The race was over Presidents' Day weekend, which also includes Ken's birthday! If we would have known that most of our other trips for the year were going to be cancelled, we would have extended this trip by a few days. You live and learn I suppose.
We flew to Phoenix and stayed in North Scottsdale. I treated Ken to a birthday dinner at one of our favorite places in Arizona, Postinos. We enjoyed bruschetta and wine and outdoor seating. The next day we drove around the desert, before stopping and picking up our packets. Packet pick up was actually on Ken's birthday, which happens to be Valentines day.
Obligatory pre-race bib picture.
I have a crazy obsession with cacti. I absolutely adore a giant cactus.
We were so excited about running our first ever race together!
The packet pick up was done so well. It was in an outdoor area with a lot of great samples and there was a stand set up where you could buy beer and food. It was one of the better ultra pack pick ups I have been to.
We had big plans for Ken's birthday evening. We planned on going to the Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse for dinner and bull riding.
Ken wore his flannel shirt for the occasion. We planned on getting cowboy hats, but ran out of time.
We enjoyed our dinner at a fish fry table and then headed over to the arena for a little bull riding. This was Ken's first time to experience bull riding, but I had gone to a rodeo in old Webb City when I was a kid. I just remember the rodeo clown and that was about it. I neglected to notice how large these bulls are until I saw them in Arizona. Wow.
Ready for a few rounds of bull riding!
This guy made it for 8 seconds!
We were in bed early so that we could be awake and ready for our race. We had to be shuttled to the start line, where we met a local guy that was running the race. He was very nice and told us quite a bit about the course. It was so funny because all of the locals were freezing and Ken and I thought the 50's felt wonderful!
Ready for 38 miles!
Ken and I both really love the desert, so were excited about this race. The course was a lot of up and downs with desert scenery. The aid stations were every 6-8 miles and provided a great assortment of items.
Desert scenery about 6 miles into the race.
My favorite aid station that was halfway into the race.
Ken and the cactus
One of us fell during the race. I bet you would guess that it was Ken, but it was me! I scraped my hands up and was so dirty. Ken was trying to drink his calories instead of eat them and it ended up catching up to him in the end as he was very fatigued. This was also the day that Ken learned that pickles have 0-5 calories and are not a source of energy during running. Great for salt, but not energy. It was all good though because it gave him an idea of how to plan for next time.
This was my favorite part of the race, the fields of cacti.
My idea of the perfect cactus.
We finished the race in 10:40, causing us to do the last river crossing in the dark. That was a little tricky!
We ended the night with pizza, wine, and soda. Sadly, we flew home the next day so I could get back to doing my clinical rotation. The race was such a great getaway and it was such a great memory for Ken and I to have together. Up next??? Not sure that anyone knows!
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