Dawn Til Dusk in Gallup, NM

Dawn Til Dusk...

Why I even entertained the idea of racing solo in a 12-hour race is beyond me, especially when in all my life, I have only “raced” a 13-mile loop, placing last, mind you...

It was 6am and I lay awake in my down sleeping bag, listening to the racers stir around me, car doors opening and closing, chains being lubed, coffee being brewed. There was only a hint of dawn, but the frost that blanketed the desert was a dead giveaway that that it was VERY cold outside my cocoon.

I continued to lie there, remembering how I scoffed at Hunter S. Thompson’s account of his Honolulu Marathon racing experience. Hung-over at 4am, peering thru his hotel window curtains, looking out at the racers lining up in the darkness below, knowing he should be among them, but instead opting to crawl back in bed and participate only thru the remote control and the local news channel. How could anyone be so unmotivated!?

Yet, here I was, peering out thru the bed of the Toyota, suggesting to Walker a new kind of race: Dawn Til Dusk Snuggling! How many of these guys could last more than 8 hours? I scanned the guys around me, all excited, wound up, and ready to go…HA! I had them beat by far!

Realizing then that, minus the hangover, I was exhibiting the same behaviors that I had scoffed so long ago, I proclaimed that although it’s probably not a good idea that my first endurance race be a solo attempt, I would get up in the cold and help scrape the frost off of Walker’s bike.

It’s now 8:15am and the sun is fully up, the remaining frost is completely melted, and Walker and countless others have already completed their first lap. I, on the other hand, have spent the last hour prepping the support food and organizing a myriad of snacks by color, texture, and carbohydrate content. I will cheer the racers, hike around the sandstone, and look forward to the lasagna dinner tonight and riding my bike tomorrow with Walker, who after 12 hours of riding today, will be perfectly paced with me.

All in all, a great weekend! Thank you, Gallup, for another great race & fabulous trails!