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Hey everyone.
I'm back from Crater Lake. It was the best race ever. The scenery is just spectacular - you get superb views of the Lake, which is as blue as blue can be, and other Cascades Volcanoes, including Mt Shasta, all the way down in California. The weather was very good, just about warm enough for singlet and shorts to start and it never really got hot although I did get a little sunburn. The main challenges are the hills (there is a five mile long hill between about 9 and 14, which involves about 1000ft of ascent), the altitude, which tops out at about 7850' and the Grayback out and back. This last thing absolutely killed me! There I was, at mile 21, barrelling down the hill ( there's a five mile downhill between 17 and 22) at 4hrs, thinking I was going to get inside the 5hr mark no problem right? Wrong!! That Grayback thing is the most sadistic sting in the tail ever thought up by a race director. It's a steep sandy trail. Well at mile 23 I felt really sick and spent a minute or so retching into a ditch by the side of the trail.Yuk! However, I recovered OK and managed to walk up to the turnaround point and then ran down. I finished in 5hrs 19' 24''. The winner did 2.56 and the women's winner did 3.44. The course record is 2.37 by Bekele Tesfaye. The total height gain is 2000ft with more than 2500ft of descent. It is a fantastic place and a very nice race. If you seasoned marathoners want an extra challenge then here it is. I took a little camera with me during the race so I'll bring the photos along when I get them developed.
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