The Virgil Crest Ultra is a Monster of a race! With 10,000 feet of
gain and loss, slow rocky, rooty single-track Finger Lakes Trail, this
race is a punisher of a course. Oh yeah, and you summit Greek Peak at
2,189 feet from 1,180 feet in about a mile and a half (That is running
up a ski slope!). The course record is 8:34 or so which is a smoking
fast time for the course and I hope to be able to run right around that
time on the slow end though my real goal is to run a super fast course
record time that will stand for many years to come. Looking at my race
at the Cayuga Trails 50, I did not race to my ability with my badly
twisted ankle and I still managed a 7:45 effort though wound up off
course for a 8:00 on the dot finish. That type of performance with the
similar amount of vertical would place me 30 minutes above record pace.
Now all I need is to be able to run to my potential and hope for dry
conditions so I can run the downhills fast and not get slowed down by
the mud. If all the stars align, I think that a 7 hour performance is
in the cards. I have been running tons of vertical both up and down and
though I have been on the tired-side of running, when I taper in the
next 2 weeks, I should be primed to handle the course the best I can.
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Wearing my Mammut MTR longsleeve zip on a nice cool morning--46 degrees
(Best quality apparel around!!!)
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