Elizabeth Erickson

Run Rabbit Run 50 mile

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
September 13, 2014

My final race and my longest race. This race encompasses my goal of the entire summer. Prove that I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to. Having never before run more than a few miles in one go, I have completely surpassed that in the last two years. During this race I ran further than I have ever run (26.2 miles) and traveled the further than my two legs have ever carried me (37 miles hiking). I am very proud of myself and learned quite a bit along the way. This has been a rewarding summer and has renewed my passion for finding new physical feats to test my abilities. Overall, I do not think competitive running is for me. My favorite distance range is between 6 and 15 miles, I do not like competing against anyone but myself, and training for a race goes against my spirit of doing things to my own tune. However, I do have a new appreciation for the ultra community. I have never felt so welcomed, supported, and encouraged as when I was struggling through my races. I met so many amazing people and saw some incredible scenery. This has been a worthy ambition for my summer.

The race was out and back from the base of the ski basin gondola up to Rabbit Ears Pass. The course was a spectacular 50 miles running through the mountains and fall colors of Routt National Forest, crossing the Continental Divide, up to the base of the rabbit ears-shaped rock formation on Rabbit Ears Mountain, and back to the start for a total 9,000 feet of climbing. It was tough and amazing. I started before sunrise at 6:00AM in a 28ºF crisp morning, continued through a 68ºF sunny afternoon, and ended at 8:20PM after sunset in a 40ºF night. I started and ended by headlamp. This was my race of all races.

Results:
Distance: 50 miles
Bib: 1046
Place: 124/140
Time: 14:20:30

Breakdown by Checkpoint:
Start: mileage 0, time 6:00AM
Mount Werner outbound: mileage 6.4, time 7:45AM, elapsed 1:45:00, pace 16:24, section pace 16:24, place 90th
Long Lake outbound: mileage 13.2, time 9:23AM, elapsed 3:23:00, pace 15:22, section pace 14:24, place 94th
Base Camp outbound: mileage 18.4, time 10:46AM, elapsed 4:46:00, pace 15:32, section pace 15:57, place 106th
Dumont outbound: mileage 22.3, time 11:50AM, elapsed 5:50:00, pace 15:41, section pace 16:24, place 110th
Rabbit Ears turnaround: mileage 25
Dumont inbound: mileage 27.7, time 1:30PM, elapsed 7:30:00, pace 16:14, section pace 18:31, place 113th
Base Camp inbound: mileage 31.6, time 2:45PM, elapsed 8:45:00, pace 16:36, section pace 19:13, place 56th
Long Lake inbound: mileage 36.8, time 4:33PM, elapsed 10:33:00, pace 17:12, section pace 20:46, place 114th
Mount Werner inbound: mileage 43.6, time 6:55PM, elapsed 12:55:00, pace 17:46, section pace 20:52, place 125
Finish: mileage 50, time 8:20PM, elapsed 14:20:30, pace 17:12, section pace 13:21, place 125th