Wrapping it up in Moab:

Being in the mountain bike mecca of the world I was able to join the wheeled individuals on my feet to run some of the best trails the town has to offer. Each morning was not a typical early morning start like my training buddies in the northwest, although with the heat that may have been the thing to do. On Monday we started the Slickrock loop at around 10am. Amazing terrain, and as I ran I constantly questioned how anyone could bike the quick steep ups, sand pits and sharp turns on the sticky slab. I was glad to be on my feet. Tuesday at 9am five of us started the 14.4 mile Porcupine Rim Trail, 3 guys (Matt, Cyril & Ryan) on bikes and Sylvie and me on foot. The point to point was littered with amazing views, including Castle Rock, Priest and Nuns and the Colorado River.


The group out on Slickrock Loop



That afternoon we hung out in the Mondo coffee shop waiting for Ryan VanGorder. Ryan was released from the hospital and on his way back to Seattle with his wife Jen and parents. It was great to see him moving around so well, chatting and eating. Quite a scary experience for the team and with all of he doctors reports and feedback everyone realized how close a call that incident had been. We attended the Primal Quest awards ceremony and dinner that night and the staff recognized Ryan’s recovery amongst the awards to all of the teams that finished the short and long courses. I enjoyed soaking up the stories of a couple of teams’ adventures and trials; Dave Mackey of Team Spyder shared his end of race hallucinations, a couple of funny stories came out about no-doze and Matt and a variety of difficulties with the horses in the beginning of the race in addition to the many blisters, lost toe nails and ulcers of the mouth.

After these mellow days in Moab hanging out with Team DART-nuun Matt and I left Moab on Wednesday morning and bee-lined it to get home. We snuck in a 2 hour run up Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City on part of the Wasatch Front 100 mile course and had a great Thai dinner with friends Roch and Catherine. Then back in the car for some cooler evening driving. Thursday we pushed through and made it home in the evening to unpack and sort ourselves.