Brian proved that he knows how to run a great 100 mile race. He won the Massanutten 100 miler in May, and won Grindstone 100 in October. He also snagged a strong 2nd place finish at Vermont 100 in July, despite volunteering for me in the days leading up to the race.
(Brian, cruising to victory at Massanutten 100)
Brian's proudest moment came at the North Face - Bear Mountain 50 miler in May. After 7 years of racing, and 7 years finishing in the top 5 but never first, he was finally able to get it done. As he cruised towards the finish line of Bear Mountain, he just looked at me and said 'finally'. Pictures from the finish show just how happy Brian was to win the race...
(At the finish of Bear Mountain 50 Miler)
He also had a good day at Manitou's Revenge 50 miler in June, showing that he can win the race if only his shoe stays intact (unlike the previous year). He also finished 3rd at Mountain Masochist in November while out on a training run, and finished an unofficial 3rd at the Vermont 50k in September when pacing our friend Donald for the entire race.
Brian struggled with the early season Zion 100 in April, finishing in 3rd place and vowing to never listen to my harebrained ideas ever again. However, Brian's biggest struggle came at the Leadville Trail 100 in August where he contemplated DNFing and ultimately finished 12th place.
I had set out two seemingly impossible goals for myself at the beginning of the year. The type of reach goals that you only have the courage to whisper to a dear friend about 4 hours into a training run when your filter is worn down. What were these goals? I wanted to race for the USA at the World Trail Championships, and I wanted to win my first 100 miler (and, while I was dreaming big, ideally that win would come at Grindstone 100).
(Racing up the 'Rock Pile' at Mt. Washington)
Amazingly, I achieved both of my goals for 2015 - making me a true believer that a little bit of luck and a lot of determination can make dreams come true. In February, I learned that I was selected for the USA team to race at the World Trail Championships in France. At the time, the ground was covered in snow, as it would be until early April. I continued to train hard, using snowshoeing to log miles, even traveling to Wisconsin for the US Snowshoe Nationals and placing 8th in the 10k race and 2nd in the half marathon.
(Enjoying the trails at Snowshoe Nationals)
I had a bumpy road for the next few months leading up to the World Championships, accumulating low mileage due to the snowy conditions at the TARC 6 hour and dropping out of Zion 100. However, I had a few shining moments such as finishing Bear Mountain 50k in my fastest time yet (but still second place) and finishing 2nd place at Massanutten 100.
In all honesty, I felt unprepared as I traveled for the World Championships. I could blame some of that on the weather conditions that we had - it was hard to train when the trails were covered in snow until April and even harder to train through the numerous sub-zero cold spells we had. However, I wished the race was later in the year so I could have had a better training build-up under my belt. I still ran my heart out and did my best to represent the USA strong.
(Finishing the World Trail Championships)
Returning from France, I was fully focused on my first year of race directing for the Vermont 100 Endurance Race. I learned a lot, but some of my favorite memories of 2015 were in congratulating finishers or helping refill their water bottles at aid stations along the way. The pride, joy, and determination that the runners showed made me made all the sleepless nights and stressful meetings worth it.
(Congratulating 23-time Vermont 100 finisher, John Geesler)
Leadville 100 turned into a disastrous day, my only motivation was to finish so I wouldn't have to ever go back there again. The two highlights of that adventure, however, was having my brother pace me, and also meeting my angel pacer, Chad, who took me home for the last 25 miles.
(Feeling hopeless at the Hopeless Aid Station in Leadville 100)
Grindstone 100 was my last big race of the season, and I was nearly heartbroken when the race was initially cancelled. I scrambled to make things work so I could still race when it was ultimately postponed to the following weekend. I had a dream of winning a 100 miler this year, and this was my last 100 miler this year - but truth be told, this was the one that I really wanted to win. Somehow, through luck, motivation from my friends, and an amazing pacer (Josh), I crossed the finish line first. Better yet, I got to share the win with my husband.
(Grindstone Champions!)
Grindstone, in a way, felt like the end of my year. I had achieved what I set out to do in 2015. The rest of the year, I ran a few races for fun, finishing 5th at Mountain Masochist 50, 4th at Hellgate 100km, and winning the 50k at Ghost Train (and then hanging out to crew/pace other runners). But, I was already dreaming up my adventures for 2016.
In general, it was a fun-filled year with a ton of highlights and struggles. 2016 is already shaping up to be another big year, with Brian and I competing at UTMB and me racing at Western States. Brian will try to win himself a golden ticket to join me at Western States...we'll see!
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