OK a RR for BP ODF 50k

Okay, since I have a second I better drop a line about the race last weekend before the soreness is gone from my legs.

Shelley and I head to Branson MO. on Friday after work...we stop off at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield MO. to pick up packets. We have now been there the total of twice...the fucking wildlife exhibits have been closed both times so all we get to see is fat fuck rednecks wandering around lusting after camouflaged underwear, guns and fishing shit. It is a slice of Americana to behold. It has if these good people have found the holy grail. Awesome.

We get our packets and head to Branson...we decide a steak would be nice since the race is two days away...pull into an Outback Steak house...whatdafuck...that dude is smoking...at his table...so is about half the restuarnt...wow...we leave hoping for a non-smoking anything.

Pull into Branson and find a rib crib....mmmmm ribs...around this time it strikes me...this place is fucking weird...old people every damn place...no police....just old people milling around like some kind of fucking elephant grave yard...dude there is evil afoot.

So we get to our hotel which is surprisingly nice and chill...since we were the first of our crew to arrive. Wake up Sat morning and head back to Springfield so Shelley can shop and we can see more of America...well we apparently didn't see enough cause back to Branson we go to the Bass Pro shop there...wow...more of the same.

The rest of our crew arrives and we head out to the race site so they can pick up there packets...talk with the RD...ask about drop bags...RD has no idea what a drop bag is or what she is going to do with them...OH shit this might be a cluster fuck of a race. Get sorted head back to the hotel and crash...

Race morning...

We are greeting by Barney Fife and the race site...seriously...a Don Knotts impersonator...he was spot on and actually funny as hell. We get instructions that we will be starting with the 25k people and basically run the second loop backwards.

One bullet Barney shoots his gun and we head down a little asphalt to start the day....then the first creek crossing at about 1/2 mile...then another then a couple more then a few more...the RD said there were 5 creek crossing 10 for the 50k...I stopped counting on the first loop at 1o meaning 20 at least for the 50k. Once were left the first creek we went straight up. I mean freaking straight up. These were by far the steepest hills I have ever been on. I thought my back was going to seize up and paralyze me. I was blown after the first up and down...I thought my knees were not going to make it. So I settled into an easy pace on what ever flat I could find and took the hills very slow...

I believe we covered 7 hills in each lap and had a total elevation gain of nearly 10,000 feet. The course was beautiful as all the leaves were changing colors. I really just had fun running the thing even though I was shit slow at 7:29. I actually thought about pulling at 25k because the hills were killing my back but I thought now way and I wanted the sweet North Face Finishers fleece.

Shelley rocked with a 5:08 but spent time trying to figure out the course on the second loop. There needed to put about twice the signs up that they had. The course marking was shit.

Shelley was 2nd female and 11th OA...there were 4 guys from the New Balance Mountain running team so the front was really stacked.