Day 1 - Everything and more

The first day of the GAWR was everything I hoped it would be and even more. It was much more beautiful than I expected, much hillier, and the people were just wonderful.

We started the ride at 5:00 AM at the Seattle Space Needle and did a 3 mile neutral start (no racing - everyone stays together) through downtown Seattle. We then worked our way to the University of Washington and right past Husky Stadium. Because of road construction we had to make a couple detours, which causes some confusion. I was riding next to an amazing woman from Germany named Maymo - Maymo told me that she had pre-ridden the fist 25 miles and knew where to go. So I stayed with Maymo and had a wonderful first 90 minutes of the race. Maymo reminded me of my good friend Sarah Gabelhouse - they could have been sisters. About mile 20 Marymount made a stop to get a snack - was now on my own. I then increased my speed hoping to catch someone in front of me. I didn’t want to get lost. I caught Curtis the race director- he would know the course, so I stayed with him. About mile 50 started our first climb, a 26 mile climb - the length of a marathon. In fact a marathon race was taking place on trail at that very moment. Marathon runners were flying down the hill while Curtis and I stayed far to the right of the trail. It was actually very entertaining watching the runners - some of the runners had cuts from falling down the hill - this was a steep hill. Curtis started picking up the speed and I knew I needed to let him go. About an hour into the climb my Garmin computer beeped and said turn right. I turned right and immediately sensed something was wrong. I kept following the directions on the computer- but kept riding in circles around Rattlesnake Lake. Finally I just stopped to look at a map. I decided to follow my gut - ride back to the marathon runners. As soon as I could see the marathon runners my computer said “On Course”. I had lost about 30 minutes of time but learn a lesson on following the Garmin map. I continued riding up the steep hill at about 6 mph watch the runners go down the hill. They were moving faster than me. At the top of the hill was a long tunnel that was over 2 miles in length. I then put my raincoat on, turned on my headlights and entered the tunnel - it was pitch black, water dripping from above and cold. It was a very long tunnel. When I exited the tunnel I was Carmine the wife of one the riders. Carmine offered me chocolate chip cookies - I have never turned down a chocolate chip cookie. Carmine told me that another rider, Cody Johnson was just minutes behind me - so I waited for Cody. Cody and I then stated riding together - we worked very well together. As we rode I learned that Cody is a bicycle mechanic from Minnesota. We shared stories and the miles flew by. As we got closer to Ellensburg I asked Cody if he wanted to share a hotel room. This may sound like an odd question to ask someone - but hotel costs were going to add up quickly. When we arrived in Ellensburg, my cousin Barbie came to treat me to a late dinner. Barbie lives nearby in Yakima. Having dinner with Barbie was a great way to unwind and relax. One day down - One day at a time