Wow. This was my first 50 miler and I must say it was a killer. I led the race until about mile 20 and then ran with the eventual winner (Kevin Schilling) until he pulled away at mile 30. Windy Pass is definitely a hill to remember. I seriously thought I was at the top at least 5 times but it just kept going. When I summited I felt like I had the strength to put in some quick downhill miles but my left knee was acting up and I had to tip toe my way down. Being forced to run gingerly for 10 miles was miserable to say the least. I just hope my knee is ok. I will add more tomorrow after I have slept for 14 hours. Race Report: I woke up at 3 AM and got to the start area by 4:15. With some advice from past runners I had 4 drop bags, two with shoes, all of them with a good supply of GU and Clif Bloks and one with EFS liquid shot. In case of a desperate situation I stashed one of those Red Bull shots in the bag at mile 33. The race started out at a leisurely pace down the Provo River Trail and then turned south up a trail. After about two miles it was just me and Kevin Schilling running together. We chatted for a bit and I learned the guy is nuts. He is a pulmonary doctor and runs 50's, 100's, marathons, almost every other week. After about 4 miles we started up some steep sections and Kevin dropped back. Because I didn't know the course I was hoping that I could just follow his lead but I was feeling good, not working too hard, and decided to take my chances. As the climb continued the course meandered its way through and over patches of snow. At about mile 10 the course continues south along a ridge line road. Although the road was mostly covered with snow there were many sections that I was able to run on the snowless shoulder and just deal with the occasional puddle and/or bush. This continued until about mile 15. Miles 15-22 were mostly on a dirt trail and all downhill. The downhill on the road felt good but there were also some really steep downhills through the woods that started to aggravate my knee. It was frustrating not being to let loose down those hills, which I am usually pretty good at. Probably because of my slow descents Kevin caught up at about mile 20. We mostly ran together on the road section up Hobblecreek Canyon. We commented on the excessive size of the properties in that canyon and all the truck drivers who somehow felt the need to drive 60 mph. By aid station 6 at mile 26 my knee was really bothering me on even the slightest inclines. Kevin slowly put some distance on me and I didn't see him again after we went through the Meltzer aid station at mile 29. For some reason I totally forgot that he was serving PB&J sandwiches. I was on at least my 10th GU at that point and some real food would have tasted good. From 29 I resorted to hiking on the steep inclines and running the flats. I went through AS 8 at mile 33 feeling ok but I certainly wasn't prepared for the upcoming death march to the top of Windy Pass. If I had known I would drank the entire coke. The never ending climb didn't start until mile 39 and although it was only 1.5 miles it felt like an eternity. I think mile 40 clocked in at 26 mins just to give you a sense of the incline. After about 5 false pitches and almost going off course I FINALLY made it to the top only to find that the next aid station was still about a half mile away at the bottom of a super sketchy descent. My knee really hurt at this point so I had to tip toe my way down. I stumbled into the aid station and I did my best to rehydrate. The next 5 miles ran across lots of snow fields and mostly rocky single track. I did my best to keep moving although I knew that the field behind me must have been gaining ground. I reached the aid station 10 (mile 46) in about 8 hrs and then had the fun chore of running down the road to the finish. At this point I might as well have been in a coma so my pace really didn't matter anymore. After what felt like running 10 min miles I finally reached the park and jogged through the finisher's shoot. After thanking the race director for putting that mountain at mile 40, I immediately sat in the Provo River with the hope of speeding up the recovery of my knees. Overall I was happy with the my finish although I wish I my knee would have felt better so I could have pushed it on the downhills. The race was very well organized, the views were incredible, and the volunteers at the aid stations were awesome. After the race I also met some great people who I hope to run with in the future. | 
