Burning River 100 Miler
This past weekend was an incredibly busy one. After moving in to my new place it was time to head over to the Covered Bridge near Everett Rd to volunteer at an aid station for the Burning River 100.
FlyLeaf-Fully Alive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d3RYW0YoEk
What inspires someone to do this?
What makes a person like this 'tick'?
I have helped out with races, both on the bike and running but I have never experienced anything quite like this. I was expecting to see just the volunteers when I arrived. I was pleasantly surprised to see people crewing for their runners. Family and friends woke up around 3am or so, just like most of the runners for the start. They follow their runners around-making sure they get what they need. They meet up and aid stations, set up camp-sit and wait. Other runners choose to have drop bags delivered to aid stations-and a few seem to show up for the race.
Around 1am I heard something that truly moved me. A female runner came in, she was ranting about another runner that had been struggling earlier in the race then she ended with this. "I have learned everything I need to know about myself today."
Ultramarathoners are not normal people. Its mental game-and we all are insane.
These runners are intelligent people, highly educated and are looking for a challenge in life because its in moments when you come to an aid station at mile 80.8 that you truly feel like your alive. Go back out for a 4.7 loop which consists of mostly single-track with some gravel coming back to the aid station at mile 85.5
To the runners who participated in the Burning River 100, you inspire me to be better, to push myself, and to find the my next challenge.
Romans 5: 3-5
Knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
