were moments in the race where I remember hitting those checkpoints📍that I wanted. I even remember getting to those checkpoints saying to myself, “Yes, this is awesome.”
☀️It was hot climbing up Devil’s Thumb which is a 1500 ft climb. At 4:00 pm it’s a hundred degrees in the canyon.
😩 It sucks!
⛰️It took me almost 50 minutes to get to the top—Almost a mile and a half slowly going in the stifling heat.
I remember thinking to myself, “I chose to be here. This is what I knew was going to happen. It’s the complete race experience that people talk about with the Western States 100.”
❗This is why it’s one of the most prestigious races out there—because it’s hard.
So even as I’m going along, I remember thinking to myself—
“The journey is the joy.”
When I hit the dirt the third time and saw stars✨ and my hand just throbbing with pain, I reminded myself that this is why I’m here.
I’m here to see how hard I can push myself. That’s why I do it. That’s why I do these races. Not for the buckle or for the finish line, but to see how hard I can push myself.
That’s the true measure and that’s part of the journey.
