Tor des Geants - quick recap

I love when you count a race by how many days and nights you've been out on the trail. Ok so it took a day and a half longer then I thought it would but not even the leader came in within the estimated winning time. In reality I had no Idea what was going to happen. Coming off of running a 100 miler two weeks before the race and coming down with "feeling of death" sickness during that race I could only hope to finish TDG.

By race day the clean mountain air of the alps the excitement of what I was about to undertake had cleared up any signs of being sick. honestly looking around at the mountains that surround Courmayuer the start and finish of the race hadn't yet put enough fear in me. Little did I know I could not see the tops of the mountains we would spend endless days climbing and descending

It wouldn't be long into the race that I figured out we were all in for the challenge of a lifetime. One that would push the limits of our bodies and our mental determination to continue on. I wont go into how steep the and long the climbs and descents where right now but while crawling over each of the 25 passes I thought about how every race, every adventure run I've done over the last few years
had prepared me for what I had taken on here in the Mountains of Italy

The race its self was amazingly trouble free. Not once did I ever have a doubt that I would not finish. The body held up and only got stronger as I pushed harder to the finish. Of course fatigue, lack of sleep, calorie deprivation and a few insignificant blisters were all part of the fun.

The race organization was amazing if you didn't get caught up in facts and details. The volunteers were always friendly and excited to see you drag yourself into the aid station ringing cowbells, cheering and congratulating you on each step. Couldn't say enough about how great the volunteers were and how much energy they put into the race. Just the thought of them having to clean up after all of us stinky dirty runners earned my respect.

There are many story's still to share about just how epic this race really was and How greatful I was to be a part of it. would I do it again? In a heart beat!

Finish time 5 days 2 hours and 23 minutes
49th out of 179 finishers