I received team entry to the GAP Relay as a part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.
My Relay Legs
(and a quick breakdown of each)
Leg 3 - Woodcock Hollow to Frostburg
This leg was hands down the most difficult leg to run. For me, and for the team overall I believe from comparing notes later despite it's rating of 22/24 hardest (I also ran the leg considered the 23rd hardest and no question, this one was harder). It was not the longest (just under 7 miles) but it climbed the ENTIRE time, With the first mile being a super steep incline. It was a heck of a first mile when you were running 32, let me tell you! The runner who handed off to me (Randy) ran down the hill to the exchange point and when he reached me, all he said to me was "I'm sorry". But somehow I made it up the hill and onto the actual GAP Trail and I was rewarded with an incredible view. I wiggled my phone out of my side pocket to take a quick photo while trying to not slow down (another runner was doing the same next to me and we laughed about how blurry our photos would most likely end up).
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| And here is the photo in question. Not too bad! |
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| Heck of a 1st of 32 miles!! |
Leg 11 - Ramcat to Ohiopyle
This was my first (and only) dark run. I'll fully admit, I was glad of this, not that I minded running in the dark (I was awake anyway) but because we ran through some amazing scenery and I felt bad for the runners who ran through what I am sure were amazing views an not be able to see past their headlamps (like poor Brian who ran 3 of his legs in the dark, one of which over the Salisbury Viaduct only to not get to see pretty much anything). The majority of my run was through the Ohiopyle State Park, which from what I could see was very beautiful. This was my longest leg (just over 8.5) and was rated as the 23/24 hardest, but I think it got bumped up in difficulty simply for being in the dark as the route itself was mostly a slight downhill. It was less difficult to me than the previous leg, that is for sure. The leg itself was pretty uneventful to be honest. The scenery was mostly the same (that is not to say it wasn't nice, just dark trees on both sides and above) and I could hear the Youghiogheny River beside me the entire time. Sometimes it would rush louder and I'd wonder if I was hearing rapids or a waterfall, but I could never actually see the river. The running surface was mostly hard packed dirt littered by tons of falling leaves (that were actively falling) and I had to keep reminding myself that my shoes were in fact no untied, but that it was just the leaves I was feeling brushing against my shoes.
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| This wasn't me, it's Brian, but this is what this leg looked like for me |
I never felt unsafe in the dark on this mostly lonely stretch (one other runner passed me about 5 miles in and we chatted for a moment) and focused on just pumping out the miles. I handed off to Bill at the end, and Brian ushered me into a heated rest area to warm up and regroup for a moment before we hopped into the van for the next exchange. Side note: From what I was told, the exchange point where I set off from, Ramcat, was the BEST exchange area of the course with hot food and goodie bags, I unfortunately did not get to experience it, but my teammates were kind enough to grab me some goodies like a Koala Clip, knee brace, SPIBeams visor, snacks and more for after. Also, I have no photos from this leg because, well... it was dark (and also I forgot).
Leg 16 - Whitsett to Smithton
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| Me, about to head out from Whitsett with a bit of coffee finally in me |
This was my shortest leg and the first that was not rated "hard". In fact, this one was rated "Easy" which was great! The run was pretty much a straight shot (both vertically and horizontally) and was the first Saturday morning leg that was entirely in the daylight. This exchange point was where the runners taking on the 40 mile relay distance started which meant that it also had more offerings than most of the other exchange points. But since I was running, I didn't want to load up on food though I did have half a cup of hot coffee (much needed) and grabbed a banana and asked Randy to make sure that it was waiting for me when I finished (it was). I very much enjoyed this leg, it was mostly wooded and again along the Youghiogheny River, which this time I could actually see now and again. About a mile before the exchange, I saw another runner way in the distance and decided to push it a bit to see if I could catch her. If the leg would have been another .25 mile I think I'd have caught up, but I closed the gap considerably and it kept me with a solid goal (other than just finishing) making the last bit go by faster. Again, I tagged Bill (literally Bill was my hand off for 4/5 legs) and hopped back into the van to head to the next exchange. I had a pretty fast turn around because the next 2 legs were the shortest (2.5 and 3.5 miles respectively) and then I was up again.
Leg 19 - West Newton to Buena Vista
There's no other way to say this... my leg number 4 SUCKED HARD!! I think it was because I had such a quick turn around between my legs so I couldn't properly refuel and this one was a bit longer on average, but this leg was a really bad one for me. This is were I think we for sure needed a 6th teammate. It seems everyone on the team had 1 rough leg, which if we had 6 runners, we would have each run 4 instead of 5 legs. Even thought the entirety of the run was on the GAP Trail, the path went through about half residential and half woods. There was a section that the trail ran adjacent to the road. I think had I seen my team's vans drive by at this point, I'd have tried to flag them down to pick me up.
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| The best part of Leg 4 |
When the exchange point with Bill again waiting for me came into view, I was so deliriously happy. Until I remembered that I still had another 5.2 miles left to run before I was finished-finished. But that was future-Lissa's problem. Current-Lissa was done and needed food, which luckily was to be had in our van. Brian made me a PBJ Sandwich, which was probably one of the best in my life.
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| Best Sandwich EVER |
Leg 23 - Duquesne to Homestead
I'm happy to say that I rallied for my final leg! Was it the fastest run of my life, heck no, but I did my best to enjoy the miles. My speed picked back up again and I was able to keep moving with just 1 or 2 points where I walked. There terrain was the most varied of what I ran for this leg and most of it was actually on asphalt with a about a 3/4 mile section being on actual road (in a bike lane). I got to run over two actual bridges finally, one over the Monongahela River and another over the train tracks. I ran past Kennywood (which was awesome and yes, I did pause a moment to take a pic of the Phantom's Revenge Coaster).
I turned a final corner where I saw a sign that read "Exchange Point Ahead" and there was my team, with Randy, our final runner, ready to go. This one was another quick hop back into the van to so we could be parked and in position to meet Randy near the finish so we could all run across the line as a team. But essentially, I was done!
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| My Triumphant Finish! |
And again, I want to sincerely thank BibRave for sponsoring this team, P3R for the amazing event and especially my incredible team mates: from L to R below: Bill, Gwen, Randy and Brian (and me) for this unforgettable weekend.
Check out my team mates blog posts to hear their side of the story here:
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