A Breakthrough at Bighorn (at Last!)
Sweet glorious Bighorn! My muse. My nemesis. You've been at the center of this trail runner's imagination and aspirations for more than four years. With your stunning canyons. Raging rivers. Brilliant wildflowers. Velvety green mountain meadows. Forever climbs. Moonlit June nights. Three times you've let me partake of your wonders, only to prove unworthy of a 100 mile finish. But my respect and admiration for you only grew, as I knew you did not give of your fruits easily. This time, finally, I made the grade, and you let me into your secret garden, sweet Bighorn. And what a glorious feeling it is! The Unique Bighorn Experience The barebones of it are there in this year's results--a 34:20 finish. Surprisingly little drama, especially compared to my 2007, 2008, and 2010 attempts. I built a nice margin on the cutoffs, feeling strong and breathing well. Held up surprisingly well on the dreaded overnight. Gave back a good bit of that time in the secon