50-Mile Nirvana

Last year, I hoped to finish the Collegiate Peaks 50M in 9:30.
My time this year was 9:32:?? I missed it because I missed a turn early in the race and me and another woman went 1/8 mile off-course. That's all it took. So I actually ran 50.1+ miles in 9:32:??
This official time is 1:15 minutes faster than my 50M PR.

Sorry there's no photos. I car-pooled with Todd G (he got 3rd place!) and wanted to pack light.
We slept at the KOA campground south of town.

The weather forecasts leading into the weekend kept changing. Rain, wind - but we ended up with perfect weather.
I forgot the hydration bladder for my Raid Revo, and chapstick. I used my Ultimate Direction bottle instead and it was fine, but my lips are PARCHED!
Collegiate Peaks is two 25M laps. My second lap was nearly as fast as the first! In fact, SOOO unlike last year, I didn't start to feel discomfort until about 45 miles. Okay, I felt discomfort at 5 miles, but I didn't feel any worse at 40 miles.
At the 25M turn-around, I was 20th. I finished 16th.

I got to see many of my friends - Bill the veterinarian, Kassandra from Leadville, Anita Fromm, Dan Bryant, Paige from Salida and her husband John (did I remember that right?), Jon from Salida, Reid Dilman from Gemini Adventures (Moab100, Boulder100, Laramie100), and many more. However, the numbers were way down this year. I swear there was half as many runners.

There is some bad news that has me a bit nervous. A 59 year-old guy fell dead on the course. The woman behind him was a physician's assistant and started CPR nearly as soon as he hit the ground, but there was no hope.
I don't know who he was, yet. They sa it was a long-time ultra veteran who has done the LT100 and just about every other race int the valley. That means I probably know him.
At least he died doing what he loves, with people he loves.

I have another 50M in Los Alamos in two weeks. Gotta get this tired, sore body rested-up.