Rattler Trail Race 50k

I am writing this far after race day to add more content to my website so it is not in as much detail as I would like it to be.

Race day was an early morning drive down from the Denver area to Palmer Lake, CO. This race was a race I was planning on training through to gain a learning experience for future races. The goal of this race was to run on tired legs, something I could not do at Black Canyon. I did not taper to race day, but was still in the mindset to race it and be in the mix. We toed the line and started the race. I went out with the lead pack and stayed with them for a few miles. I realized that this course was not how I originally thought it would be like. It consisted of runnable at times but also big steps up and down completely breaking your stride. I decided to let the front pack go ahead, this was a pace I was not capable of maintaining. The first loop was good all the way through, staying in the 4th place position just off third place. It was a two-lap race and on the second lap is where I made my moves... well kind of this is where others fell apart. I caught up to the third-place runner at the start of the second lap talking to their crew. I passed by taking minimal time to grab nutrition. About 3 miles into the second loop, I saw the second-place runner. As I went by, he was emptying his stomach on the side of the trail. The rest of the race was me just moving forward. It got hot out, and everyone slowed causing the second lap to take longer than our first by roughly 20 minutes. I crossed the finish line in 2nd place in 4 hours and 29 minutes. I was proud of how it went. I started to figure out my nutrition plan that I would minorly adjust for races later in the year.