The Wyoming 5k

We checked into a motel in Dubois, Wyoming on the evening of August 10. At the desk, I noticed that there was a 5k being held in town the following morning, August 11. I inquired about the location and learned that it was being held less than 1 mile from the motel. I talked to Neil, who said, "Why not?"

So, it was official. I would run a 5k in Wyoming. Unplanned. Spur-of-the-moment. I registered online and learned that the race was part of a series called Run 4 Chance, to support the Chance Phelps Foundation, named after a 19-year old soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2004, and who is buried in Dubois, Wyoming. 

It was a long night before the race. We went to bed in time to get 8 hours of sleep, but the partying on the street kept me awake for nearly an hour-and-a-half. Then Neil woke. We both managed to sleep some, but when the partying moved off the street and into the motel room below us, Neil was up for an hour or two, fuming about the noise and disrespect of our fellow motel guests. When 6:30AM rolled around, I reset the alarm for another 30 minutes of sleep. I rolled out of bed and Neil declared that he felt as if he had been "hit by a truck." But, a runner must do, what a runner must do...run races.

So, I was off. I ran down to the park to get my bib; Neil met met later. I heard some anti-gay comments and I "got my defense" on...remembering that I was in the state where Matthew Shepard was killed. But, I needn't have been so defensive. I had a nice time and enjoyed the small-town environment. After all, these were not the people who kept us up throughout the night!

We're off!

The race was the most grueling 5k I have ever run. The first mile was like most 5ks -- flat, fast, and I was cruising along with under a 7:30 min/mile. I was pleased, but running and breathing hard. Some younger men were behind me, jostling, laughing, and teasing each other. Around mile 1 they passed me and we started a brief incline. One-by-one, I ticked them off, feeling great...until I passed the last one. At that moment, I caught sight of runners on my left, way above me - on dirt switchbacks up the side of a mountain. I said to the runner beside me, "Oh, I had no idea." "Yah...it gets rough now. We go up for a while and then it levels out. You can make up time then." I tried to stay with him, but he beat me. The incline was steep, the terrain was rough - lose dirt, gravel, small rocks, and eroded trails. Between the terrain, my fast start, and the elevation, I was laboring...running an 11 min/mile. There was a woman ahead of me who I had tried to catch and I saw her walking. I decided that if she could walk, I could, too. It's only the second time I have ever walked in a race because of exhaustion - and the other was during a 50k (yes, 50, not 5). I walked twice during the race. 

My fellow runner was right. It did level out at the top --around mile 2 -- and gave us amazing, panoramic views of mountains. Then we started to decline, down a packed, gravel road. I feared sliding down, so I wasn't as fast as I might have been, but I surely enjoyed the change. 

I came in across the finish line blazing fast for me, under a 7 min/mile. In all, my time was 9:07 min/mile, which isn't great really, but I didn't care. I was about the 3rd or 4th woman to cross the finish line. Obviously, it was a small race. I spent the rest of my day wearing my new Run 4 Chance "high-tech" running shirt with great enthusiasm. 

The finish!