scenes from El Vaquero Loco 50k

this past weekend, August 14th, i traveled with some friends up to Afton, Wyoming to take part in a 50k trail race (that's 32 miles).  it was my first race really successful event in over 6 years, so i kind of considered it my "coming out of retirement" event.  i wanted it to serve as a strong prep event for the Wasatch 100 which i will run on September 10th.  (my first actual race this year was Pocatello 50 on May 29th, but it was called short because of weather.  read previous post here.)

needless to say, the scenery in the Salt River Range east of Afton was gorgeous.  i felt really good the whole race.  i ate and drank well, and did not vomit once, which is a first for me in all my years of racing.  my legs felt strong towards the end and i kicked it into high gear and knocked out the final 3 miles of downhill fast.  the field was small, but i ended up placing third.  it was such a friendly race and i knew a lot of the folks who turned out:  it was great to see them all again.  Ty Draney, the race director, all of his volunteers, and the Star Valley Search and Rescue put on a great event.  i'd love to be able to head up there next year.