Short CCC100 Report: I Only Fell Off of One Cliff.

I'm back from brutalizing myself in the Cascades of Washington. I only fell off of one cliff, though.
See the full race report (with photos) or podcast here.

Short story: I dropped out of the Cascade Crest 100-miler after 60 miles, due to "mental fatigue." It was the safe thing to do, before I climbed anymore mountains and negotiated anymore cliffs. I had slid twenty feet down a cliff just 20 miles prior to quitting. It had been raining heavily, and "stuff" happens on slick rocks and mud after dark, you know.

Part of the reason for my fatigue, (besides the tough course): The 10 a.m. start for this race is a real pain for non-west-coasters; (that's noon, our time).

My legs and body were fine during the race, though. If I could have screwed a new head on it, I could have made it just fine. Today, I'm just a little stiff, tired, bruised, and scratched-up. No foot blisters or problems, though. No regrets about my decision to DNF, either. It was appropriate for the circumstances.

By the way, Patrick Perry from Lee's Summit did the Trail Nerds proud! He finished in 29:37. He agrees: this race makes the Western States 100-miler look like a cakewalk. My NW buddy, Olga Varlamova had to drop out of the race. Eric Barnes (NW runner) finished his first 100-miler in style!!! It was nice seeing that Jamie Gifford (male from Seattle) won the race. He had to DNF, last year. Darcy Africa was right on his heels for a first place female win, and 2nd place over-all spot, right at 21:15. Most of the field takes more than 28 hours to complete this beast.
Results: http://www.cascadecrest100.com/2007_results.htm
Website: http://www.cascadecrest100.com/

Some fun points during my run:

Climbing and bushwhacking down the "roped section" of cliff over huge, wet logs and rocks, right at mile 50.
Running into a black bear right before the rope section. (I said "hi," and he scuttled out of there).
Drying out and warming back up, while running through the 2.2-mile long abandoned railroad tunnel under Snoqualmie Pass.
Being held up for 2 minutes by a skunk on the trail.
Having to bushwhack around an insane female hiker who was flailing her hiking poles and walking fast, in an attempt to keep me from passing her.
Picking and eating wild Huckleberries and Thimbleberries during the run.
Drinking an O'douls (non-alcoholic beer) at mile 35, and thinking it tasted good.
Eating two hot pierogies at the mile 48 aid station.
My wonderful crew and the great people I met during the event. The volunteers were top-notch!

Yep; I'm already planning my revenge on the course for the 2008 race. I'm also going to donate my 563-foot long 7/16" Bluewater II static line for the roped section. (I don't cave with it, anymore). That bouncy (10% stretch) climber's rope they used was just awful for the task at hand.

I'll write-up a proper report later, and include photos.

Happy trails,
Bad Ben