What a beatiful day it was for a race! A solid 55 degrees and pouring rain made for a heck of a good time. After dealing with the stress involved with having to postpone the Foliage 400 in the morning, being able to run this race was a good release.

The race started by slogging around the field and into the woods. I was first into the woods, followed closely by Chris and David Birse, the only non-local runner. Within 50 yards we encountered a downed tree, was this just the start of the surprises? I set a pace that I was barely comfortable with and Chris was sticking to my heals. He mentioned how loud my feet are when I followed him during the challenge, well you should here how loud this man breathes! Up by and around the towers not much changes at the front of the field. When we enter Roots I decide to make a move and pick up the pace. One crash later I exit Roots and head up Lower Loop. This is when David pulls along side, guess my attack was thwarted. Many deep puddles and slippery off camber stuff checked our speed along Ledge and North trail. As we entered the North Trail inner loop I attacked again. Knowing all the little twists and turns on this trail really helped and I was able to open the first gap of the race. Back on North Trail I kept the pace very high, I knew I would be able to recover going down Ridge. When I enter the field I finally decide to look back, no one in sight yet. This was the first time I felt like I could relax, but with the finish line in sight I could not let myself. I cross the line first in 29 something. Chris and David had a great race to the finish a came in only 30 seconds behind me.

It seemed like everyone really enjoyed the race. The course is a blast to run on foot, never thought I would say that. There is a good chance this race will be expanded to a longer course for next year. One of the biggest highlights for me was making the kids pancakes Sunday morning and covering them (the pancakes, not the kids) with Stetson's wonderful maple syrup, which everyone got to take home from the race.

Now it is time to get back on my bike where I belong for some great late season riding.
 
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Brian certainly got it right when he indicated how great of a day it was for a run on the Pinnacle last Saturday. My take on the race is pretty similar to his, though I had a slightly different perspective as the one who was trying desperately to keep up!

As we went into the woods at the beginning of the race, Brian set the early pace. As we closed in on Snake Alley, there was only one other runner in sight behind us ... David Birse.

It is ironic that Brian mentioned my breathing for two reasons. First, during the race I was thinking about how it was probably the first time he had witnessed how loud I tend to breath as I get close to being "on the rivit" (let me know if you need help with this roadie metaphor). Second, I had indicated hearing his clydesdale style gait on the road during the team pinnacle challenge.

Brian pulled away from me going up Snake Alley. I tried to keep calm and thought ... as David passed me there ... that Brian may slow down when David reaches him.

Going through roots I bridged back up to David as he fell off from Brian, but as soon as we hit the double track, David shot up to Brian very quickly. At that time I thought it might be the last time I saw either of them, but I attempted to stay on the power.

Once I got to Ledge Trail, David was in sight ... and looking over his shoulder like he was a bit worried about my reeling him back in. I accelerated as I merged on to North Trail and caught him just after the "scary bridge". As I came up on him he grumbled something about the race being longer than 5K ... so I took that as a good indication that I should attack him ... which I did. I basically drilled it down Ridge and the Toboggon Chute in an attempt to take whatever gusto David had left. As I broke clear onto the football practice field, Brian was turning the corner to head for home (about 30 sec ahead of me). David attempted to pass, but I used my road criterium racing experience to keep him on my outside shoulder and I took the optimum line through the last corner and sprinted for home. I ended up beating him by a few seconds.

Having Brian ahead of me really helped me keep the pace high. I really wanted us to finish one-two, so I was pretty pleased when that was the way it turned out.

It was, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable races of any type that I have ever competed in. Many thanks to PJ, Brian, and the others woh made it happen.

One final thought. I am wondering how our 29:15 and 29:42 times will compare to the lap times that will be posted at the Fall Foliage 400 in just over a week ... I suspect they will be close.