My 2017 Eastern Divide Ultra

The Cascades

One of my two goals for EDU this year was to see how my knee would respond to some serious climbing and descending. I'm signed up for the Barkley Fall Classic in September and I really needed a test like EDU to give me the confidence to attempt BFC again.

I finished EDU last year so I knew exactly what to expect. Doing EDU this year was a leap of faith for me. It's a point-to-point race. They bus you from the finish line to the starting line. The only way to get back to the finish line is under your own power. My knee had to hold up.

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My second goal was to enjoy the scenery and take lots of photos. This comes directly from Sean Blanton's prerace briefing at the Grayson Highlands Half Marathon. He said, "This is a trail run, you're not qualifying for Boston here, enjoy the experience." Wise words.

Here are a few of my photos. Others have been posted on facebook.

Double track atop Butt Mountain

A mountain view

More double track

The second big climb

View from the second big climb

So what was my outcome?

Well, my knee held up very well. A day later it feels fine with no swelling. I did several thousand feet of climbing and descending. I did take a lot of photos and enjoyed being in the mountains.

I rolled into Aid Station #5 about 8 minutes over the cutoff time. The person who will be RD next year asked me how I felt and I said fine. She told me I would be allowed to go ahead and finish if I wanted to. I thought about my next 50k being in two weeks and decided not to press my luck and stopped right there.

I met Katie and Scott and we saw Marie and Amy finish the 8-miler.

P.S. The post race barbecue was excellent!