It’s 3 AM and I’m halfway through my third leg of R-Scape. Someone has taken my lungs and replaced them with lead filled balloons, tied an anchor to my ass and then acquired the help of gremlins to dismantle the soft tissue of my hamstrings. Well, in reality, I just finished climbing that fun little 695 feet of vertical for the third time and am seriously wondering what I’m doing out here. I’m forty, asthmatic and 185 pounds. This is not my game. High school kids keep zipping past me saying that I’m, “doing great.” Jerks! Doubt, serious doubt in my abilities to handle type of beating has set in. I’ve pissed off muscles I’d forgotten I had. Doing the math, I know I have one more leg to run around 7:30 AM before I call it a “race.” That will be a measly 24.8 miles of trail. Keep going? Yes…
Somehow I neglected to train for this event in my long summer of running and mountain biking. I’ve ran hundreds of miles this year, but only 12 on an actual trail. As the event slowly got closer I kept thinking, “it’s just 6.2 miles. Piece of cake!” Hmm, may have been wrong? It’s time to dig deep and find that inspiration to keep going. There it is! Downhill! It’s time to fly again!
R-Scape is an 18-hour relay based at Mt. Ogden Park. It’s trail running at its finest and is not for the squeamish. Four to six people make up your team. Sleep is a premium. Blisters will happen. You will run multiple laps, you will run in the heat of the day and you will run by headlamp.
If you are up for adventure this is the race for you. It’s organized, catered (included in entry fee), well marked and scenic. With your entry fee you get a 20 x 20 foot camp site in the park that you provision in any manner you feel necessary. Heck, R-Scape will even Sherpa in a sofa to your site if you feel it is needed. Rumor also has it there are free showers and massage therapists on hand.
Do you have ankles made of Titanium? Do you have the mettle? The intestinal fortitude? Think you are a true badass and can beat the local high school cross country team? You are delusional!
For more or to sign up for next year’s beating, go to www.r-scape.com