What's a better way to spend hot summer days than packing your bags up and heading west for some rest and relaxation? That's exactly what we did this year...twice! In July we flew to Montana and stayed in a lovely cabin near the Madison River. We ran the Big Sky Marathon, went whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and spent some peaceful moments wading in the river and soaking up the sunshine.
This race was advertised as the second longest downhill marathon on planet earth and one almost guaranteed to bring you a personal worst time. It was a limited support race, and it was strongly recommended to bring your own water and supplies. Of course, I didn't. Their advertising was amazingly accurate. At more than one point I was strongly tempted to take a drink at at one of the cattle creeks. Right when I was about to give into this temptation, a kind lady from Mississippi (whose husband was running) showed up and offered me a water bottle! I was so happy!! Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference, so in a world where you can be anything, be kind! We started up near the snow of the mountains, and ran an unforgettable down hill race...especially unforgettable to my knees. We ran on a gravel road through open range ranches with pretty cattle grazing. I finished with a time of 4:59:33, just barely beating the 5 hour mark.
Our next adventure, in August, was the Bear Lake Trifecta, 3 states, 3 marathons, in 3 days! I was excited about this chance to push myself out of my comfort zone. Day 1 was in Idaho. This was the toughest day for me. My time was 5:05:23, and I really didn't feel like repeating this episode two more days in a row. I didn't see any bears, but written on the race shirt was, "Only one runner has to worry about the bear!" I didn't want to be that runner! I was expecting the worst on Day 2 in Wyoming, but instead it just got better. This time the most exciting part was when a super friendly dog rushed out of nowhere to greet me less than a mile from the finish line. I love dogs, but I still needed to finish the race, and the canine was jumping up and down forcing me to give him my full attention. A policeman was the only other person in sight and he soon came to the rescue. "Where did the dog come from?" the officer asked. "No idea!" I replied as I sprinted off leaving the kind officer to figure it out. The timing clock read 4:50:00 as I ran in. The 3rd day was in good old Utah, and once I got past the first couple miles I felt the best yet. This course boasted both trails and pavement, and was a super fun race. I was happy to end with the time of 4:26:52 as the 1st female finisher! Mama ran the half marathon all three days, and Papa ran the half marathon in Utah. This race trifecta will go down as one of my favorite adventures! "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you!"