Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
The rifle blast was loud but the noise of it was completely overshadowed by the shouts of the 320 runners and equal or more friends, fans and loved ones all standing and counting in unison from ten down to one. My heart was racing and I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. “Three, Two, One! Blast!” The runners up front moved forward and up the steep first climb. Walking forward I them move for a few seconds thinking they looked like fireflies disappearing behind the dark and lumbering hill ahead. As those lights bounced out of sight, the trail before me cleared and it was my time to move. The runners before me began to thin out. I moved on loose legs and watched my breath erupt in clouds before my face. My feet hit pavement, then gravel, then dirt. The immediate and loudest pieces of cowbells rattling and people cheering began to fade. The landscape began to roll more steeply. I switched from a run into a jog then finally a fast power hike. The dirt from below was red,